I will never say no to a burrito. Steak, ground beef, chicken, pork, and even breakfast burritos are a real treat for me. The large tortilla is a blank canvas, and the person in the kitchen or behind the counter making my burrito is the artist.
Chain restaurants like Chipotle, have you, the customer, directing the art of making your burrito, dictating to the artist exactly which items will go into your handheld meal. Rice, beans, cheese, cilantroβ¦etc. Itβs all about the teamwork.
Iβve been to Chipotle a couple of times and it wasnβt bad. However, I do prefer the little mom & pop Mexican places when it comes to authenticity. I find these little Mexican restaurants charming and very welcoming, and the food is almost always on point depending where you go.
Abuela, mama, and other family members are the powerful forces in the kitchen creating incredible dishes from recipes that go back several generations. Old school recipes are the heart & soul of any cultureβs food.
You can get a burrito in just about every town, city, and state here in America. The word βBurritoβ means Little Donkey in Spanish. The history of the burrito has many tales told by many people. Iβm not certain which ones are true.
The story that seems to come up most, is about a man named, Juan Mendez. According to: La Vista Restaurantβs website, Juan Mendez used to sell tacos at a street stand in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Ciudad JuΓ‘rez during the Mexican Revolution i.e., 1910β1921, while using a donkey as a transport for himself and his food.
To keep the food warm, he used to wrap it in a large homemade flour tortillas underneath a tiny tablecloth. As the food grew in popularity, burrito, the name was eventually adopted as the name for large tacos.
Burritos have been adopted by many cultures and have morphed into many forms, but the Mexican burrito will always be king in my world.
Letβs travel across Monmouth County To find places who do burritos best.
Reyna's - 4057 Asbury Ave, Tinton Falls, NJ 07753
Another place you feel the love the minute you walk in. I had the best experience here on a double date with our friends Sue & Neil. In fact, we’re going back in a couple of weeks. Last time we were there, I had the scallops & shrimp chimichanga, which is just a deep fried burrito. Insanely good and enough to feed 2 people.Β I love the vibe here, and the service was excellent. For the 4 of us, it was under $100. It’s a BYOB and there’s a liquor store in the strip mall.
Fonda Bahia De Acapulco - 5 South St, Freehold, NJ 07728
Another great no frills joint focusing on authentic Mexican cuisine. I think any burrito on this menu would satisfy my burrito craving. I used to go to the Cuban restaurant right around the corner which is how I found this place. Sadly, the Cuban restaurant closed earlier this year, but this little joint has plenty of life left in them.
