El Caliente

El Caliente
2486 W. 81st Avenue
Merrillville, IN 46410 MAP
(219) 757-3876
Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Update: March 25th, 2008.

CLOSED!

May 26th, 2005. 11:30 a.m.

Today I was very hungry. I was running on a glass of milk and some vitamins since 6 a.m. What better way to fill one’s gullet than feasting on a steak burrito!

This was my first trip to El Caliente which according to their website has been open since February of 2004.

Their steak burrito contained beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Included on the side were lettuce and a cup of sour cream. Initial impressions of the flavor were hard to pin down. “Tastes like roast beef”, I thought. After a few bites I came to the realization that I was actually eating more of a pot roast burrito than a steak burrito. This notion was confirmed by the 3 chunks of fat (one was half the size of my pinky finger) that had the unpleasantly familiar “jellied” consistency you find in grandma’s pot roast. There was also not much cheese in this burrito. I had to poke around a bit to find it blended in ever so slightly with the lettuce.

The chips were average and were accompanied by salsa, salsa verde, and pico de gallo. All salsas had good flavor although the pico de gallo was a little heavy on the onion or light on tomato depending on how you might view it.

All in all, El Caliente delivered a very uninspiring meal comprised of good value and not so good taste. My hunger was satisfied but not my taste buds.



Weight: 16.6 ounces
Length: 7.25 inches
Circumference: 9 inches
Price: $4.85 or 29.2¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 4/10 sombreros
Value: 8/10 sombreros