The Burrito Digest is 10 years old!

Wow!

La Gaviota

La Gaviota
10800 West 133rd Avenue
Cedar Lake, IN 46303 MAP
(219) 390-7356
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Fuerte Meat Market

Fuerte Meat Market
1820 Broadway
East Chicago, IN 46312 MAP
(219) 397-8507
Hours:
N/A

December 16th, 12:00 p.m.

A full year and a half in the making, this review will still be short and to the point. Boredom with this blog and overall laziness have conspired to drive my quest for ever-better steak burritos to a near grinding halt. Alas, we shall see what the future holds!

I have now been frequenting both Feurte Markets (the other location is at 3811 Hohman Avenue in Hammond) for the good part of 2 years when I'm working the area(s). They provide a consistently good product made with fresh ingredients at the still low price of $4.50.



The steak has good flavor with a little char on it. I typically encounter only a couple small pieces of fat in the burrito. The standard fillings of beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese make their appearance along with chopped cilantro and onions. The freshness of the ingredients is very noticeable and keeps me coming back. Both the red and green salsas are flavorful and can range from just the right amount of heat to being a little too hot for my taste.



Next time you're out and about in Hammond or The Harbor, check out Fuerte Market. You'll have a good meal and can pick up some groceries while you're at it.



Weight: 18 ounces
Length: 7.5 inches
Circumference: 10.25 inches
Price: $4.50 or 25¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 8/10 sombreros
Value: 9/10 sombreros

Casa Del Mar

Casa Del Mar
650 Ridge Road
Munster, IN 46321 MAP
(219) 836-5050
Hours:
N/A

May 16th, 5:00 p.m.

On a sunny Sunday evening during game one of the Blackhawks’ eventual sweep of the San Jose Sharks, I popped into Casa Del Mar for the usual to go. Casa Del Mar was formerly one of Casa Del Rio’s two locations (the other location in Merrillville is closed as well.)



Containing steak, beans, lettuce, and tomato, my burrito seemed a little lacking in the flavor department. The steak was in good quantity, had decent flavor, and was not hampered by fat or gristle. There was however, a considerable amount of orange grease permeating the burrito that, along with a lack of cheese, sour cream, or avocado, hurt the flavor rating.

The chips were average and unsalted yet made very good with the mild and fresh salsa. I only wish the same could be said for the burrito. As a side note, I’ll be taking the wife to Casa Del Mar some time this summer for an outdoor dinner. Their seafood selections look very good and in addition to skirt steaks, they also offer New York strips and ribeyes.



Weight: 16 ounces
Length: 7 inches
Circumference: 9.75 inches
Price: $6.50 or 40.6¢ an ounce
Beer availability: Yes

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

Avila's Bar & Grill

Avila’s Bar & Grill
823 West Chicago Avenue
East Chicago, IN 46312 MAP
(219) 397-0070
Hours:
N/A

April 28th, 1:00 p.m.

Avila’s is definitely more bar than grill. Locals drinking beer and doing shots while watching baseball prompted me to order my steak burrito and a side order of chips and salsa (not complimentary if “dining” in) to go.



Although the steak was quite good with only two small pieces of fat; wet lettuce and runny sour cream made this burrito very drippy and moderately messy. The burrito also contained beans, tomatoes, and cheese. The chips were unsalted and good. Much better was the pico de gallo that was fresh and had good heat.

If you’re in East Chicago and want to do some drinking on your lunch break, Avila’s is the place to go. Feel free to grab a burrito while you’re there. It’s better than decent.



Weight: 23.5 ounces
Length: 8 inches
Circumference: 10.25 inches
Price: $6.00 or 25.5¢ an ounce
Beer availability: Yes

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

Los Cantaritos

Los Cantaritos
13343 South Baltimore Avenue
Chicago, IL 60633 MAP
(773) 646-4015
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Monday: Closed

March 31st, 12:30 p.m.

Los Cantaritos is located in Hegewisch just north of Brainard Avenue and is quite a gem. Their menu is typical Mexican fare with hamburgers, hot dogs, and gyros available as well.



Getting right to the point, I really liked this steak burrito. The steak was excellent and was supported by a likewise excellent balance of beans (light), lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream. The burrito was quite juicy at the end (not annoyingly so) and contained a few pieces of fat and gristle. The red sauce was good with the burrito, while the verde was excellent; so good in fact that I did not try the red again.

The complimentary chips were nicely salted and very good. I found the pico de gallo excellent with a heat characteristic that built slowly.

Los Cantaritos' steak burrito would easily be rated in the 9’s for flavor had it not been for the fat and gristle. Probably more noteworthy is the value. Finding a steak burrito weighing over a pound for less than five bucks was great in 2005 and even more so in 2010.



Weight: 17.5 ounces
Length: 8 inches
Circumference: 9.5 inches
Price: $4.50 or 25.7¢ an ounce
Beer availability: No

Flavor: 8.5/10 sombreros
Value: 9/10 sombreros

Camacho's Cantina

Camacho's Cantina
Terminal #1
Los Angeles International Airport MAP
(310) 645-9984
Hours: N/A

March 13th, 12:30 p.m.

Upon returning from a cruise of the Mexican Riviera, my wife and I needed a meal before our flight back to Chicago. Luckily there was a Mexican restaurant in our terminal. Why would I wait and review a burrito in LAX after I was in Mexico all week, you ask? Food poisoning! Yes, I got sick on the ship before our first stop in Puerta Vallarta and was still hurting when we arrived in Mazatlan. Cabo San Lucas was our final port, and margaritas were on my mind more than burritos.

Camacho's appears to be a California version of Pepe's in Chicago. They've been around for quite some time, have several locations, and deliver good, yet rather unspectacular Mexican fare. I wasn't expecting much considering I was eating in an airport, and of course I knew my wallet would take a hit.



For my ten bucks I got a fairly light burrito filled with steak and beans only and lettuce and guacamole on the side. I added jalapeño and two tubs of salsa to my tray from the condiment bar and grabbed a seat. I added the lettuce, guacamole, and jalapeños into the burrito and dived in. The steak was a little dry (no grease or fat) and had a slight char to it that seemed to come from being re-grilled. The red salsa was salty and excellent while the verde was very good, and both salsas added up with the lettuce, guacamole, and jalapeños to make a satisfying meal.

If you fly Southwest Airlines and find yourself in LA, give Camacho’s a shot. Or don’t. Oh yeah, and you can wash it all down one of five margaritas, a beer, or anything else from their full bar. Happy flying!



Weight: 13.8 ounces
Length: 8.25 inches
Circumference: 8 inches
Price: $9.95 or 72.1¢ an ounce (highest yet!)
Beer availability: Yes!

Flavor: 7.5/10 sombreros
Value: -2.5/10 sombreros