Well, today's post did not go as planned. First, I went to Taqueria Mi Tierra in Oxnard but it was closed. Then, I went to Tacos DF (also in Oxnard) but that was also closed. With the clock ticking on my lunch break I decided to just head to Ventura and get to the closest Taqueria I could find. A friend mentioned El Burrito Alegre off Telephone a few weeks ago so I figured it was worth a shot. I'm trying to get 3 posts in before the end of the year so I was pretty desperate.
Burrito Alegre is located in a very busy strip mall that's highlighted by a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the corner. It was tough to find parking but I eventually got situated.
When I got inside to order my tacos at the counter, I was shocked with the lack of options on the menu. The only fillings I had to chose from for a taco (or a burrito, torta, etc.) was: chicken, al pastor and carne asada. Yikes.
So I went with two asada tacos and one al pastor.
At the salsa/condiment area they had 4 different salsa's to pick from. I noticed the salsa verde and some other dark salsa but I ultimately went with the rojas's they had that were marked "hot" and "very hot". After I got my taco order I doused all 3 tacos with the "very hot" roja and dug in.
The Carne Asada was of the steam bath variety that I've been experiencing lately. Seems like they cook the meat up and stick in a warming bin which sorta steams the meat a bit. In this case, they gave it the once over on the hot plancha after scooping it out of the bin. The result was tender, small pieces of asada with some decent char all over. Not bad- Not well seasoned but the crispy bits from the char made up for it. Also, they added a few cooked onions on top of everything which added a nice flavor.
Also, the salsa that I drowned my tacos in was totally amazing! This has got to be the best salsa that I've had yet; perfectly spicy, smokey and delicious. The consistency of it was on point, not to watery and not to thick like a paste either. I liked this taco a lot. Some flaws? Yes, but that damn salsa...........
Al Pastor was solid; it too was tender from sitting in the covered heating bin but it also seemed like they probably cooked the pork for a long period of time. Well, it definitely tasted that way to me. The meat was very tender and easy to chew, the flavor was a solid Ventura version of pastor (A mild Ancho chile rub). It too had some good char, which if you haven't noticed yet, I'm a total sucker for. Also, did I mention the salsa I threw on this thing?
El Buritto Alegre needs to add more variety to their taco options if they want to make any kind of mark because the tacos were just average. Hell, they just need to add more variety to their menu period. But they definitely hit the mark with those salsa's, so good..... 2.5/5 stars
El Burrito Alegre
4705 Telephone Road
Suite 1
Ventura, CA 93003
Agreed with your assessment of the food, and the salsa. They did one thing right, hopefully a New Year's resolution will be to fix the rest of their restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI was totally in shock when I read this. You ppl are fkn delusional, the food is cooked fresh when ordered. Another thing is it is called El BURRITO alegre, no where does it say taqueria, smartass. Keep in mind there are way more options for tacos you can ask for birria, chicharron, and even machaca. This place is awesome and it does not deserve the inconsiderate reviews these ppl wrote. so stick it where the sun doen't shine.
ReplyDeleteThe meat there is so clean,They care what you eat and how your treated. EVERYTHING there is delicious
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