Review: El Burrito Loco in St. Louis

In this post-holiday period, when bills seem to fill all corners of the room, and more arrive every time the winter wind caresses the mailbox, the Guru, still carrying his overflowing envelope of kindness and good cheer for everyone, will attempt to guide you through winter by leading a search for moderately priced St. Louis restaurants and writing about them, at least on alternate weeks on the Sauce Magazine Web site.

The Guru will be the judge of moderation, so don't hope for too many steaks or white tablecloths, and no fast food or chains, either. Expect mostly ethnic restaurants in various parts of the city and county, because those who settle here as newly arrived minorities seem to know the best way to provide tasty meals in proper quantities at affordable prices.

And you can help with a letter or e-mail of nomination to the Guru at saucecafe.com or Sauce Magazine, 1820 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103. Name, address and phone number of the café or restaurant, please, and the recommender can remain anonymous.

Actually, this program began two weeks ago with Bahn Mi So 1, a delicious Vietnamese bargain on South Grand Blvd. I was so pleased with the response that I decided to stay with it, still in South City, this time at El Burrito Loco, a slightly smaller spot on Bates Ave., just west of South Grand. The restaurant, with a marvelous collection of burritos, quesadillas and tamales, is a family operation and, more important, does a lot of cooking from scratch, so be patient.

Interestingly, and happily for many, El Burrito Loco offers a full set of vegetarian entrees. El Primo Burrito is about two inches in diameter and truly stuffed with lettuce, tomato, beans, cheese, sour cream, spicy fried potatoes, onions, guacamole, a few peppers and its own salsa, a piquant variety that begins with roasted peppers that add a smoky flavor. Perhaps chipotles, but perhaps not. Giant burritos, named for the restaurant (or vice versa) are stuffed with beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo. Either is a meal all by itself, and both are bargains. A Mexican soda, usually in a garish color and flavor for pineapple, tamarind, grapefruit or mandarin orange is an ideal accompaniment.

Tamales can be filled with vegetables, and a quesadilla enchilada arrives with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and onions. The basic quesadilla, with Chihuahua cheese for starters, also can be filled with potatoes or beans, but the non-vegetarian also can have chicken in several sauces, pork, shredded beef, ground beef, ham or chorizo, a delicious Mexican sausage. The same fillings may accompany burritos, so there is plenty for any appetite or persuasion. Tamales, by the way, are outstanding. The masa, or corn flour, showed a wonderful heritage of the corn flavor, and they were tender and a perfect companion to their filling. Both the vegetarian and pork versions were excellent, accompanied by a nicely peppered creamy sauce.

Tortas, or warm sandwiches, come with or without meat, and also have mayonnaise, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, cheese and onions. They are delicious.

Tortillas is the overriding term for the wrappings Mexican chefs use for all sorts of delicious things, but not all tortillas are alike. My favorites are made with corn flour, but I'm also happy with flour (white wheat flour) and whole wheat flour. El Burrito Loco uses corn for small tortillas, wheat for any size, whole wheat only for large burritos or quesadillas. Whole wheat is slightly heavier than the regular wheat, and the strength is needed to hold all the material the kitchen staff stuffs into them.

Fillings are of all types: My favorites are the pork in red sauce and the shredded beef, but sausage and beans make a splendid filling, as does chicken in a chipotle pepper sauce, which adds a smoky flavor. These are available as medium or large burritos or quesadillas, and I am happy with either the burrito or the quesadilla. But I like tacos and enchiladas, too, so I guess the wrapping doesn't make much difference.

In the traditional manner, El Burrito Loco brings a basket of tortilla chips and a dish of red sauce to the table. The sauce is good, with satisfactory spicing. I have a major relationship with peppers – the hotter the better – and frankly, I found the sauce on the mild side, but there are a lot of people out there who prefer it mild. The chips, unfortunately, came from some other location, right out of the package. They were barely satisfactory.

Quesadillas, like the special burrito, arrived with their own sauce, and I found traces of sour cream, cheese, properly peppery peppers and another item or two that I could not identify. The combination was outstanding and helped the quesadilla immeasurably. A couple of house-made desserts include flan, whose flavoring will vary, and a delicious tres leches, or three-milk cake. It's like a sponge cake, clearly homemade, soaked with the three milks – evaporated, condensed and fresh – and it feels good after the spicy meal. This offering lacked meringue on top, a traditional touch, at least in some places, but it had raspberry jelly, a nice touch, between its layers.

El Burrito Loco is small, but certainly worth a journey, and while the burritos may be crazy, the diners certainly are not.