Striking Gold

Some burreateries raise your expectations. There's Montero's, with decor that cheerfully announces that they attract enough business to afford it. There's La Calaca Loca with its authentically creepy happy skeletons. There's High Tech Burrito, with the implicit promise that a robot will read your brainwaves and assemble your burrito before you can reach for your wallet. It's my job to call these places out when they fail to live up to the hype. There are a few pleasant surprises, like the affordability of Montero's and the amazingly realistic skin on the HTB cyborgs, but the burritos themselves are rarely better than anticipated.

Then there are the places I dread. Places whose recipies were calculated in an office in the northeast, using sparse matrix techniques to minimize outlays while establishing customer loyalty through branding, places that cater to people too busy or unsophisticated or drunk to know any better, and places where the mexican food isn't the sole focus. I usually walk away from these well-armed to craft a review that would get my pants sued off if I (a) had readers and (b) blogged fully clad.

This brings us to Taqueria & Deli, 1904 Franklin St, Oaktown. You walk in and there's a wall of soda to your left. To the right, a rack of candy. If these don't deter you, you're either a fool or one serious burritorian. Taking a little from both columns, I strode to the back and noticed that they have a wide selection of meats. Furthermore, the regular burrito was under $4 (four dollars!). My expectations began to rise when I saw the expert folding of this burrito. If there's a competition, this guy should be in it. After rolling it in record time, he dropped it onto the foil. If there's any flaw in the way a burrito is wrapped, it becomes apparent pretty quickly after you let it become airborne. Nope.






This thing is big and it's delicious. It's a Mission burrito in character, and would be in the upper crust of those if it were there. Fortunately, it's here. Sorry if I'm award-happy lately, but I have to declare this burrito the Best Find.