How much for a damn good Burrito?

i witnessed this situation at a mall's foodcourt today. scenario was.......
customer (a big-sized male): what comes with the burrito?
server: burrito comes with rice, beans, your choice of meat and other condiments over the other side.
customer: okay. i want rice, beans. can i have both chicken and steak?
server: yes you may sir, we'll give you half and half.
customer: yes. half and half.
server: would you like cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo?
customer: yes. everything.
server: what about your salsa? spicy, medium or mild?
customer: give me spicy and a some of the medium corn.
server: any lettuce sir?
customer: yes more of it please.
server: will that be all sir?
(by this time, i was wondering if the server was able to wrap up the stack)
customer: wait....can you add the ground beef in there too?
server: yes sir, but the extra meat will be extra charge.
customer: yes, no problem. and i want the guacamole in it too.
server: our guacamole is of fresh avacado, it's $1.25 for 2 scoops. will that be okay for you sir?
customer: yes, please add them.
(server adds all that customer asked for and i have to take my hats off for the server...he managed to wrap the whole works within that 13" tortilla without any spillings nor bursts)
server: any drinks for you sir?
customer: a medium coke please.
server: that will be a total of $9.03 sir.
customer: who owns this place here? how can you charge nine bucks for a burrito?

duuuhhhh......i was flabbergasted with this guy... for all that he wants and he is complaining about the price he has to pay, which was just nine bucks plus a drink too? geez... that burrito he got would have been enough for my lunch and dinner and maybe supper too!
good thing the server was so cool and patient, just flashed a smile and swiped the credit card which was rudely thrown to him.

guess it's juz too hard to please every one every time. hope it was a great weekend for all out there!

2 bucks here in Fresno at many true Mexican meat markets for a huge stuffed burrito.

Jules:
That customer sounds incompetent...if you are purchasing a product, and you have been clearly shown the price, why are you complaining???
Just another example of how much our waitstaffs have to suffer in terms of incompetent, clueless clientele...and we wonder why they seem harried and overworked when they meet people who are decent.

the cheapest burrito we can get here is from taco bell. can you imagine..
dear pdxyyz and jennifer...never accept a posting or transfer to the midwest coz you'll never understand why you pay so much for good food!

tacchino, i might understand the situation i described earlier now. i guess that guy must have been a new kid on the midwest block....it's easier to assume so.
and i shall have a burrito for luch tommorrow!

My favorite place (Cantina) charges me 5 bucks for a wet burrito at the drive thru.. Worth every penny in my book! Quality and Quantity!

Actually, Jules, I live in New York City, where we would probably pay a good amount too for a decent burrito (aside from Chipotle's; although with a beverage and add on's, that meal would approach 9 bucks, too).

I still am amazed at customers who order, are told what the charges are, and yet still gripe about the price when the bill comes...if the pennies are that tight, then don't go out, and if you do, don't complain endlessly about it...avocadoes and meat cost money, and if he wanted a burrito the size of a pick-up truck, he should have been prepared to pay that premium...and it sounds like the server let him know that.

Hi Jules, I noticed you're from Johnson County. You guys have the fastest growing hispanic population in the whole Kansas City area. Decent Mexican places are popping up all over the place in Overland Park, Olathe and just about everywhere else. Try Tarahumara at Johnson Drive and Merriam. Also, in Kansas City, Northeast is seeing a lot of new Mexican places. And there's always Southwest Blvd. There are 5 restaurants in one block alone on the Blvd. between Summit and Madison. It's not so bad here in the Midwest. Except when it's 100 degrees like today.

hi all!
i wished more people would take a stroll at the vegetable and meat alleys to notice their prices, like an avacado would cost something like 1.39-1.59 each. then maybe there wouldnt be so much blah-blah-blah.
i always believe in one thing though, that is; one can scrooge on clothes or have lesser branded handbags or shoes. but when it comes to food, bless yourself after a hard day's work.. sit back and tuck in that well earned meal the best way you like it....don't let price keep you from having your favorite dish, you never know if tomorrow comes btw...i like the way you described the size of a pickup truck

yes, i live in a little corner of lenexa and i did notice the growing population. not only are the mexican eateries mushrooming, so are the chinese and asian ones too! the other big boys are not letting themselves left behind. does everyone think that KS houses the biggest eaters in the us of a

if you live around overland park, try out Salsas mexican grill (11240 w 135th & nieman). they serve good variety of mexican fast food. the place is so clean and food are fresh and tasty. one may compare their concept with moe's and chipotle's, that where it ends! Salsas' food is much much much much tastier. i think they have a mall outlet at Independence Center too.

btw, a cool cool beer works very well with a 100 degrees day

quote:

Originally posted by pdxyyz

Jules,

The burritos were the only cheap food in San Diego, great place to visit but I don't want to live there. Overall the cost of living in Wisconsin is better than San Diego, can you say $460K median house price?
And just try and find a Friday Fish Fry in California for a reasonable price, not blackened, not sauted, not flavoured with truffle oil and safron.

Given the opportunity I got out of California ASAP and I now have my dream job. Seventy and sunny isn't everything.

You're right, we don't have Friday Fish Frys, possibly because excellent versions of the fish you allude to are available every night of the week all over Southern California. If you really want something bad enough, you'll find it, and that stuff ain't hard to find around here.

I can assure you, if you dislike this place as much as you seem to, we
natives are glad you're gone.

quote:

Originally posted by julesleong

i witnessed this situation at a mall's foodcourt today.

What were you doing at the mall's food court ???

queuing for my turn to order my food after a hard day's shopping

Oregon has a growing Mexican population and I can get a great burrito in the Willamette valley for under $4.50 almost anywhere.

In the Bay Area, as in San Diego, under $5 with drink and chips

quote:

Originally posted by pdxyyz



Yes I could get chi chi fish any day of the week at overpriced stuffed shirt places with snooty service, but the hole in the wall Mexican eatery was always a friendly place. Never once was I looked down upon in a taco shop because I was a blue collar worker and couldn't afford name brand clothing. The same could not be said for many other places. Remember this is about road food. I'll take an ugly fried piece of fish over a fillet of corn fed salmon with a jelly fish glaze served on a bed of dandelion greens in an artful arrangement

Dear pdxyyz:

As an adopted Californian for the last 23 years, I'll agree with a lot of what you say, but not the conclusion. I think food is the one reasonably priced necessity in this state. Sure there are plenty of snooty places with over-priced food, mostly full of people on expense account lunches and dinners, but Roadfood is in no short supply and not only in Mexican places (although those do tned to be the cheapest and some of the best). If you had got that salmon/jellyfish thing at an Asian place, it probably would have been under $10 and, if the place was Japanese especially, more than adequately artful. I eat out here very often and never, I mean NEVER pay more than about $20 (except once a year when I intentionally go to the most chi chi place I can find to celebrate on Christmas Eve). To eat cheap and good, you simply have to eat ethnic: from Afghani to Zanzibarian. I regularly do Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese and Indonesian. And that's why I don't think I could live in the Midwest. Here, all this stuff is cooked by a native of the country, usually a recent immigrant and really wanting to please Americans with his/her native cuisine. The only chains I have to enter here at home are for a soda (yes, soda, not "pop" ) where they allow you free refills. In fact, San Francisco does everything it can to keep chains from locating in the city to encourage "mom and pop" places and there are, reportedly, over 3000 of them within these 49 square miles (4 miles square). And, for fpczyz, there are thousands more all around the bay. Bottom line: you'll find the bestest, cheapest food on earth here in CA. All you have to do is decide which country's cuisine you want.

BT, your list sounds great. A little secret though, between Madison and Milwaukee, we too have all those different cuisines. We also have Norse, German, Danish, Serbian and the list goes on. Immigrants from oversea have settled throughout America, not just on the coasts. That said, I can't get a decent (or indecent) bialy in Milwaukee.

I can get an excellent burrito, with either beef, pork, chicken, or steak at Chipotle here in the Greater Cincinnati area for just under $6.00. These burritos are huge and are almost too big for even me to finish, and they come with cheese; sour cream; rice and beans or onions and peppers; and your choice of three different varieties of salsa. (I take mine ashot as I can get it!)

Taco John's, a chain out in Colorado and other Western states has a good burrito in the $5 range. It's pretty good too.

quote:

Originally posted by MilwFoodlovers

BT, your list sounds great. A little secret though, between Madison and Milwaukee, we too have all those different cuisines. We also have Norse, German, Danish, Serbian and the list goes on. Immigrants from oversea have settled throughout America, not just on the coasts. That said, I can't get a decent (or indecent) bialy in Milwaukee.

We still have a few German places. Surprisingly, San Francisco once had a large Norse community (ever see "I Remember Mama" about a Norwegian family living here around 1900?) but most of 'em have moved to the suburbs. Their architecture remains, though, especially in the now-gay Castro neighborhood which was a center of Norwegian culture. I'm not sure about Serbian (though I work with a family of recent Bosnian refugees), but Russian is HUGE including not only food (lots of that) but also the largest Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the west, possibly in the country:



Incidentally, you might be interested in knowing (or maybe not) that Wisconsin in general and Minneapolis, Minnesota tend to get more cultural respect on the coasts than most other places in the middle of the country. I think it's because of the tendency toward liberal politics and what I call the "Mary Richards" Effect (heck, didn't everybody watch that show?).

Now before any of you outraged midwesterners write in, be assured I know you have fantastic places to live and great food. A decent BBQ sandwich is difficult to find in CA as is deli food. I love the tenderloin sandwiches and many other midwestern specialties. I have several neighbors from places like Iowa who treat me to some fantastic cooking so I know it exists.

I'm just trying to point out that CA now has a non-WASP majority which leads to a lot of interesting, delicious and, for the most part, cheap food--very much Roadfood.

quote:

Originally posted by pdxyyz

BT,

Sorry but I never paid $.29/lb for brocholi in CA, but I did in Oregon. Store brand yogurt in OR, $0.40 for 8oz, never less than $0.59 for the same store brand. The cost of groceries was always higher in CA. Shopped the same place and the same products. The general cost of doing business in CA is reflected in the higher cost of all products and the exodus of manufacting from the state.

Still think it a beautiful state but not affordable to the masses.

Did you ever shop at CostCo or Smart & Final or even Trader Joe's? I do. I don't know about the price of broccoli, but even Safeway (which is expensive) has good sales on things like asparagus $0.99/lb and strawberries $5 for a "flat". And the good thing is I know most of those vegetables came from fields not very far away.

Fundamentally, you are correct that the cost of living in the city is expensive compared to small towns and rural areas anywhere--not just CA. I can see that difference when I am in Arizona. But there are pretty good reasons the costs are higher in the city--land, wages, utilities are all higher so the stores have to charge more but you get paid back in the variety of foods available, both as groceries and as restaurant meals. I spend part of my time in AZ and get the benefit of lower costs (as well as fabulous winter weather) but by Spring I really want to get back to all the foods I crave in the city no matter what they cost.

And by the way, just to really stir the pot (as it were), I'm a fan of Wal-Mart and if SF would let them build a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the city, we could all save money on $.29 broccoli. But around here mom and pop are king and queen, just as they are to most folks on Roadfood, so cheap living gets subordinated to other considerations. It's not the fault of the state. It's the attitudes of the people living in it.

I guess I am a little tired -- been working some solid 15 hour days this week -- because when I saw this thread title, I thought it read "How much for a G-d damn Burrito?"



Sorry...now back to your originally scheduled thread....

quote:

Originally posted by stevekoe

I guess I am a little tired -- been working some solid 15 hour days this week -- because when I saw this thread title, I thought it read "How much for a G-d damn Burrito?"



Sorry...now back to your originally scheduled thread....

well, i tried to be polite.....

I just had a great Chicken Mole burrito with chips and extra green salsa for $5.00 at El Tepa in the mission.
I could not believe the size of the tender chicken in this mole. Also the Salsa that is put onto the burrito is excellent.

There are some great Buritto places in the Mission of San Francisco district.

Another one is Taquria San Jose near 24th and mission in S.F., with the meat on a spit slowly roasting before it is cut for your meal.

I love the El Pastor or Carne Asada.

First of all, this guy was in a mall food court. The second most expensive general location to eat at in the world...airports are by far # 1. Secondly, he changed the standard offering by a fair margin. All this equals he was a idiot.

As to the arguement about California (land of fruits and nuts) and a winter wonderland (two words that do not go together), well...lived in both and couldn't wait to move back to the south. Food is great, your wait person isn't really an actor just doing "this" for a while, the ground doesn't freeze, snow fall means a vacation at home, the ground doesn't shake (except in Charleston which is due for another big one any day), and the women have such wonderful accents.

:-)

Just funning, just funning.

Location and competition is the key. But I’m guessing that $8.00 (sans drink) burrito was purchased in a shopping mall food park or other captive environment. Here in San Diego we can get burritos all day for $3.00. One of the local favorites is Roberto’s where you can get a filling carne asada (marinated flank steak) for 4 to 5 bucks. Check out the menu and prices http://www.robertos.us/menu.html

Seattle, a place I lived in for a few years in the mid 90’s had no decent Mexican food or “taco stands.” One day I saw a new place called Taco Del Mar and I tried their “Mission Style Burrito” (named after the San Francisco Mission District). This burrito had a big tortilla, beans, Spanish style rice, ground beef, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Being from San Diego, ground beef in a burrito is not authentic, same with tacos. It’s either shredded beef or chicken. I found that Seattle had bland tastes and I guess that explains why the Taco Del Mar grew from one location to over 50 in a few years.

I knew people that bought dozens of Roberto’s burritos, froze them and shipped them home to Seattle.

Green Burrito in Long Beach (before it was bought by Karcher – aka Carl’s Jr.) made a burrito called “The Big Ed” It was huge using two large tortillas and weighing about 2 lbs. If you could eat 2 or 3 (?) they would give you $1000.00 Not many people made it. But I can guarantee you the Big Ed didn’t cost more than $6.00

I live in suburban Atlanta and the best burrito in town, in my opinion, is at Supermercado Jalisco in Smyrna for $4.50 - a taqueria within a grocery. This is Mexican food made for Mexican customers. It is large (very filling) and is served with a lime quarter, salsa rojo and salsa verde. You can find cheaper and you can find bigger, but you can't find better.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

quote:

Originally posted by julesleong

i witnessed this situation at a mall's foodcourt today.

What were you doing at the mall's food court ???

I am a big fan of the food court in the basement level of Washington DC's union station. But the burritos are pretty run of the mill. Miss living in San Jose, CA, where the burritos were awesome -- from the no frills, to the burrito place next to San Jose State University that advertised "Burritos as big as your head" http://siliconvalley.citysearch.com/profile/1100727/

They were all so good.