The burrito that tastes like at home, even if I am 3,000 miles away

I was born and grew up in San Francisco, but moved to the east coast in 2017. I only visit my hometown a few times a year The Taqueria In the mission district for a burrito. Anyone who kindly picked up from the airport immediately regrets it: for 20 minutes he has to endure my hunger drive stripes while I rave about how much I missed the strange big burrito in a mission style on the way to the restaurant.

In Northern Mexico, Burritos have small flour tortillas with beans, cheese, beef or pork and ensure a simple portable meal. But Burritos in a mission style belong to their own category. With hearty, sticky fillings such as pull-after carnitas and Monterey Jack Cheese, who bursts out of a warm tortilla, the rightly famous burrito in a mission style is my hometown stolz. Today they hired the precedent for the overcrowded versions of burritos in America and influence chains such as chipotle and Qdoba.

Of all the burritos in the mission district, a neighborhood that is known for its Mexican and Latin shops, colorful murals and historical buildings, comes my favorite from The TaqueriaA old school facility that is under a curved door in the Spanish style with white stucco walls and San Francisco remembrance. The restaurant has existed since 1973 and has received a committed follow -up: there are always regular guests who pitch calmly in their orders on red plastic baskets, and almost always a number of hungry guests who cut out of the restaurant.

La Taquerias Burrito is perhaps my epitome of Mission Burrito, but even her classic version deviates from the others. Most of the mission style burritos are rice for the booklet and carbohydrates, but I prefer theirs who completely skip the rice. The result is a juicy, richer and slightly messy burrito that shines the meat, the beans and coverings. I always order it “El Dorado style”, which means that the rolled burrito is crazy on a ribping hot grille until its exterior is golden and slightly crispy. (This is technically an off-menus order, but something that most regular guests know about.) Today, this Burrito from La Taqueria is so legendary that the locals, tourists and grocery authors of San Francisco speak of it in almost respectless tones.

“Like many mission street burritos, It’s Prepared Assembly Line-Style; the sour cream is added liberally from a squirt, guacamole commes by the spoonful from an enormous metal bowl, pico de gallo and all its juices are added at the end,” The Reporter Anna Maria Barry Jester Wrote of La Taqueria in A Story About America’s Best Burritos for Fivethirtyight. “In contrast to other taqueries, every ingredient holds their juices and makes this burrito -Frech in the form and personality.”

Over the years I have spent countless hours in the Dolores Park mission with friends, family members and employees with a foil that had expired with foil. This burrito was a constant due to the ups and downs of my life. In a summer in college, I briefly became a vegetarian to impress a man and exchanged my usual order with scrapping pork against entire beans and chunky salsa. The relationship didn’t take and I was happy when I was finally able to return to my regular order.

During the pandemic, Burritos became a path to stay in connection with friends in the city. I would pick up a selection of orders – Carne Asada (marinated and grilled beef), Lengua (beef tongue), Cabeza (roasted beef head), chorizo (pig sausage) and pollo (chicken)–And we would gather, each of which was six feet apart to compare the fillings. All proteins had something to offer: the Lengua met a brilliant balance between Bouncy and Chewy, the chorizo was perfectly seasoned, and Carne Asada – a total fan favorite – had my friends who wanted more.

Since then I have tried almost every filling and combination. Nowadays, however, my order is set in stone. I ask for delicate Carnitas, black beans, Pico de Gallo and sharp sour cream. As for Guacamole, I am especially about the one-ingredient version of La Taquerias La Taquerias, which is so extraordinarily creamy and delicious that it does not require lime or salt.

I moved to New York three years ago, but I haven’t found a burrito as well as that of La Taqueria. I miss the crispy tortilla and long for the innocent disorder and comfort to bite a burrito in a foggy San Francisco afternoon. Determined to get a burrito into my hands, I set off to reproduce my own home.

So I searched for one online Burrito recipe in a mission styleand found one of serious Eats -actors Moju. At first I was a bit skeptical – how could a recipe replicate such a specific emblematic dish? But MineThe recipe has proven the opposite for me. Like me, Moju spent a lot of time in all his permutations to think about this legendary burrito. She has reproduced her favorite version of El Balazo, a now bothered Taqueria, who once reminded her Kenyan family from home.

Her recipe plays all burrito-important missionary styles: Carne Asada, who is marinated and slightly charred, rich pinto beans, a variety of colorful coverings, such as: Gallo peak And sour cream and rice. The Carne Asada Marinade alone – a mixture of orange and lime juice, garlic, coriander, cumin and smoky chipotle – is light, spicy and herby aromas. Moju also roasts her rice with onion, garlic, tomato paste in oil and uses chicken broth to improve the taste of the grains. Here, too, substitutions are pretty easy. You can seamlessly exchange Carne Asada for Carnitas (like me) or throw in stable vegetables or proteins that you choose. Your version is not quite my order in La Taqueria, but it is the next that I enjoyed a mission style in New York. And I’m more than grateful for that.

Now that I have a recipe nearby, I may no longer have to fly 3,000 miles for my favorite burrito. Whenever I take this first bite, I am back to Dolores Park and watch the fog settle over the city.