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Well, today was better in some ways.  Mostly non-burrito ways, but still.

We went to La Casita down in Gastown, and a very friendly waiter called me “friend” and brought us a basket of chips and salsa as we sat down.  I felt so welcomed.  The salsa was a puree, very spicy and very tasty with the crisp thin chips.  Ah ha, I thought! This might be a winner!

For appetizer, Susie and I split ceviche in a sunday cup, which was delicious but not very Mexican unless I misremember my food geography. Still, hopes were high.

But then we hit a snag.  The restaurant didn’t serve pork burritos.  Alak!  As an officer of science, I know that this introduces another variable into this experiment, making it even harder to truly say what’s the best burrito.  I was extremely worried that, should this restaurant prove to be the tastiest, my finding might be challenged by the Academy of Burrito Science.

On the other hand, ehh, I was hungry.  So I ordered the beef burrito just to see what would happen. Sure enough, a burrito came to my table, looking and smelling delicious.

The beef in it, though, was ground beef, which, while tasty and moist, just didn’t have the texture I was looking for. Spice-wise, Susie thought it was a little hot, and I thought it was too sweet and mild.  Maybe we were both right.  The tortilla itself was the right thickness, but a little too rubbery, which may have been more a matter of the content affecting it than the tortilla itself.

On top, there was a tremendous amount of delicious Monterey Jack cheese, and a chipotle sauce that was so creamy it could have used it as a facial moisturizer. Eating my way through it, I thought it was just all beef, but then came across a pocket of tomato and lettuce. Yum!

The plate came with: rice, which was more like a pilaf than Mexican rice, and had what I’d wager were frozen corn and peas in it; beans in their own bowl that were the consistency of oatmeal and about as memorable; and salad, which I ignore.

The background music was lovely, but it ran out about 2/3rds of the way through the meal and no one flipped the record.  Quiet descended.

Overall, I was ready to give the burrito an 8/10, but then two things happened.  First, I tried Susie’s fajitas.  Which were, I have to say incredible.  Totally perfectly seared, delightfully seasoned with peppers and cheese, and the corn tortillas underneath were amazing.  So, a restaurant that can kick such serious fajita ass doesn’t get any sympathy from me if they can’t do a burrito.

Secondly, the bill came.  The burrito was $14 and $2 for the chipotle sauce.  $16 for ground beef better be some pretty damn good ground beef, and this wasn’t it.  So I give it a 7/10.  Next stop: Dona Cata on Victoria.

La Casita,
101 Cordova Street West
Vancouver, BC V6B 1E1, Canada
(604) 646-2444

Overheard

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

...who said it?

“Almost every American I know does trade large portions of his life for entertainment, hour by weeknight hour, binge by Saturday binge, Facebook check by Facebook check. I’m one of them. In the course of writing this I’ve watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards and who knows how many more West Wing episodes, and I’ve spent any number of blurred hours falling down internet rabbit holes. All instead of reading, or writing, or working, or spending real time with people I love.”

...who said it?

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

...who said it?

“I play with variables constantly.”

...who said it?

“Only the person who has learned Continual Love coming from a heart of Gratitude/Worship can effectively deal with the problem of loneliness.”

...who said it?

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