Burritos

Some people take burritos very seriously. I enjoy burritos quite a bit. But I also have no problem saying that Chipotle is my go-to, even though that would get me blackballed from FiveThirtyEight.

In a strange bit of serendipity, this morning before I saw the FTE burrito contest, I was thinking about this burrito that I read about a few months back. I never really got it out of my head.

I found the article I read. The burrito is from Mission Cantina.

Here's what makes me eager to try it:

"The first and most important part is getting awesome tortillas. Ours come from Mi Barrio Tortilleria in Bushwick, and the guy makes them for us fresh every morning. A lot of places steam their tortillas. It's fast when they heat it up in a flash steamer. But I hate that. The way you digest a steamed piece of flour versus something that'd been griddled and crisped is different. It sits in your stomach differently. If it's a vegetarian burrito, we griddle it in a bit of olive oil, but if it's a meat one, we griddle them in chicken fat, which gives it a nice texture and flavor.

We toast them on each side, and then we put some of our smoked queso Oaxaca in there, and some shredded fresh mozzarella. We add a bit of cilantro and chopped-up onion, Rancho Gordo pinto beans that are cooked in bay leaves and onions, and avocado. I don't like re-fried beans: A lot of times they're cooked in fat, and they're a lot heavier. Another thing I hate is when people put guacamole on burritos. It's nice to have a little contrast and not have all the ingredients get soft. Slices of avocado taste a lot cleaner and hold a lot better. We also add crema, which we're about to start making in house with buttermilk. And salsa fresco with onions, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and salt.

We roll it all up and it goes back onto the griddle. It's griddled on all four sides, Dorado-style. Nice and crispy."

That sounds really good.