Today, I had an appetite for Mexican food. It had been some time since I had a good burrito. I wanted an authentic burrito stuffed full of flavor and goodies. Not just a run of the mill generic burrito one might find at a chain restaurant, but a good authentic burrito, like the ones you might get in East Los Angeles, or perhaps at Ramona’s in South Los Angeles. Not wanting to eat at a chain store and not wanting to fight traffic to go to Los Angeles, I stopped by EL Burrito Loco on Katella Avenue, just off Los Alamitos Boulevard.
My craving for a burrito was increasing at each second I stared at the menu. Which one to have? I finally chose the Loco Burrito with all the fixings ($5.75) and pork tamale ($2.25).
As soon as I sat at my small table a bowl of chips were set down for me to enjoy while I waited for my meal to arrive. I made my way to the fresh salsa, scooped up some samples of green salsa, some red salsa for my chips and returned to my seat. I dug into the fresh cooked crisp tortilla chips and added loads of fresh mild salsa made with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and seasoning, to every bite. The salsa was so good I couldn’t wait to try it on my burrito. I learned that these two ladies make the entire variety of fresh salsas daily.
My plate arrived with my large burrito wrapped in white paper, with my tamale next to a small bed of shredded lettuce and sour cream. I quickly took the wrapper off my full sized stuffed burrito and took a big bite of the perfectly folded end. As I bit into the fresh soft warm flour tortilla I could taste carnitas mixed with fresh cilantro leaves, onions, rice and beans. It was so good. I couldn’t wait to pour green salsa in and see how a little spice would mix with the flavors. I was in heaven.
This was just what I was craving and I didn’t have to go to East L.A. I continued with bites of my burrito alternating between green and red salsa as I continued. Taking a break from my burrito and cleansing my palate with some lettuce mixed with sour cream, I was off to try the tamale. I bit in to a large fork full and was delighted to find an ample amount of meat mixed with a fantastic red chili all packed in a dense cake of corn maze. I could taste the sweetness left behind from the corn husked that once wrapped and protected the outer layer of maze as the tamale cooked. I have been a fan of tamales since I was a kid and I have been on a quest for finding the best tamales around and I have to say, I think I may have finally found it in my own back yard here at El Burrito Loco.
El Burrito Loco serves breakfast all day, specializing in eggs ranchero and breakfast burritos. They also serve tacos, Enchiladas, menudo, Chile Relleno and a variety of combination plates. My craving was satisfied and I was delighted to add El Burrito Loco to my list of authentic Mexican restaurants. I am still amazed at how such a small store front restaurant with only a few tables and some patio dining can turn out such awesome dishes.
