El Taquito - West St Paul, MN

1434 Robert St S

Visited March 13, 2008

Pastor (pork chop) Burrito with rice and beans ($5.50) is a forearm sized offering. The burrito is packed with pork chop chunks in a mild tomato based sauce, onions, refried beans, and rice.

After a few bites, I still couldn't define how it tasted. There was nothing that stood out and nothing that blended. It seemed to be a mishmash of flavors including tender pork, tomatoes, refried beans, and rice and each taking its turn not so much vying for attention but just a mild hello to say I'm here. I had to add generous amounts of raw onion and cilantro plus a few squirts of a hot sauce to get some distinctiveness out of it. It tasted like an ordinary homemade meal created for sustenance, not restaurant quality food.

As a first impression, they don't match up to the Mexican food stands at Midtown Global Market or even to El Burrito Mercado. I don't want to pass final judgment but then I find it hard to mess up the individual ingredients that go into a burrito. I would want to return to try other offerings like their beef tongue (taco/burrito?). Plus, you do get a lot for the money. As I drove out of the parking lot, I had that uncomfortable feeling of being overstuffed.