Elio's Hot Dogs & Mexican Food

Elio’s Hot Dogs & Mexican Food
6210 West 5th Avenue
Gary, IN 46406 MAP
(219) 944-8155
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

As the first review since the death of Michael Jackson, I chose to venture into Mr. Jackson’s hometown of Gary for my burrito fix. Not that I wanted to do a tribute of sorts to him and use cheesy prose such as, “The hot sauce was so good, you just can’t beat it.” No, I can honestly say I could care less about his passing.



Elio’s “famous” burrito contained steak, rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, and your choice of hot or mild sauce. I chose the hot sauce and was not disappointed. The heat was perfect, flavorful, and distributed nicely throughout the burrito. I am usually leery when a burrito contains rice as I find that places (especially chains like Chipotle, Qdoba, or Moe’s) use it liberally as a cheap way to make their burrito big and heavy. Elio’s burrito had a great ratio of ingredients that were, like the hot sauce, distributed well. I completely enjoyed this burrito although my only quibble is that the flavor of the steak never really came through. There was no fat or gristle in the steak although it was a little greasy at the end.



Complimentary chips and salsa are not offered and were not expected as Elio’s is a walk up and pay through the plexiglass establishment. Get your order to go, eat at one of the picnic tables, or hunt down the taco truck. You’ll get a good meal either way.



Weight: 20.6 ounces
Length: 7 inches
Circumference: 9.75 inches
Price: $5.00 or 24.3¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 8/10 sombreros
Value: 7/10 sombreros

Supermercado Ortega

Supermercado Ortega
7234 Kennedy Avenue
Hammond, IN 46323 MAP
(219) 845-5899
Hours:
Monday – Sunday: 11:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.

June 19th, 2009. 12:30 p.m.

A faded hand written sign in the front window of Supermercado Ortega says, “Now Open Taqueria La Cabaña.” Tucked in the back corner of the store next to the meat counter are a few stools, a table or two, and a counter to order from. The menu on the wall states that tacos, burritos, tortas, and another item or two that elude me are the only choices.



The supermarket is very clean and neatly merchandised with a wide variety packed goods as well as produce and meats. I had hoped that my burrito would be similar to that of La Balanza. That is, a nice portion of steak from the meat counter accompanied by fresh vegetables, sour cream and cheese from within the store. Not so. The steak was good and only had a couple pieces of fat in it, however the only other ingredients were soggy, wilted lettuce (see picture below) and sour cream. No cheese or tomatoes even? Separately, the salsa verde was quite hot and excellent and the salsa taquera was very good also.

I’m quite baffled by the poor quality of the burrito at Supermercado Ortega/Taqueria La Cabaña considering how fresh produce and cheese are within arms reach of the kitchen. The old, nasty lettuce is also a bit disturbing. This is an obvious skip.



Weight: 16.1 ounces
Length: 6.5 inches
Circumference: 10 inches
Price: $3.99 or 24.8¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 5/10 sombreros
Value: 7/10 sombreros

Johnathan's Mexican & American Food

Johnathan’s Mexican & American Food
1147 150th Street
Hammond, IN 46327 MAP
(219) 933-8870
Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

May 28th, 2009. 12:30 p.m.

Formally Jonathan’s Pancake House, Johnathan’s has kept the breakfast and lunch menu and added Mexican food and an “h” for some reason to their name. Over half the menu is dedicated to breakfast items such as 6 varieties of pancakes, 5 varieties of french toast, 6 different waffles, 4 different crepes, 12 skillets, 14 omelets, and various other breakfast specials. Whew. On to the burrito.



Featuring a lousy fold job and filled with steak of average flavor and beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, the burrito at Johnathan’s was decent. Additionally, three pieces of gristle appeared throughout the burrito. There are no complimentary chips and salsa at Johnathan’s, however the tub of salsa verde was very good and had a nice balance of heat and flavor.

The breakfast menu probably attracts a fair share of regulars as well as the attached produce market. Unfortunately, a so-so burrito and lack of chips and salsa make Johnathan’s a skip for me.



Weight: 20.1 ounces
Length: 9 inches
Circumference: 10 inches
Price: $4.99 or 24.8¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 6.5/10 sombreros
Value: 7/10 sombreros

Javi's Mexican Restaurant

Javi’s Mexican Restaurant
4417 Indianapolis Boulevard
East Chicago, IN 46312 MAP
(219) 397-6618
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

May 15th, 2009. 12:30 p.m.

Javi’s is a new Mexican restaurant on the Boulevard a couple blocks north of Chicago Avenue. Looking at their menu I found a few interesting dishes. Most notable is their house specialty “Cecina Al Molcajete” which is a flank steak prepared Jalisco style and mixed with green pepper, onion, tomatoes and covered with melted cheese and molcajete sauce. All that is served over broiled cactus strips and served in hot stone molcajete bowl. Sounds pretty good, huh?



My steak burrito didn’t quite cut it however. Although the steak was excellent and did not have a hint of fat or gristle, it was so meager in its portion that the tortilla was the overwhelming flavor and texture of the burrito. Indeed, the beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and cheese were also added sparingly. In fact, I don’t even recall sour cream being present in the burrito.

The chips were very good if a little salty and the accompanying salsa verde and roja were both very good and of equal medium to hot spiciness. As you can see from the picture I devoured quite a bit of both salsas with the chips as well as for flavoring up my burrito.



Javi’s needs to add about 7-8 ounces of steak and other fillings to bring both the flavor and value of their burrito up to respectable levels. If I go back I’ll try the “Cecina Al Molcajete” for $8.95. I would imagine it would be a much better meal for $4.00 more than the steak burrito.



Weight: 10.8 ounces
Length: 6.5 inches
Circumference: 8.25 inches
Price: $4.85 or 44.9¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 7/10 sombreros
Value: 5/10 sombreros

Zantes

Zantes
3619 169th Street
Hammond, IN 46320 MAP
(219) 844-0222
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

April 24th, 2009. 5:00 p.m.

First off, Zantes is a Greek fast food restaurant known primarily for their gyros (big surprise). I discovered they offered burritos, steak only, when I stopped in for a sub sandwich and some soup last winter. They also feature hamburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, and more. Check out their menu here.

The steak burrito is $5.25. I ordered the combo with fries and a drink for $1.50 more (No chips and salsa available here). The burrito contained unseasoned steak, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and what seemed like a combination of shredded cheddar and mozzerella cheeses. The steak was absent of fat/gristle and was merely OK due to the lack of seasoning. The tortilla wasn’t the freshest and lacked chewiness. I asked for both hot and mild sauce and received a small tub of Louisiana Hot Sauce and a few packets of GFS taco sauce. I used the taco sauce, which tasted like Ortega taco sauce, to give some flavor to the steak. Overall not too shabby of a burrito from a Greek joint but definitely not ideal.



I can’t recommend Zantes for their steak burrito but I can for some of the other food I’ve had there. What I find funny is that their steak burrito ranks higher than quite a few authentic Mexican restaurants I’ve reviewed. Check out the rankings here.



Weight: 20.0 ounces
Length: 7.75 inches
Circumference: 10 inches
Price: $5.25 or 26.3¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 6/10 sombreros
Value: 6.5/10 sombreros

El Michoacano

El Michoacano
2003 Broadway
East Chicago, IN 46312 MAP
(219) 397-0251
Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m
Friday – Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m

April 8th, 2009. 3:00 p.m.

Right next door to the Fiesta Palace banquet hall in East Chicago is El Michoacano. Upon review of the steak burrito and chips and salsa at El Michoacano, I believe it is pretty much the same as Fiesta Palace #2 in Merrillville.

The chips were fresh, very good, and accompanied by the same cabbage infused pico de gallo that I’ve only experienced at Fiesta Palace. The red salsa was excellent and proved to greatly enhance my steak burrito. The salsa verde was average.



My steak burrito, like Fiesta Palace’s, contained only steak and beans with tomato and lettuce on the side. I cut up the tomato and added it along with the lettuce inside the burrito. The steak was good overall with only a couple pieces of fat. The tortilla was rather dry and quickly developed a couple of cracks which made eating a little messy.



If you want to try El Michoacano, your best bet is to go to Fiesta Palace in Merrillville for a similar (yet better) dining experience. Not only is the steak burrito better, you won’t have to deal with the pollution and safety issues in the Harbor.



Weight: 13.3 ounces
Length: 7.25 inches
Circumference: 8.25 inches
Price: $4.00 or 30.1¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 7/10 sombreros
Value: 8/10 sombreros

Don Andres #1

Don Andres #1
5318 Hohman Avenue
Hammond, IN 46320 MAP
(219) 937-0000
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

March 31st, 2009. 3:00 p.m.

Don Andres #1 bills itself as a Mexican & American restaurant. Breakfast features typical diner fare such as two eggs with choice of meat, pancakes, omelettes, and skillets as well as Mexican favorites like huevos rancheros, and chilaquiles. Lunch items include burgers, clubs, melts, and a variety of sandwiches including a Monte Cristo and a Rueben. The usual tacos, tortas, sopes, and enchiladas are present along with my beloved burritos. I ordered my steak burrito to go with some chips on the side.



The burritos I’ve been reviewing as of late have been very good, and this one was no different. Inside arguably one of the most tightly wrapped tortillas was slightly charred steak absent of fat/gristle and in good quantity. The steak was excellently flavored and was joined by beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream. The sour cream was very fresh and delicious. A minor amount of grease/juice at the end of the burrito was not bad. The chips were excellent and had a fresh corn taste to them. The salsa verde was fairly hot and very good.

Don Andres has two other locations in Munster (formerly El Alamo) and Hobart (formerly El Señor Sombrero). Visit one if you get a chance.



Weight: 19.1 ounces
Length: 7.25 inches
Circumference: 9 inches
Price: $4.55 or 23.8¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 9/10 sombreros
Value: 9/10 sombreros