Papalote Mexican Grill - 3409 24th Street
Visited: 4/19/09
Ordered: Super Veggie Burrito
Cost:$6.83
Overall Description: I liked my burrito for the most part, although it did take a while. I think this is because it came with potato, mushroom, and carrot, which tasted pretty fresh. An interesting choice of veggies - I could have had grilled eggplant and zucchini, which strike me as more obvious burrito filling, but I'm trying to evaluate "Veggie Burritos" as dictated by the shop. I think this place has some great entrees and breakfasts, and they have an excellent choice of beans (vegan black bean refried, which I had) and wraps, but their burrito didn't stand above and beyond to me.
Composition: (out of 5) 4 - Put together pretty well actually, each bite was a little different from the ones before and after it. The potatoes and carrots gave it an interesting consistency, and there was a good amount of sour cream. I would've liked some more cheese however.
Ingredients: (out of 5) 4 - Everything tasted pretty fresh and I ended up enjoying the combination of the vegetables. Rice and beans were tasty as well, but they used guac instead of avocado, and there was a bit too much garlic for me as well - also what seemed like a lack of tomatoes/salsa.
Size: (out of 3) 2 - It was a bit on the small side actually, but the potatoes weighed it down and made it more filling then a burrito that size generally would be. I stopped eating with about 4 or 5 bites left.
Taste: (out of 10) 6.5 - This burrito was plenty tasty and had some interesting consistencies, but it didn't blow me away. Also, some of the bites were really heavy with onions and garlic, and others weren't. In general I felt like this burrito was lacking in a lot of little ways, which eventually added up. I also waited for what felt like forever for it, which tainted my final evaluation a little bit. I'll eat here again, but I probably won't get a burrito.
Value: (out of 5) 3 - Nothing spectacular.
Total Score: (out of 28) 19.5 - I had really high hopes for this place, and while I was not disappointed, I was not blown away in general. It had been a while since I had a burrito with potatoes in it though which can be delicious. My first California Burrito was in San Diego years ago and I remember being surprised at how good potatoes in burritos were. Papalote does some stuff right - but this is not a contender in my "best burrito" search.
Additional Comments: Tasty chips and salsa, nice people at the counter, Reed's ginger beer and regular beer, Papalote is pretty good for mid-ranged "cheap" mexican.
April 19, 2009
April 13, 2009
El Farolito (24th & Mission)
El Farolito - 2950 24th St.
Visited: 4/12/09
Ordered: Super Veggie Burrito
Cost:$6
Overall Description: This was one of my first burritos in the city, so it has sort of set the standard. However, a friend of mine had never been and I figured I needed to go remind myself why I thought this particular place was so good. I have to admit - I was not disappointed. The burrito was every bit as tasty as I remember them being (recently I have started getting their Veggie Torta instead of the burrito b/c it's definitely the best torta I've found). There's a reason this place has a line out of the door pretty much nonstop when other taquerias are empty.
Composition: (out of 5) 4 - Solidly wrapped, and able to stand on it's own. The only thing I don't like here is that the wrap is done very fast, and this means that parts of the tortilla ALWAYS fold up inside itself. Some people might like this as it adds an extra consistency, but I like my tortilla on the OUTSIDE of my burrito.
Ingredients: (out of 5) 3.5 - Not quite a four because honestly none of this stuff is SUPER fresh, but they do use avocado instead of guacamole, and their rice is pretty tasty. The beans actually aren't the best I've had, but all in all things are tasty and far from stale.
Size: (out of 3) 2 - After seeing the El Balazo burrito, I have a new idea of what a LARGE burrito is. This is a good size, definitely a lot of food for one sitting, but is nowhere near as large as the El Balazo super.
Taste: (out of 10) 8.5 - Goddamn, these burritos are good. Satisfying, filling, each bite is slightly different from the one before it, and it sits in your stomach like lead, but the first half of this burrito is always delicious, even more so on a late night when you've been waiting for 20 minutes just to get it. I would actually like them to be just a touch spicier, and sometimes the cheese is all deposited in one section which detracts, but after a few months of not having an El Farolito super veg, I am kind of wondering what the fuck is wrong w. me.
Value: (out of 5) 5 - 6 bucks for a great super burrito - can't beat that.
Total Score: (out of 28) 23 Not too shabby at all. I sort of think if this place scored better then a 64 on their last health exam I'd be inclined to rate everything a little higher, but for now, the bar is set high, but not unobtainably so.
Additional Comments: Some of the best chips in the city.
Visited: 4/12/09
Ordered: Super Veggie Burrito
Cost:$6
Overall Description: This was one of my first burritos in the city, so it has sort of set the standard. However, a friend of mine had never been and I figured I needed to go remind myself why I thought this particular place was so good. I have to admit - I was not disappointed. The burrito was every bit as tasty as I remember them being (recently I have started getting their Veggie Torta instead of the burrito b/c it's definitely the best torta I've found). There's a reason this place has a line out of the door pretty much nonstop when other taquerias are empty.
Composition: (out of 5) 4 - Solidly wrapped, and able to stand on it's own. The only thing I don't like here is that the wrap is done very fast, and this means that parts of the tortilla ALWAYS fold up inside itself. Some people might like this as it adds an extra consistency, but I like my tortilla on the OUTSIDE of my burrito.
Ingredients: (out of 5) 3.5 - Not quite a four because honestly none of this stuff is SUPER fresh, but they do use avocado instead of guacamole, and their rice is pretty tasty. The beans actually aren't the best I've had, but all in all things are tasty and far from stale.
Size: (out of 3) 2 - After seeing the El Balazo burrito, I have a new idea of what a LARGE burrito is. This is a good size, definitely a lot of food for one sitting, but is nowhere near as large as the El Balazo super.
Taste: (out of 10) 8.5 - Goddamn, these burritos are good. Satisfying, filling, each bite is slightly different from the one before it, and it sits in your stomach like lead, but the first half of this burrito is always delicious, even more so on a late night when you've been waiting for 20 minutes just to get it. I would actually like them to be just a touch spicier, and sometimes the cheese is all deposited in one section which detracts, but after a few months of not having an El Farolito super veg, I am kind of wondering what the fuck is wrong w. me.
Value: (out of 5) 5 - 6 bucks for a great super burrito - can't beat that.
Total Score: (out of 28) 23 Not too shabby at all. I sort of think if this place scored better then a 64 on their last health exam I'd be inclined to rate everything a little higher, but for now, the bar is set high, but not unobtainably so.
Additional Comments: Some of the best chips in the city.
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