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Log inReview: For a hot dinner date, Burrito would be primo
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Review: For a hot dinner date, Burrito would be primo
by Outspoken on Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:59 am
For a hot dinner date, Burrito would be primo
By N.L. ENGLISH
Portland Press Herald
WESTBROOK — At Burrito the guacamole is fresh, the lime juice is freshly squeezed, and the salsa is chopped up every day.
"Everything is made here except the hot sauce, and that's made in Westbrook," said Dan Hobbs, our excellent server.
I'll get back to the hot sauce later, but after a refreshing drink of the "perfect margarita" ($7.50), perfect indeed but for slightly too much salt, I was prepared to enjoy myself as so many already have. Burrito is another fine area resource for inexpensive dinners that haven't been compromised by the restaurant supply truck.
In fact, owners Jim Belanger and Tom Gangewar opened Burrito in 2005 with the insight that the area needed a place that was both inexpensive and high-quality. With a step up into a full liquor license and then an expansion into the space next-door in 2007, they added indigo Burrito Lounge.
Both owners were accountants, but Gangewar liked to cook and "I like to eat," Belanger said. "Westbrook, at the time we opened, didn't have a lot of restaurants." In June, Burrito stopped serving lunch. More choices in town, now that Westbrook is starting to have more restaurants, might have caused their slowed business mid-day, Belanger said. But dinner business remains steady.
Well, who can resist a margarita made with freshly squeezed lime juice? Sour and brilliant in flavor, the margarita on the rocks is one of the best I've found. The mint in the mojito was so pulverized, it added bitterness to the otherwise excellent strong drink. But the fact that the mortar and pestle play such a big role in the bartender's concoctions seemed so admirable, it's hard to complain.
Wine and beer is also served, with three or four wine-by-the-glass specials like the popular Reserva Nieto Senetiner Malbec from Argentina ($7).
The big plate of nachos ($12.90) was a welcome change from this typically abused dish, the chips just as diabolically tempting with melted, mild cheese and thin-sliced jalapenos, but not at all afflicted with cheese and meat grease.
Chunks of carne asada or roasted meat, in this case beef, were tender and flavorful, another sharp turn from expectations forged in lesser dining rooms. A generous pool of sour cream and another of guacamole topped the heaped plate, which four people politely scavenged to the last bite.
We tried four of the salsas, and while the mango was sweet and the salsa fresca was fresh indeed, the most flavorful were the salsa verde (both fierce and smooth with Serrano peppers and creamy chunks of avocado), and the chili de arbol salsa (called salsa roja), that tuned the mouth to a slow, smoky burn.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197588&ac=Audience
By N.L. ENGLISH
Portland Press Herald
WESTBROOK — At Burrito the guacamole is fresh, the lime juice is freshly squeezed, and the salsa is chopped up every day.
"Everything is made here except the hot sauce, and that's made in Westbrook," said Dan Hobbs, our excellent server.
I'll get back to the hot sauce later, but after a refreshing drink of the "perfect margarita" ($7.50), perfect indeed but for slightly too much salt, I was prepared to enjoy myself as so many already have. Burrito is another fine area resource for inexpensive dinners that haven't been compromised by the restaurant supply truck.
In fact, owners Jim Belanger and Tom Gangewar opened Burrito in 2005 with the insight that the area needed a place that was both inexpensive and high-quality. With a step up into a full liquor license and then an expansion into the space next-door in 2007, they added indigo Burrito Lounge.
Both owners were accountants, but Gangewar liked to cook and "I like to eat," Belanger said. "Westbrook, at the time we opened, didn't have a lot of restaurants." In June, Burrito stopped serving lunch. More choices in town, now that Westbrook is starting to have more restaurants, might have caused their slowed business mid-day, Belanger said. But dinner business remains steady.
Well, who can resist a margarita made with freshly squeezed lime juice? Sour and brilliant in flavor, the margarita on the rocks is one of the best I've found. The mint in the mojito was so pulverized, it added bitterness to the otherwise excellent strong drink. But the fact that the mortar and pestle play such a big role in the bartender's concoctions seemed so admirable, it's hard to complain.
Wine and beer is also served, with three or four wine-by-the-glass specials like the popular Reserva Nieto Senetiner Malbec from Argentina ($7).
The big plate of nachos ($12.90) was a welcome change from this typically abused dish, the chips just as diabolically tempting with melted, mild cheese and thin-sliced jalapenos, but not at all afflicted with cheese and meat grease.
Chunks of carne asada or roasted meat, in this case beef, were tender and flavorful, another sharp turn from expectations forged in lesser dining rooms. A generous pool of sour cream and another of guacamole topped the heaped plate, which four people politely scavenged to the last bite.
We tried four of the salsas, and while the mango was sweet and the salsa fresca was fresh indeed, the most flavorful were the salsa verde (both fierce and smooth with Serrano peppers and creamy chunks of avocado), and the chili de arbol salsa (called salsa roja), that tuned the mouth to a slow, smoky burn.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197588&ac=Audience
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
