Little Anita’s
Brotha – 5/11/17
Little Anita’s is a Denver favorite with two locations in the area. This ‘fast-casual’ restaurant specializes in New Mexican-style foods and is notable for having placed 2nd in the Denver Post Breakfast Burrito Battle in March of 2017. Upon my visit to the CO Blvd location I was immediately struck by its charming appearance and good smells (which were fortunately able to over-power the Vietnamese restaurant next door). As I walked in and saw the paintings of old New Mexico and gazed over the menu I knew I was in for a treat. My attention was immediately drawn to the “Burrito Grande,” a green-chili-smothered BB with all the fixin’s.
Tortilla
Soft and supple yet structurally sound. No premature breaches. The ends of the burrito were folded pretty aggressively such that there was considerable ‘bulk tortilla’ on both sides.
Rating: 7/10
Textures
Refried beans dominated the textural spectrum of this BB, although some occasional green peppers and chorizo were noted. The eggs were soft and unfortunately all but lost in the mix. I also had to spit out a few pieces of chorizo gristle which were un-chewable.
Rating: 4/10
Flavors
As with the texture, refried beans were the dominant flavor; however, the smokey-savoriness of the chorizo and fire-roasted green peppers peaked through and were much appreciated. I particularly enjoyed the peppers as they were not too hot and paralleled the chunks of pepper in the green chili. This made for a nice unified flavor across the plate.
Rating: 7/10
Use of Potatoes
Score! The burrito contained small potato pieces in a perfect ratio to the other ingredients (maybe 1 or 2 every-other bite). These added a salty crunch, which was a nice textural variation from the other soft ingredients.
Rating: 9/10
Smother
This was a roasty green chili with big chunks of green peppers. While a little soupy, its subtle, mild heat and underlying new-Mexican spices reminds ones-self of a simpler and spicier period in time.
Rating: +
Impression
A standard burrito with tasteful potatoes and chorizo but that was freight-trained by refried beans.