On 2012-05-10 11:31:00 +0000, notbob said:

> On 2012-05-10, gtr > wrote:
>> On 2012-05-10 04:24:04 +0000, Sqwertz said:
>
>>> I can't stand those big honking California-style burritos filled with
>>> rice and beans sand a couple tablespoons of meat, of the "Una Mas"
>>> style.
>
> Yeah. Those suck.
>
> I recall the first ....and last... time I went to Una Mas. I got take
> out and when I got home and saw how little the pieces of fish in my
> fish tacos was, I took it back and demanded my money back.
>
>> I don't know why you're calling that "California-style".
>
> I lived in NorCal and that style was quite common. It was most
> associated with taquarias frequented by immegrant Mexican labor.
> Lotta filler for less $$$.

That's surprising. We have a vastly predominant Mexican-American
community in Santa Ana, CA, and maybe they are very competitive in this
regard. I find the amount of meat to be way too large a proportion of
the thing, frankly. It's really over the top. But I've had burritos all
over the area and they all take a little leverage to lift.

> OMG, El Torito! I've never liked them. Fortunately, they and a
> string of other crappy Red Lobster type chains died off when the dot
> com bubble burst.

El Torito had a few changes in approach over the past 12 years (out
here anyway). They were doing regional dinners from different states
of Mexico as specials. Those were great, but it pooped out after a
year or so, since the kinda crowed that goes there wouldn't order them.

That's what we eventually began calling "big plate" Mexican. It's only,
say, a taco, a chili relleno or tamale with rice and beans. So in
order to juke the price up to $20 they have to give you about 3 pounds
per plate to make you feel like you're not getting screwed on the deal.
But having to eat that for thre days, even for $7 per meal--I don't
want a "lifestyle"! All I wanted was lunch.

Acapulco is another out here. In Dallas there were a couple of
regional places that did more or less the same thing, though it's been
too long; I can't remember their names.

> Unfortunately, their pitcher of
> margaritas didn't have enough booze to give 4 yr old a buzz and the
> rest of their menu was crap.
> y
> I started getting GOOD food when a carnicería opened up around the
> corner. Fresh carnitas, cracklin's, lard, fish, etc. I miss that.

At the local Mexican supermarket when I pass by the meat market area
and see that big ol' pile of hot chicarrones I go all Pavlovian. I got
a significant slab of it once and whittled it into "finger" foods at a
party. Not one woman would touch it, but the guys, tentative at first,
then fell on it like a pack of wild dogs.