Day 58- El Sol

El Sol was today's pick. And although I'm already biased against them I tried to be objective. This was my 3rd attempt to hit this place. First try was on a Friday at 10:05 PM. They had closed at 10. Then I tried a couple days ago, around 9:15 on a Tuesday. They close at 9 on weekdays. WTF, El Sol? Today I was determined. I stopped by around 8:30. And honestly it took all my effort to make the trip- I had just gotten a thorough ass kicking at Muay Thai class.
El Sol is a tiny little place that is more restaurant than taco shop, sporting only 5 tables. And speed is not their forte. Their California burrito was okay. Not great, barely even average I'd say. They use potato chunks instead of fries, with sour cream and pico. But it had a loose consistency, kind of like Liticker's. It was sort of falling apart and hard to handle. Almost like eating a Jell-O burrito.

The only real positive was that their carne asada was pretty tasty. But even that was a bit chewy, which I attribute to either overcooking or mad cow disease. Check on me in a couple of days, I guess.

Day 57- Los Palmitos

Not much time to spare today, so I rekindled my relationship with Google maps and hoped I could trust them this time. Today is my day off and I'm even busier than if I was working: oil change, breakfast with some friends visiting from out of town, doctor's appointment, small claims court to try and help my fake daughter, Del Mar fair with my visiting friends, and finally comedy at Nick Crosby's always-fun Bar 11. The only real gap in my schedule was between the fair and comedy.

Google showed me a place called Los Palmitos that was pretty much on the way. But I had driven by this area several times and didn't recall seeing a taco shop. Luckily for me, they were right this time.
Los Palmitos is a pretty typical taco shop, nothing fancy. And their Californai burrito reflects that: Not great, but not bad. They only use sour cream on theirs. If you stop by here for a Cali burrito, you won't be wowed, but you won't be disappointed. Kind of like watching The Office after season 4.

Day 56- El Paisa

Needing to expand my feeding grounds, I took a trip to Barrio Logan with amazing local comic Jiavani Linayao. Lots of choices here, so we settled on El Paisa. I only speak muy poquito espanol, but I'm pretty sure that El Paisa violated basic rules of Spanish grammar when they named their shop.
Grammar aside, they serve a pretty good California burrito. Really good carne asada and loaded with all 3 toppings. The only real complaint here is that the fries are a bit soggy. Other than that, their Cali burrito is definitely worth checking out.

Day 55- Fuck Adam Wolpe

Today was a repeat. But I had no choice- I walked into OBC to see some amazing comics perform, when I was accosted by local comic Adam Wolpe. He said I had steered him wrong, that my ranking of Nico's as best California burrito in town was wildly inappropriate. He actually said Nico's California burrito "is so shitty."

Gauntlet thrown down and accepted. I have to defend not only Nico's, but my own reputation as a California burrito connoisseur. After getting the OK from SD comic Kim Thompson to do a repeat on Nico's, I walked a block down the street and placed my order. Under $5 and ready in less than 3 minutes; I like the way this is starting out.

One bite and I knew that Wolpe must have recently suffered a closed head injury. This burrito is fantastic. Certainly I've had a couple that are better in the last 2 months, but Nico's is solid top-5 material. They set the standard for excellent fries.

Having vindicated myself (and being reassured of Nico's high ranking by comic Rene Lancaster, as well as Amanda Spicer, wife if legendary SoCal comic Christian Spicer) I let Wolpe know he was either just plain wrong, or borderline retarded. Game, set, and match.

Day 54- Antonio's

Went for the mid-day California burrito today, to avoid any last-minute craziness trying to find a place late Sunday night. The spot I wanted to try was- of course- closed on Sunday. Too bad, it looks promising: a stand alone, tiny brick shack oddly out of place in the middle of downtown. We'll get back to that one.

Since I was downtown anyway, I figured I'd just drive around looking. Didn't take long to find Antonio's on the corner of 6th and A, I think. It looked a little McCorporate, but I have to give them a chance, right?

I ordered my burrito and watched patiently, sipping Orange Bang (hello, diabetes) as the cook whipped it up. The view was partially obstructed by the counter, but I swear to God he made a burrito with carne asada, pico, guac, fries, and cheese... and then made another one without the pico or guac, and that's the one they gave me. And nobody else was in the restaurant. I was a bit too dumbfounded to question them, so I just went on my way.

It was pretty good, though. The carne was a bit dry, but still pretty tasty. If you added guac and/or sour this would probably be a pretty damn good California burrito. See you jerks tomorrow.

Day 53- The Amigo Spot

Hard pressed for a good taco shop today. I was literally on the go from 8AM until 10PM. As I've seen the last few days, many of the remaining taco shops close at 10 (which is a travesty, by the way). As I was cruising along the 8 on my way home from the OB Street Fair I noticed a place in hotel circle called The Amigo Spot.

I had little hope for this place, as it looked like the set from a shitty lounge act sketch- think Bill Murray's Nick the Lounge Singer. Accompanied by cheesy music and a crowd whose average age had to be about 52, I grudgingly accepted this as Day 53 when I saw they actually had a California burrito on the menu.

Once inside, I was greeted with a sign that said "Closed- join us for breakfast!" I asked the bartender "Kitchen's closed, right?" He asked what I wanted to order, and even though the kitchen was closed he told me it would be no problem. A+ for service. I worked in restaurants for over a decade in every capacity- busser, server, bartender, cook- and if someone tried to order after closing my reaction was always "Go fuck yourself." In fact, that was my reaction if someone tried to order 5 minutes before closing. So kudos to these guys for hooking me up.

Sadly the burrito was less than stellar, due solely to somewhat chewy carne asada. Everything else was OK; they used pico, guac, and sour, and plenty of cheese. And they had fries, not potato wedges. So although I really appreciate their accommodating me, I can't recommend their Cali burrito.

Day 52- La Herradura

Interesting night in the world of San Diego taco shops. After an amazing performance from comic Jeff Bilodeau, I knew exactly where I was headed for tonight's California burrito. I had driven past a place on El Cajon Blvd the other night, so no chance of Google screwing up my plans- especially after last night's debacle of shops being closed at a ridiculous hour, or just not existing.

Imagine my chagrin (thanks, junior high vocabulary) when I drive by the place and it's fucking CLOSED. AT 9:15 on a fucking Friday! For realz??? This is ridiculous. Backup plan: a place right across the street from last night's spot. La Herradura. Once I got there, I was actually a little nervous- their logo is a horse's head. Potentially bad sign.



I order their Cali burrito, and notice the sign proclaiming their trademark 20" super burrito.
There are also pictures on the wall of people who have taken the Super Burrito challenge; although nowhere does it say the nature of the challenge. It seems to be simply eat it as fast as possible. This could be the challenge I've been training for.
Anyway, their Cali burrito is just... bland. The carne asada is good, but the pico is plain, the fries are flavorless, they don't use guac or sour. It's just kind of sad and soul-less. I actually think that's worse than a bad Cali burrito. At least a bad one tries and fails. This one doesn't even really try. It's like seeing a 19-year-old stripper: you never even gave the world a chance to chew you up and spit you out. You just gave up.

I've been really puzzled by all the shops I've seen closed early lately. I was especially shocked to see the place I went to last night, right across the street, closed as well. 9:30 on a Friday? They were open at 11 last night, what the hell? I walked across the street to see what was going on and there was a sign in the window displaying their hours: 10PM-2:30AM.

Now THAT is legit. If only their food was better, it might be my new favorite place.

Day 51- Los Amigos Cocina

I'm getting tired of this "quest" bullshit. As my options dwindle, I try to plan ahead. But between Google effing me in the A and the taco shops closing early it's becoming a grind.

Tonight I was doing Feraz Ozel's comedy show in Point Loma, so I did a Google search and came up with 2 taco shops in the area. After the show- which was awesome- I found that one of the taco shops didn't exist, and the other was closed. A third that I happened to drive past was also closed. At 10 on a Thursday??? What the eff? Heading towards Hillcrest/North Park I passed yet another shop that was closed. Don't pussy out on me now, San Diego.
I finally found a place in North Park called Los Amigos Cocina. It is literally a hole in the wall. There's room for 2 people to stand inside and place an order, and they have a grill on the sidewalk to give them more space.I give them huge points for saving me from a frustrating evening of searching, and their California burrito is really good, the carne asada is excellent- but they use diced potato instead of fries. To be fair, it's definitely the best non-fry potato of all the taco shops (I'm sure their breakfast burrito is fucking killer) but still... it's not fries.

Day 50- Jorge's

Back in North County getting my tattoo finished, I spotted a taco shop in the strip mall by Rite-Aid. California burrito from Jorge's for dinner around 5PM.

Maybe I'm becoming too much of a Cali burrito snob, but their attempt at the classic was utterly forgettable. The carne asada was kind of dry, the sour cream a bit heavy, no pico or guac, and they used potatoes instead of fries. Now granted, a bad California burrito is still better than 90% of food out there, but there's a standard to uphold. We have to protect the integrity of the California burrito.

In retrospect, I should have known this one would be bad. It was in a strip mall, next to a Subway for fuck's sake. You don't get anything good form a strip mall, let alone Mexican food. Even the drug dealers who hang out in front of strip malls have shitty drugs. What the hell am I going to do with No-Doze and Maximum Strength Excedrin?

Day 49- Cotija's

Doing a comedy show in National City- where Russell Hicks fucking crushed, by the way- so before I went I did a quick Google search to find a taco shop nearby. My first choice was a place called Cesar's, but after the show when I went to find it, it wasn't there. Not sure if it was Google fucking me again, or an ambush set by the good people of National City.

So I headed of to my 2nd choice- Cotijan. Not to be confused with Cotixan. Holy shit, their California burrito is the bomb! Crispy, perfect fries, and all the fixin's. Daaaaaamn this burrito is fantastic. I might even rank it the new #1. And how could it not be good? Look how cool this place is:

It's like the taco shop version of that cool diner painting

So if you ever find yourself in National City, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself "What the fuck am I doing in National City?" Maybe you made some really bad life choices. Maybe you promised a friend you'd come to his comedy show. Whatever the reason, some form of unfortunate circumstance brought you here, so make the most of it. Get your ass over to Cotija's and get a California burrito.

Day 48- Liticker's

Today was the comedy competition in OB, so I was hoping to find a taco shop nearby. Although I think I've been to 5 or 6 there already. Not sure if any new ones remain. Luckily for me, Ana Barroso- friend of mine and manager of awesome SD comic Erik Martin- suggested Liticker's. That choice was seconded by musician Ryan Kimble, who led me to top-5 taco shop Nico's, so this was bound to be good.

Liticker's is a taco shop located inside a liquor store. Let me say that again- it's inside a liquor store. How fucking rad is that? That counts for a lot; they could probably serve me a plate of shit and it would be awesome. It's in a fucking LIQUOR STORE.
Fortunately for me, their California burrito is pretty tasty. They grill the carna asada in the pico, and it turns into this gravy-type substance. Loaded with cheese, guac, and sour... good stuff. Two drawbacks- the gravy-pico made it a fucking mess to eat (which was OK since I snuck it into South Beach Bar & Grill; no longer my mess to worry about). And it cost $8. For those reasons I can't give it a top-10 status, but c'mon- how often do you get to order a fresh cooked meal from a fucking liquor store???

Totally worth checking out for that reason alone. PS- I didn't advance in the competition. Because you didn't come vote for me. Thanks a lot, jerk.

Day 47- Cotixan

Getting logistically more difficult to maintain B90X the way it was intended. Today I hit up Cotixan near Sports Arena (and I'm already stressing over where I'm going tomorrow). It's more of a chain restaurant, and it definitely looks it. Kind of worrisome that it's not a very "authentic" looking taco shop.
And sure enough it was a bit disappointing. Which is a shame because they definitely have the best fries of any taco shop so far. Their fries are crisper than a hundred dollar bill in a Ludacris video. Day-ummm! Their pico is kind of weak too- the tomatoes they used are way under-ripe, could just be a bad batch. But even if the pico was good, they don't use any guac or sour. Far too many taco shops are doing that. Obviously I could tell them to add it, but that shit belongs on there. To serve a California burrito without at least one of those is un-American. Or at the very least un-Californian.

I was going to give them points for coolest mascot, but the more I looked at him the creepier he seemed. What the fuck is he holding in his left hand? As the wise neighbor, Lawrence, once said "Watch out for your cornhole, bud"

Day 46- Rolando's

Running out of ways to say "delicious." Which is fitting, because I'm also running out of new taco shops to try.

Rolando's California burrito is muy sabroso. Well, maybe just sabroso without the muy. It's good, for sure, but I've had many better Cali burritos. Their choice of fixin's is guac and pico, and I have to say it's a pretty damn good combo. I've been a big proponent of sour cream in the past, but guac and pico works really well.

That's it. Gonna go watch Ong Bak now.

Day 45- Los Panchitos

Los Panchitos. Sports Arena. Pass.

Subpar carne asada- kind of on the gristly side- good fries, cheese, sour cream. No pico or guac. Overall not that tasty.

You'll just have to trust me that this is a taco shop.

I'm halfway through this thing, and I'm starting to realize that with this B90X program there's no award or prize waiting for me at the end. No inspiring transformation. No achievement. Other than maybe some gastrointestinal issues and maybe 5-7 years off my lifespan.

But that's OK, because I'm not doing it for any of those reasons. Not even to impress Jodi Foster. So why do I do it? I do it for you. And you can take that in a sappy Brian Adams ballad "Everything I Do" way, or in a creepy "It's all for you, Damien" kind of way.

Day 44- La Fuente

Damn, San Diego has a LOT of good taco shops. I think the good California burritos I've had far outweigh the bad ones. And a shitload of them have been REALLY good. Like tonight's.

I had just come from dinner with my folks at Cheesecake Factory, where I did my best to not eat so much that I wouldn't have room for my nightly treat. I knew there was a shop on University in Hillcrest called Mama Testa, so that was going to be my pick for the evening. But along the way I spotted La Fuente, and opted to give it a shot.
A quaint (if I were less secure in my sexuality I might hesitate to use that word) little shop that looks like it was plucked off the streets of TJ and dropped into Hillcrest, La Fuente is good shit. My burrito was literally ready in 2 minutes, and the cook was on the phone the entire time that he worked on my order. Well done, sir! The California burrito here is fantastic. Great carne asada, great fries, pico, and the guac is so good you barely notice there's no sour cream. Right across the street from the incredibly underwhelming Lalo's, if you're in the area definitely check this one out.

Day 43- Humberto's

Even though Google screwed me yesterday, I find myself still relying on it to help me find new taco shops as my options dwindle. Today I did a search for one in the Hillcrest area, and one of the results was a place in Golden Hill. Why not?

Humberto's (assuming I wasn't getting F'ed in the A by Google again) was tonight's destination. Located in a neighborhood of questionable character, accompanied by a homeless man holding a "starving, please help" sign right outside their door, this spot immediately looked like a jackpot. Added bonus- yet another shop where the dining room is separated from the functional side of the restaurant by security bars. Nice touch. That's becoming a favorite element of mine; it usually indicates quality food, not sure why though.

They're a bit slow, but their California burrito is fucking awesome. Possibly the best fries of any I've had yet, delicious carne asada, tasty pico. Sadly, no guac or sour (yet again- a disturbing trend). But even without either of those 2 ingredients, Humberto's is near the top of the list. Check them out fo' sho.

I was honestly going to split my Cali burrito with the homeless guy, but by the time I was served he had left. I imagined him strolling sullenly down the side of the road, with the sad walking-away piano music from The Hulk playing in the background. Godspeed, Dr Banner.

Day 42- El Paisano

Tonight ended up being a quest. I am running out of new places to go, so I did a google search for taco shops in North Park. Google gave me Alberto's on El Cajon blvd, and off I went. But when I got there, it wasn't an Alberto's, it was Roberto's. The exact same one I just went to a few nights ago. Curse you, Google, you misled me! And you may also be a little racist.

So now on my own, I cruised down University past both another Roberto's and a Filiberto's. Just as my concern was growing that I might strike out, I stumbled upon El Paisano. A sketchy little shop, complete with bars on the windows, in a shady part of town just 2 doors down from a strip club, this place had "success" written all over it.

Their California burrito is under $5 and ready in about 3 minutes. Made with crispy fries, cheese, and pico, it's a pretty good burrito. Definitely better than a lot of the other ones I've had that were made similarly. No sour cream means this one isn't really amazing, but it is good and will probably hit the spot after a night of lap dances. Giving or receiving.

Day 41- It's A Taco Shop

It certainly is. Suggested to me by the person responsible for B90X, San Diego comic Jiavani Linayao. I feel pretty shitty today so this one's going to be short. That's what she said.

From the aptly named restaurant, I can safely declare "It's a California burrito." But that's about it.
Fries? check
Cheese? check
Pico? check

Technically they got it right. But the pico is extraordinarily average, the carne asada is a bit dry, and the cheese is sparse. Pretty bland overall. You could do worse, but you could also do a hell of a lot better.

Day 40- Mauricio's

I feel like I'm starting to run out of new spots to try. I know there's plenty out there, I just need people to tell me about them.

Today I went to one literally a block away from my place; I had never even noticed it until Rajan pointed it out to me yesterday. The fact that it had eluded my attention for so long kind of worried me, as did the menu items they chose to list on the front window. Not only do they serve cheeseburgers, they also have pancakes. And they are apparently so proud of both of those items that they felt compelled to give them prime advertising space. Zoinks.Their California burrito was better that their curious menu had led me to expect. It was by no means great, but it was good enough. The carne asada is a little suspect, and they use potato wedges instead of fries, but the potato wedges are damn good. They also use pico and sour. If you're going to skip one of the 3 variables, guac is the one. Good call, Mauricio.

Day 39- Roberto's

Had a good set at a comedy show tonight, and Russell Hicks destroyed. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would, so I needed a good California burrito to lift my spirits.

That's where Roberto's comes in. I made sure it was a Roberto's this time, not another Rolberto's (Too many -berto's). It was a Saturday night so the place was packed; a tiny little shack in a questionable neighborhood, cars lined around the building for the drive through. It took a loooooong time for my burrito- almost 15 minutes. But pretty well worth it.

Their Cali burrito is delicious. Although it's kind of weird they only use sour cream out of the 3 variables. Some pico would have really balanced it out. Plenty of cheese though, and fresh, crispy fries. For under $5 I definitely say give it a try.

Day 38- Fred's

Tonight I got to attend a great comedy show featuring Rajan Dharni, Christian Spicer, and Kyle Ray. And since it was downtown I planned my California burrito stop accordingly. I don't recall who exactly recommended Fred's to me- it may have been a customer form work- but they got the call tonight.

A full-on Mexican restaurant in the heart of the Gaslamp district, it actually seemed like it could be the exception to the "fancy restaurant" rule. But as soon as I ordered it I knew this wasn't going to bode well for Fred.

Twelve fucking dollars??? For a California burrito? For that much money, it had better be stuffed with stem cells, or porpoise meat. Seriously, Fred, that's pretty ballsy. A Cali burrito can only be worth $12 if it's the best one in the world. And yours is not.

It was tasty enough, sure. Good carne asada, good fries, cheese, pico, guac... but aside from the ridiculous price tag, they served the sour cream on the side and the tortilla fell apart in my hands, reminiscent of the Miramar Landfill. So you fuck me on the price and then make it almost impossible to eat. I question your business model, Fred. No me gusta.

Day 37- Tru Motherfuckin' jillos

OK, so technically it's just called Trujillo's. But holy shit is it good. This one was suggested to me by musician Jon Grunes, and it is a great pick.

A tiny little building, just a block off of a college campus, wedged between a gas station and a copy shop and with only 3 parking spaces. If dive-bar versions of taco shops exist this is definitely one. All the evidence pointed to an outstanding California burrito. And it definitely was.

Awesome carne asada, crisp fries, delicious pico, cheese... if they served it with sour and guac this would most likely be the best one yet. Soooooo damn good. I devoured the entire thing in just a few miles while driving home. Check it out if you're near SDSU and you love deliciousness.

Day 36- Ray's

The first rule of B90X is... you do NOT commit to 90 days of California burritos. Fuck me, what the hell was i thinking?

I was running behind schedule today, which has been my SOP of late, so I asked the barista at Twigg's coffee shop if there was a good taco shop nearby. He suggested Ray's, which was conveniently on my way home. His friends love it.

I dropped in for my daily treat and it seemed like a good spot. Nice place, not too fancy, and fast service. But once I got the burrito I was in for a surprise. It tasted fine- other than their use of potato wedges instead of fries- but it was just so... gooey? It lacked structural integrity of most other California burritos I have had so far. It was so soupy, it was almost as if they had poured some carne asada stew into a tortilla and wrapped it up. Tasty, sure, but hella difficult to eat.

If you combined the oozing filling of this Cali burrito with the delicately flimsy tortilla from the Miramar landfill roach coach, you'd probably get a California burrito smoothie.

Day 35- Sombrerro's

For today's burrito, I headed to the Sombrero's that I had passed a couple days ago on my way to Taco Fiesta. Someone (I can't remember who) had recommended to me the Sombrero's by Sports Arena, but as yesterdays unintentional repeat has shown, chain restaurants- even small ones- will have consistency.

I ordered form the drive through, and to their credit this is the only place so far that asked if I wanted sour cream or guac added to my California burrito. Hell yes I'll take sour cream, thank you very much.

I appreciated the ability to make it to my taste, but unfortunately it was a bland burrito. It tastes like what I imagine a McDonald's California burrito would taste like. Nothing too exciting, just sort of... food. And in retrospect I suppose the fact that they asked if I wanted sour or guac should have tipped me off; that's probably the taco shop version of "You want fries with that?" which is the hallmark of average fast food.

Day 34- Rolberto's (oops)

Things have been hectic lately, so it's been tough to squeeze in my daily burrito (that's what she said), and even tougher to keep up on the blog. Today I worked a long day, then had a comedy show to perform with the always funny Rajan Dharni, amazing San Fran comic Tyson Karrasch, and unbelievably hilarious Guy Branum. Holy shit is Guy funny.

Anyway, I hadn't seen Tyson in forever so we had a few drinks after. I headed home around midnight still not sure where today's burrito would be found. I just sort of cruised around until I stumbled upon a Roberto's in... I don't know. What neighborhood is El Cajon and the 15?

Hmmm, this place looks familiar.

Once I walked in and saw the bars between the kitchen and the dining area I realized this was a Rolberto's- and I had already been to another of these. Oh well, my bad. Anyway, their burrito was pretty good, but again it lacked sour cream or guac. Other than that, very tasty. The quest continues...

33- Taco Fiesta

I am determined to end this slump I'm in. 2 bad California burritos in a row, this can't continue. Today's pick was Taco Fiesta, not only because it was recommended to me by 3 San Diego comics: first Dirtfoot, followed by Matt Zint and Nic Flair, but also because it has "fiesta" right in the name. It happens to be located right across the street from another place on my list- Sombrero. Looks like I may be back here tomorrow.
Dirtfoot actually met me there for today's dinner. I ordered my California burrito, hoping that these comics were right, and it was ready in less than 2 minutes. I know fast speed of service generally equates to quality, but it's got to be some sort of bell curve; there's certainly a point where it's made so quickly that it's going to suck.

Luckily that wasn't the case today. Taco Fiesta has a kick-ass California burrito. I can't top-10 this one though. Excellent carne asada, crispy fries, good amount of cheese, but they follow a pattern that I've been experiencing with alarming regularity: pico only, no guac or sour. I think it could be a conspiracy. And if it is, legendary San Diego comic and Comedy Store regular Bob Hansen will surely have the scoop on it.

32- Sabrosito

I'm barely 1/3 of the way in and I see no end of new taco shops in sight. The recommendations are piling up as if they were the collective boulder to my Sisyphus. Oh yeah, there's mythology references here; nerd alert.

Had an incredibly fun evening performing on the Adams Art Fair Comedy Trolley (with San Diego regulars April venture, Michael Delvey, Matt Zint, Gene DeBruler, Jinnie Freeman, and Chip Nicholson), but after barely getting my fix in yesterday I wanted to avoid the last-minute rush.

The trolley made a 5-minute pitstop at one point for a smoke break. I thought it would be funny to get off the trolley, run 2 or 3 blocks down the street, and get back on when it resumes it's rounds. Funny to me, anyway. As luck would have it, when I got to the next stop to wait there was a Taco shop right there. Day 32 about to be official.

I ducked in the door and asked if they could make a California burrito in 3 minutes. And they hooked me up. I had my burrito in hand a full minute before the trolley even arrived. It was not a great California burrito; they don't use guac or sour, and the carne asada was a bit gristly, but I give them points for service. I might even give Sabrosito's another shot after B90X is over.

Day 31- MXN

Today was a close call. I worked all day, then had to cruise straight to OBC for open mic, as well as recording the set for awesome headliner Jiavani Linayao. She killed, by the way. After that, Jia and I met up with hilarious local comics Christian Spicer (and his super cool wife Amanda) and Sam Wiles (how's that for name-dropping, bitches?) to go see X-Men: First Class. Really, redally, just a bad movie. It wasn't outright horrible but it fell so short of it's potential that it seems worse than it really is.

In hindsight I should've known that such a bad movie is a harbinger of a bad California burrito. I went to MXN, which I was dubious of in the first place since it's a chain. But enough people had recommended it to me to give it a shot. More importantly it was open at 1:30 AM and on my way home. I dig the novelty of the serving basket they use since the drive through is on the wrong side of the car.

The first two bites were all tortilla. Barely any filling in this Cali burrito. What the eff? Plus they served it with only salsa- no guac or sour. That immediately moves it to near the bottom of my list.

So to recap- not much substance, lack of key ingredients, and questionable quality on the ingredients that WERE there. Pretty weak overall, and in retrospect a perfect companion to X-Men: First Class.

30 Days in the Hole- Rigoberto's

Who doesn't love a Humble Pie reference? I was in La Jolla to see awesome comics Jesse Egan and Christian Spicer, so I headed over to Rigoberto's. I had passed it a few nights ago driving around and it got added to the list.
Daaaaaaamn was it good! Possibly the tastiest carne asada of any of the places yet, and definitely the best fries. And mother-effing LOADED with cheese. Right now it's sitting like a brick in my stomach. A delicious, delicious brick. Unfortunately they only serve it with pico. If it was served with sour it would be the new #1.

Also, I think I may have picked up a tapeworm somewhere along the way. I find that as I'm eating the California burritos, I'm actually getting hungrier with every bite. So I figure it's either that or some kind of Mexican gypsy curse.

Day 29- El Cuervo

Meh. Been a while since I had a bad burrito, but it happened today. Another recommendation from cooler-than-Samuel-Jackson Amanda Spicer; her first one was great, this one... not so much.

The packaging should have been a dead giveaway- styrofoam and tin foil? What the eff, El Cuervo? They serve it loaded, which is to say guac, sour, and pico. But it just doesn't work. Their pico tastes a bit off somehow. I don't know how you fuck up pico, but El Cuervo does. Kudos to you, El Cuervo. The fries were good, but that's about the only positive. This was another one of those sad California burritos that suffers from ingredient separation: one bite of just guac, one bite of fries and meat, one bite of pico.

I would definitely say pass on this one. If you're in the area and craving a California burrito, just go across the street to La Posta.