Burritos

[DonRocks]

39 minutes ago, ktmoomau said:

Is there a good burrito in the DMV?  I tend to dislike burritos, but I am not sure what makes a great burrito.  To me, the best burrito I have ever had was a green chili burrito in NM- which was about 1/4 the size of any burrito I have seen in DC, but much more incorporated in flavor and manageable to eat.   

A Del Taco bean burrito with green sauce is better than anything in the DMV.

[ktmoomau]

That picture looks more like the size of the burrito I had in NM, which to me was really good.  DMV burritos are too big and trying to hard- that's my opinion.

[mtureck]

Can't say it's truly outstanding, but I do enjoy Well Dressed Burrito's marinated beef burrito. 

[DonRocks]

7 minutes ago, mtureck said:

Can't say it's truly outstanding, but I do enjoy Well Dressed Burrito's marinated beef burrito. 

I used to like this place, but I haven't been in probably 10-15 years! Here's the last reference I can find to it.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Setting the bar kind of low, but my go-to for a gut-bomb burrito is Tippy's Taco. I know, I know, but don't judge....

[DonRocks]

46 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Setting the bar kind of low, but my go-to for a gut-bomb burrito is Tippy's Taco. I know, I know, but don't judge....

I agree (see here), but the problem is a personal one: Once I *know* that something is Velveeta, I can't eat it, and I know that Tippy's queso is (Terry Thiese's son used to work there). I'm fully aware that Del Taco uses what is almost surely American (Colby if you're lucky), but I'm still in the denial stage, and I pretend it's mild cheddar. I don't want to know the truth.

PS - I'm hoping that someone will tell me that I'm full of beans (no pun intended) about Del Taco being better than anything in the DMV. So ... where?

[Pat]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

I agree (see here), but the problem is a personal one: Once I *know* that something is Velveeta, I can't eat it, and I know that Tippy's queso is (Terry Thiese's son used to work there). I'm fully aware that Del Taco uses what is almost surely American (Colby if you're lucky), but I'm still in the denial stage, and I pretend it's mild cheddar. I don't want to know the truth.

I have not been there in ages, but how do you know they still make them the way they did?

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Pat said:

I have not been there in ages, but how do you know they still make them the way they did?

The same way I know there are still canals in Venice.  I went to the Merrifield Tippy's a few years ago - the original locations will never change until/unless they're sold.

BTW, when Burrito Brothers first opened, it was really good (Falls Church and Georgetown locations were my haunts; I went to the ones at Capitol Hill and South Dupont only a couple of times (a Super Spinach Burrito with whole pinto beans and green hot sauce (and cilantro) was a personal favorite - they used Jack cheese, and steamed the tortillas in a press). They were giant burritos, and other than the cheese, they were vegan.

This wretched-looking place is not the Burrito Brothers of yore. Anything (including Primanti Bros) that just throws french fries into something for additional calories/heft needs to go back to whatever famine-stricken region they came from (this is a joke; not an immigration statement) - we don't have a starvation issue in the 21st century; we have a processed-food/obesity issue.

[zgast]

5 hours ago, DonRocks said:

A Del Taco bean burrito with green sauce is better than anything in the DMV.

Next time I fly to Michigan, I'll try it out.  

Does anyone remember the burrito cart at 15th and K St. from the late 90's?  That was great food.  And cheap.  And I was poor.

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, zgast said:

Does anyone remember the burrito cart at 15th and K St. from the late 90's?  That was great food.  And cheap.  And I was poor.

That was Pedro and Vinny's!

[zgast]

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

That was Pedro and Vinny's!

Had to do some sleuthing - turns out Pedro and Vinny's replaced the burrito cart I was thinking of.  Honest to Goodness Burritos was - as I recall it - started by a lawyer who worked in the building right at that corner. There was an interview in the WaPo where he said he actually made more running the cart than he did working as a corporate attorney.

And here's a completely random paper on food regulation in DC (not the WaPo one) with the lawyer's background I just found - page 4.  I hadn't realized he was re-opening the cart when I started going there rather than just opening it. Or that DC's street food regulations were that absurd.

[MTPeter]

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

The same way I know there are still canals in Venice.  I went to the Merrifield Tippy's a few years ago - the original locations will never change until/unless they're sold.

BTW, when Burrito Brothers first opened, it was really good (Falls Church and Georgetown locations were my haunts; I went to the ones at Capitol Hill and South Dupont only a couple of times (a Super Spinach Burrito with whole pinto beans and green hot sauce (and cilantro) was a personal favorite - they used Jack cheese, and steamed the tortillas in a press). They were giant burritos, and other than the cheese, they were vegan.

This wretched-looking place is not the Burrito Brothers of yore. Anything (including Primanti Bros) that just throws french fries into something for additional calories/heft needs to go back to whatever famine-stricken region they came from (this is a joke; not an immigration statement) - we don't have a starvation issue in the 21st century; we have a processed-food/obesity issue.

Everyone should have some del taco "del scorcho" packets on hand. Excellent for homemade breakfast burritos. 

The California Burrito (burrito with french fries) is a regional speciality, from San Diego. Done well or even passably and it is a delightful experience.  This style of burrito has spread widely now - in Idaho it is something of a contentious issue as they are famous for their taters, and so you'll see an "Idaho burrito" which is actually a "California burrito" rebranded.  But they are definitely best south of Oceanside. 

Burrito Brothers on capitol hill, to my surprise, is improved from when I first moved here 15 years ago. It is a lot cleaner and the food is fresher. Don't judge by the website. Is it good? Well it is... passable and improved. But not a destination.

Burritos are excellent and I love them. I've found no memorable burritos in the DMV. Go west when the urge strikes, they travel well so you can bring one home. A tip from my very thorough secondary TSA security screening - even if you are pre-check make sure to remove a hot burrito from your bag. 

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, zgast said:

Had to do some sleuthing - turns out Pedro and Vinny's replaced the burrito cart I was thinking of.  Honest to Goodness Burritos was - as I recall it - started by a lawyer who worked in the building right at that corner. There was an interview in the WaPo where he said he actually made more running the cart than he did working as a corporate attorney.

And here's a completely random paper on food regulation in DC (not the WaPo one) with the lawyer's background I just found - page 4.  I hadn't realized he was re-opening the cart when I started going there rather than just opening it. Or that DC's street food regulations were that absurd.

This post, and the next one, are both fun to read and substantive. Your link to the article about the burrito cart is priceless:

Mar 20, 2013 - "Slice of Life: John Rider, Serving Burritos with a Side of Jokes" by Natalie Plumb on wtop.com

1 hour ago, MTPeter said:

Everyone should have some del taco "del scorcho" packets on hand. Excellent for homemade breakfast burritos. 

The California Burrito (burrito with french fries) is a regional speciality, from San Diego. Done well or even passably and it is a delightful experience.  This style of burrito has spread widely now - in Idaho it is something of a contentious issue as they are famous for their taters, and so you'll see an "Idaho burrito" which is actually a "California burrito" rebranded.  But they are definitely best south of Oceanside. 

Burrito Brothers on capitol hill, to my surprise, is improved from when I first moved here 15 years ago. It is a lot cleaner and the food is fresher. Don't judge by the website. Is it good? Well it is... passable and improved. But not a destination.

This is just great stuff.

Thank you both, zgast and MTPeter.