FiveThirtyEight is in search of America's Best Burrito. They released their bracket for the West and it includes two from Colorado, both in Denver. Illegal Pete's and The Original Chubby's. I've had Illegal Pete's burritos on at least three occasions. They are a Chipotle clone, but nothing special. I prefer Chipotle. But it got me thinking. Is Chipotle really the best burrito that Denver has to offer?
To answer that question and expand my horizons, I will be taste-testing burritos across the city.
Before I get into burrito #1, I should say what I like about Chipotle. First off, I don't do beans. Fortunately, Chipotle offers grilled peppers and onions as an alternative to beans and they're delicious. Here's my Chipotle order:
White cilantro-lime rice
Fajita veggies
Barbacoa or Carnitas
Green Salsa
Sour Cream
Cheese
There's really three structural ingredients and three condiments. The balance is fantastic. I also will use fresh lime wedges and Smoked Tabasco or Green Tabasco for additional flavor.
This is really my standard. It's not that I think Chipotle is perfect, they offer everything I want. So for me, the question becomes: Is there a place that does what Chipotle does better?
(I should probably mention Qdoba. They're basically just as good as Chipotle but they annoy me because they charge extra for veggies even if I say no beans. Also, if Brit orders their nachos (which all come with meat) and holds the meat but asks for guac, they charge extra for that too.)
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My Denver burrito research informed me of two interesting things.
1. Basically everyone in Denver is crazy for breakfast burritos and not so much for lunch or dinner burritos.
2. Most of the lunch or dinner burritos appear to be served on a plate, customarily smothered in green chile. The mission-style burrito will be potentially hard to find.
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Denver Burrito #1: Tacos Rapidos
2345 W Alameda
I started here because Yelpers said that they offered a "Colorado burrito" that is actually a California burrito. I ordered a Colorado burrito, no beans. (I'm not sure if it would have come with beans anyways.) I asked if it came with sour cream. They said no. I asked if I could add sour cream. They said yes.
Here's what's inside:
steak
potatoes (aka french fries)
shredded cheddar
pico de gallo
sour cream (by request)
That's it. No rice. No veggies. French fries. I was skeptical.
I was handed a white grocery-style plastic bag. Inside there was a large burrito wrapped in yellow paper, not foil. It was a true cylinder, not nearly as wide as Chipotle's but much longer. I'd estimate it was about the width of a soda can, and about two cans in length, maybe a little more. With the addition of sour cream and tax, I paid about 6.50.
My first bite was surprisingly good. Very flavorful steak coming through. I don't how else to describe the steak other than "authentic." I don't know how the process for cooking meat is different at an authentic taqueria, but there was no mistaking this meat for Chipotle's steak.
I sort of missed the rice, but the potatoes weren't bad. I took a bite of one on it's own, and it was not a good french fry. But as a complement to the steak, it worked.
I was glad I added the sour cream. The pico de gallo was barely noticeable and the cheddar was mediocre and not uniformly scattered.
One nice thing was the finished product got a bit of time on the grill. The tortilla was still soft, but had some crispy, delicious spots.
I took bite after bite and was trying to compare it to Chipotle and ask myself would I come back here over my standard? This one was lacking balance. It tasted very much of one note: flavorful steak. That's a pretty good note. But it was missing depth of flavor.
I'm reserving the right to revise scores once I've toured the city a bit. Right now I'm thinking that Chipotle is either a 9 or an 8 out of 10. And I think Tacos Rapidos is one point below. So either a 8 or a 7, right now. Solid.
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