San Felipe Taqueria

San Felipe's is an old friend of mine. It's located in Westmoreland, at 6221 SE Milwaukie. I first went there 6 years ago or so, and enjoyed it for a long time. I've always gotten their veggie burrito, out of habit (I used to be vegetarian). They've changed over the years- prices have gone up, food quality has waxed and waned. What do I think of them now, after all of this burrito-consuming experience?

The Veggie Burrito

Price: $6.50

Ingredients: Beans, Rice, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream, Pico

Sides: 5 Salsas to pick from

Size: Smallish

It's tough to judge an old friend, especially if you just don't get along with them anymore- but you wish you did. Sentimental for the past, yet in reality, you know it will never be the same. Have you changed, or have they? Have they become flagrantly bland, boring, and dim? Or have you become more cultured, standards raised to expect nothing less than the best? In this case, I think it's a little of both.

The ingredients were rather banal, and lacked diversity in flavor and texture. The salsas tingled my senses, but the burrito itself was insipid and watery. The beans seemed to be homemade, but again, lacked spice. The tortilla was more stale than crisp, and started leaking halfway through. I wanted to love this burrito, longed for mollifying memories to come awash in my brain, but all I felt was disappointment. 

The Rating

2 out of 5 stars

Will I go back?

The next time I feel like trying to relive the long distant past.




UPDATE: I've returned and my experiences have varied, but I would say the veggie is a pretty solid 3 stars.

Teco's

It's late. You're hungry. You're driving down Powell Blvd. You see Teco's. It's open. It's just one right turn away, at 42nd and Powell. You waver. What is this place? Is anyone even in there? Are you going to get murdered while ordering at the drive thru on the other side of the building? Hunger takes over. You pull around back. Words come out of your mouth, but you don't comprehend them. What is making you do this? Hunger. Abandon. God help you.

The Vegetarian Burrito

Ok, it's not that scary... really. Teco's is just the kind of place that you notice, but never patronize. It's on the way to other places. You speed past it, heading towards better things. Now I love my greasy little taquerias, but something about this place is just different... It's like an abandoned ghetto fast food place.

I got the veggie burrito.

Ingredients: beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, pico

Price: $4.50

Size: Small-Mid

Sides: 2 flavorless, watery salsas.



Ok, so I went into this with low expectations (and perhaps outright fear). But I always set my preconceptions aside when it comes down to it, and hone in on the burrito at hand.

Upon my first bite, I got a mouthful of COLD watery iceberg lettuce and unmelted mild cheddar. This happens sometimes with veggie burritos, so I kept eating, hoping to dig up more sustenance. I got to a smidgen of cold refried beans and rice, hidden in the entanglement of lettuce. The pico was alright, but offered no real solace from the flavorless mass. The salsas were very mild and watery, and clear liquid seeped from the bottom of the burrito. It was essentially like chewing cold textured water. I should have trusted my instincts on this place.

 

The Rating

0.2 out of 5 stars

The .2 is for being open late.

I never thought I would utter the words... you're better off going 10 more blocks to Taco Bell. However, if there is a brave soul out there who is willing to try their meaty burritos, let me know how that goes... maybe they are out-of-this-world-fan-fucking-tastic!