Jenkins and I were wandering the streets of downtown one sunny weekend day and realized that it was already two o’clock in the afternoon and we hadn’t had lunch yet. It must have been the hot weather because despite the late hour, we were not very hungry. We happened to be near Red Burrito at the time and since I had never been there, I decided that that was where we were going to eat lunch.

Red Burrito specializes in Mexican fast food, such as tacos, tamales, and of course, their signature dish, the red burrito. I decided to go for the burrito bowl, which seemed to be pretty popular with quite a few people that I know. It came with beans, rice, and beef as a base and I added salsa, letuce, corn, lime juice, and sour cream. I liked the burrito bowl because it was a lot less messy than a burrito or taco.

The flavours melded quite well together and the extras I added were all very fresh. Because all the items in the bowl were layered on top of one another, you had to make sure to mix everything well in order to taste all the flavours. The burrito bowl looked a bit small at first glance but was actually quite filling and I was not able to finish it.

Jenkins decided to go for the red burrito with chicken. He chose to add the same additional toppings as mine so he did not have to make too many decisions. If you’re looking to get full, the red burrito is probably a better option than the burrito bowl because it seemed to have quite a bit more to it for basically the same price.

Jenkins found his chicken burrito to be on the bland side though so he added some hot sauce to spice up the flavour.

Red Burrito was better than I expected and is a pretty good place to go especially if you’re in a rush. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beans in my burrito bowl though so the next time around, I’ll opt out of the beans and maybe ask for more rice.

Details:
606 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-676-0097

Summary:
Food: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a
Price: $

Happy New Year, everyone!

My team went to Dona Cata for some Mexican food one day…and also to celebrate Gene’s service anniversary with the company. This place was recommended by Gene and doesn’t have the usual Tex Mex food that is offered at most Mexican places.

There is a large selection of salsas and dips at the front of the restaurant for us to use on the various dishes that are ordered. A lot of them are quite spicy but the variety is a nice deviation from the usual salsa that is offered at most places.

We tried a peanut salsa on the tortillas that were served when we sat down at the table. The peanut flavour was quite light, but that may have been because this dip was quite spicy so it was hard to taste anything else.

I am a big fan of torta subs so I decided to try the chicken torta. All the meat here is steamed so I found my chicken to be quite dry. Also in the sub was tomatoes, onions, lettuce, avocados, and mayo. Despite my sub being served immediately after it was made, my bread was already soggy.

I also ordered a mini tortilla with pork and pineapple. The mini tortillas are $1.25 each and seem to be the most popular item here. If you want cheese, I think it costs an extra $0.25 but I like mine without cheese. There are several different meat fillings you can choose from, including chicken, beef, and pork. I added some green tomato salsa to mine. I enjoyed this way more than my torta sub. The tortilla shell was soft and the pork filling was spicy and tasty. I like how because each tortilla is individually priced, you can mix and match and try several different types.

The next time I am here, I will skip the torta sub and order just the mini tortillas. With the different types of meat filling and salsas available, you will have to make several visits before being able to clain you have tried everything.

Details:
5076 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-236-2232

Summary:
Food: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $

NTR, UK, and I were out late shopping during the weekend and stopped by for what they promised would be great Mexican-style grilled chicken at El Pollo Loco. I was told that it was like Nando’s Chicken here in Canada but even better. Although the sign on the restaurant door said they closed at 9pm and it was only 8:30pm, we were told by the workers inside that it was already closed! After some cajoling, we convinced them to open up the drive thru for us so we could order some chicken.

We’re still not too sure why but even though we ordered the 7 piece special for $7.99, we got 14 pieces of breast meat and wings! There were just the three of us so this was more than enough. Even though the drive from here back to NTR and UK’s house was quite short, the smell of the chicken in the car was making me really hungry.

NTR asked for extra salsa and I think they really delivered, don’t you?

Before we bought the chicken, we also picked up some whole wheat tortillas from Trader Joe’s.

NTR and UK told me that it is best eaten by creating a wrap with the tortilla, some salsa, and shredded chicken. This was a really simple yet great tasting dinner. The chicken was very aromatic and had a nice grilled and savoury flavour. The salsa also had a great tomato flavour and provided a nice zing to the chicken.

Let’s just say that we had so much chicken, we had enough for the three of us for breakfast the next morning. It tasted just as good the day after as it did the night before. What is even more amazing that we got all this food for $8.50 after taxes! I’m not sure if El Pollo Loco is limited to just southern California, but this is another good place to try. There seem to be several chains scattered throughout the Los Angeles area.

Details:
8245 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd, Anaheim, CA
Tel: (714) 921-4633

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a
Price: $

With the Canadian dollar being so favourable compared to the US$ these days, Jenkins and I made yet another trip down to Bellingham. It is so close and there are enough stores to occupy us for an afternoon. We are also too lazy to drive all the way to Seattle. We normally drive back to Vancouver before eating dinner but this time, we stayed later than usual so we decided to eat at Mi Mexico. It is located at 241 Telegraph Road in Bellingham across from Bellis Fair and Linens & Things.

This place was actually recommended by Gene, although he could not remember the exact location or even the name of the place at the time. It wasn’t too difficult to find though. When we walked inside, the restaurant was quite busy and full of people.

As soon as we sat down, our server came with a big pitcher of water and a big bowl of fresh tortilla chips and salsa. Yum! I am a sucker for tortilla chips and these were not too oily. The salsa was much spicier than I had anticipated but still very tasty.

I must confess that I am not very familiar with Mexican food as I don’t eat it very often. However, I decided on the chicken fajitas as that sounded very good. This turned out to be a pretty good choice as I saw that many other people in the restaurant also ordered the same thing. My dish came out pretty quickly and in several parts. First came the chicken, which was served on a sizzling iron plate with onions and green peppers.

My tortilla shells came in its own container and was also piping hot. I had a choice of soft tortilla shells or crunchy taco shells but I felt that the soft shells would be more healthy.

I also had a huge plate with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, rice, and beans. I constructed my fajitas with the soft shells and lined the inside with a combination of items from my various plates. The chicken was tender and not dry at all. I also liked the guacamole and salsa a lot. If I had known the dish was this big, I probably would have shared with Jenkins. I found the rice to be a bit dry and there was too much cheese in my beans for my liking.

Jenkins ordered one of their large combo plates for about $10.95. These were a pretty good deal and allowed you to try a variety of their more popular items. Jenkins opted for the one with one taco and two burritos. He found the combination of the beans and cheese to be quite filling but the overall taste was not too bad.

Overall, the food at Mi Mexico was not too bad but I am still trying to figure out what kind of dishes I like at Mexican restaurants in general. The next time I go, I will have to look for something a bit lighter. The servers at Mi Mexico are all very friendly though and we liked how quick and efficient their service was.

Details:
241 Telegraph Rd, Bellingham, WA
Tel: 360-647-0073

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Although this review is about Duffin’s Donuts…the content of this review has nothing to do with doughnuts. This particular Duffin’s Donuts is located right at the corner of Knight and E. 41st Ave. It does sell doughnuts but even better than that, they have a variety of Vietnamese and Mexican toasted sandwiches. To tell you the truth, I have only eaten the doughnuts from here once. And although they are good, I think the sandwiches are even better…especially the Mexican torta subs. There is also an adjoining section to this restaurant that sells Chinese fast food/take-out…but I have never tried the food in that section before.

Jenkins and I were on our way to a roadtrip so we stopped in Duffin’s because it was on the way…and also because it had been a while since we were there. We both decided to get the chicken torta sub.

The chicken torta sub has pan-fried chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and onions in a toasted bun. Yum! At $3.75, this is quite a good deal. Other varieties of torta subs available include pork and beef.

The restaurant itself is a bit shady looking and may not have the highest cleaning standards…but the torta subs can’t be beat.

Details:
1391 E 41st Ave, Vancouver
Tel: 604-325-5544

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a
Price: $