Denver Burrito #7: El Taco Veloz
400 Federal Bvld
I am always in fear of looking like a gringo that knows nothing, which of course, I am. On my way to El Taco Veloz, I knew I was getting a burrito. But I decided that I should also get a taco.
The burrito-taco decision is not just a matter of preference. It's a matter of authenticity. Most of Mexico, does not traditionally have flour tortillas. Burritos are found in the north, but in general, I perceive the notion that corn tortillas have more cultural currency, and by extension, that corn tortilla tacos are more authentic than flour burritos.
Even the idea of ordering sour cream or crema makes me a little nervous. My line of thinking is they've been doing this a long time. They choose to not serve burritos with crema. And here I come in, having grown up in the Midwest and I'm asking for sour cream because that's what I grew with at places like Carlos O'Kelly's.
Anyways, this place is on Federal Boulevard--known as the mecca of non-white culture in Denver. The long street houses stretches of Mexican and Vietnamese shops, and probably other cultures that I'm not aware of.
I ordered the al pastor burrito (no beans, add rice) and a barbacoa taco. I decided not to get the burrito smothered. Even though I like the green chili, there's something nice about holding a burrito in your hand.
The total (with tax?) was 6.00 even. I was expecting at least eight if not more. In the almost ten minutes it took to cook I surveyed the interior. They offer a salsa bar with eight salsas plus veggies and limes. There was a magazine featuring the Mexican goalie on the cover with the translated caption, the hero of Mexicao. A boombox was on, set to Spanish talk radio.
Occasionally, I would sneak a peek of the cooking process. It really does add something to see your food being made in front of you, and I wonder why more restaurants don't make that available. (I know why, but still.)
I was served a plate with both items on it, plus a roasted chile. The burrito was loosely wrapped in wax paper that had absorbed a good amount of grease. I unwrapped it and peered inside. It was overstuffed with a heaping pile of brightly colored al pastor. I had to keep searching to see the mound of rice underneath.
From the first bite I knew it was good. The pork is outstanding. I saw them finishing it on the griddle to order with bits of pineapple. This resulted in the pineapple still being fresh and solid. Overall, the meat was bright and deep. The barbacoa was also good, but the al pastor was better.
A couple bites in, the meat and rice started falling out the other side. It was a loosely rolled, hand-held burrito and I tried my best to keep it together with the wax paper but it was just filled too much. After 20% of the filling fell out, the remaining burrito regained structural integrity.
The tortilla was also extraordinary. It was flaky. You could tell it was homemade and that it had spent enough time on the griddle to gain some crunch and flavor and still be pliable enough to wrap around. There was a subtle amount of cheese that was melted and almost crunchy on the inside of the tortilla. I was very glad that I had not smothered this in green chile--if I had I would have lost the texture.
The weak point of this offering was the rice. It was mushy and lacked the color and flavor that I've come to expect.
I appreciate the salsa bar in theory, but of the three I tried, I didn't care for any of them. And without any salsa or crema, it was dry on the inside. If they had included a touch of the green chile on the inside, it would have helped.
As it stood, this burrito had some high points but wasn't quite as good as the best I've had.
El Taco De Mexico 9.5
La Abeja 9.5
El Taco Veloz 9
Socorro's 8
El Tepehaun 8
Chipotle 8
Bocaza 7.5
Tacos Rapidos 7
For what it's worth, I thought the taco was good but I still preferred the burrito. The corn tortilla was small but griddled and full of flavor. It was much better than the grainy corn tortillas I usually hate.
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