La Balanza

La Balanza
19100 Burnham Ave.
Lansing, IL 60438 MAP
(708) 889-0224
Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

May 22nd, 2007. 6:30 p.m.

You wouldn’t think you can order food when passing La Balanza. It is, after all, a supermercado. Rest assured, back by the meat counter is a full blown carry out taqueria.



After ordering my burrito, the guy behind the counter grabbed a sizeable amount of seasoned steak from the meat counter and went in back to the grill to start whipping it together. Arriving double wrapped in foil and accompanied by a tub of salsa, I went outside to my car to eat my burrito (again, carry out only).

This steak burrito was a little heavy on the beans and also contained lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, and cheese. Listed on the menu but absent was sour cream. The vegetables tasted very crisp and fresh (as you’d expect from a grocery store) and the steak, although a little greasy, had a very good spicy flavor to it. The salsa was also fresh and spicy but was not needed to enhance the flavor of the burrito.



I recommend swinging by La Balanza to grab a bite to eat and pick up some meat (Carnitas are $3.99/lb. and made fresh on Saturdays and Sundays) and homemade tamales and salsas as well. They also offer catering services.



Weight: 19.5 ounces
Length: 7 inches
Circumference: 10.25 inches
Price: $3.79 or 19.4¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 8/10 sombreros
Value: 8.5/10 sombreros

Steak Burritos

Steak Burritos
3028 W. 45th Street
Highland, IN 46322 MAP
(219) 924-6667
Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

May 21st, 2007. 5:30 p.m.

What an ideal name for a restaurant to be reviewed by this blog. The name is rather deceiving, though, as you look at their menu and can order a Chicago Style hot dog, gyro, Philly cheesesteak, Italian beef sandwich, or a Maxwell Street Polish. Not typical fare at a Mexican restaurant (which this obviously wasn’t). Not surprisingly, complimentary chips and salsa are not offered, although two small tubs of thin, runny hot sauce are.



My steak burrito contained beans, tomato, cheese, onion, and too much lettuce (as seen below). The flavor of the steak was okay, although there was not enough of it to fully satisfy (again, too much lettuce). The steak was, however, not greasy and contained no fat or gristle. Most odd about this burrito was the cheese, which did not make an appearance until more than halfway through. The cheese was in fact…American.

Hmmm. Not much else to say about this place except there’s no real reason to go there. American cheese??



Weight: 15.4 ounces
Length: 7.5 inches
Circumference: 9.75 inches
Price: $4.09 or 26.6¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 5.5/10 sombreros
Value: 6.5/10 sombreros