I didn't have many options for a breakfast burrito on a Saturday morning driving down Washington from Northglenn to Glendale. I'm sure Cafe Mexico is closed on Saturdays. Burritos & Co is closed. I saw the "$.99 Burritos" sign from Washington on 55th, and figured "What the heck." As I pulled up, a guy was walking out, burrito in hand. I asked him if they were good, and he was pretty enthusiastic about it, saying he gets one about 3-4 times a week. Good enough for me.
I walked in and was immediately greeted by the guy behind the counter. The place isn't in the best location for a restaurant. The last time I was in this neighborhood, it was a different restaurant that occupied that spot. It's somewhat small inside, maybe half a dozen tables, and a counter to order. The menu board is big, and seemed to have a lot of options for lunch and dinner. I think I saw some types of burgers on there, but I was only concentrating on the breakfast side of the menu. I think there was only 4 options for breakfast burritos, with 2 of them having meat, steak or bacon. I opted for the #3, bacon, egg, potato, cheese and chili. They had regular size and some super huge size from what the menu board said.
Guy: "How's it going? What can I get for you?"
Me: "Lemme see man...first time here."
Guy: "Alright man...take your time."
Me: "I'm a first timer man. I haven't been around here for a while, didn't even know you guys were here."
Guy: "Right on brotha...you picked the right place."
Me: "I'll try the number 3."
Guy: "Cool...regular or extra hot?"
Me: Psshhh...what do I look like dude? "Yeah, go extra hot on that."
Guy: "Alright....it's $2.14"
All I had was a couple twenties and a one dollar bill.
He needed something smaller.
I didn't have it.
He told me just to give him the one dollar bill. "Just call it a first timer bonus!"
I said "Cool man, thanks!"
By that time, he already had my burrito and some napkins in his hand. I introduced myself, we shook hands, he told me his name was Robert Gomez, so I think it's a safe assumption to make that he's running the joint. I told him that I would definitely be back, and that was before I even tasted the burrito. I swear to God....from the time I walked in the door to the time I walked out couldn't have been more than a minute, maybe a minute and a half.
The burrito could have been something that my grandma would make for me when I stop by for lunch. (Hi gram!) Wrapped in aluminum foil, the tortilla wasn't the usual thin type a lot of restaurants have. A little thicker and soft. The thing I noticed on my first bit was that it was HOT. Not spicy hot, but hot the way food is supposed to be served. That, and that fact that there was a ton of crunchy bacon pieces in there. The flavor of the burrito even reminded me of one that my grandma would make for me. The potatoes were a little soft, but that's not a big deal. I'm just spoiled by the super awesome crispy potatoes they use at Twisters. The best thing about this burrito was the chili. I could see little pieces of green chilies. Then, getting a couple bites down, I saw, tasted and felt the burn of something familiar. If you've ever had fresh green chili, you know what I mean. The green chilies you get from the farm, or from the guys roasting it on a corner somewhere. Peel the skin off, remove the seeds, and chop it up with a little salt and garlic. Sometimes my grandma will have a little bowl of that for when whatever you happen to be eating just isn't burning your face quite enough. You usually don't get that taste in any green chili, kind of the same way most salsa doesn't have the taste of fresh tomato, even though that's the primary ingredient.
By the end, my mouth was burning. It was hot. Freakin' HOT. I wish I would have got two. The burrito was well worth the $2.14 that I SHOULD HAVE paid for it. And now I think that my grandma should start charging me a couple bucks every time she makes me a burrito.
Even though the breakfast burrito selection was capped at 4 choices, this place definitely deserves a try. Plus, you really don't want to wait in that morning rush line at Burritos & Co a few block up Washington. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if this place has the same weekday morning crowds. I guess I'll just have to find out. I told Robert I would be back, and I most definitely will.
2/23/08:
I bumped my rating up to 5 stars for this place. I've been back a couple times since. Once on a weekday morning. I was right, this place was packed. They move people through the line a lot more efficiently than other places I've been to. Even with the volume of customers they were serving, the friendly smiles, 'how ya doin's' and quality of the food didn't suffer.
And that chopped fresh green chile in the extra hot is gonna keep me coming back whenever I can.
For the people who work in that area, pass on by the Wendy's, Taco John's and the Burger King and stop by this place. It's only a block away. read more
