Burrito Eater Dot Com
Posted by Stuart at 10:47 AM on July 09, 2005People often ask me what I miss about the US. My answer is usually "good, inexpensive red wine, and a big fat burrito at a San Francisco taqueria".
Now, I can dream about burritos as I surf the web, thanks to the new Burrito Eater website. As the web site states:
It was inevitable. Some nutcase would eventually create a comprehensive online directory of San Francisco taquerias.It would feature a wealth of information on over 150 local (SF only) burrito shops and trucks.
Its listings would be sortable by name, neighborhood, how it had fared at the hands of a ruthless 12-category rating system, and the number of times it had undergone this terrible onslaught of scrutiny.
Each taqueria would have its own page on the site, complete with an original, subjective description. It would note any pertinent issues regarding its appearance and clientele (if any), whether it's take-out only, whether their menu features breakfast items, whether they're open late (or real late), whether there's a gumball machine on the premises, and whether there's some dude behind the counter making a racket with a meat cleaver on a giant cutting board.
These pages would also include a street address, telephone number, pricing information, and photograph for each taqueria, as well as links to both a Google map and the SF Department of Public Health's page for the burritoeatery in question.
Furthermore, these pages would include detailed reviews of burritos from each taqueria. Whether slaggard, superlative, or merely shoulder-shrugging, they would always be honest and engaging. They would also include the word "slab" a lot.
There would even be a regularly published newsletter, the Intestinal Apocalypse Monthly, complete with a section devoted solely to answering readers' questions.
Welcome to Burritoeater.com. It not only serves every one of these functions, it even employs a bushy mustache for a logo.
So there you have it. Those of you who live in San Francisco have no excuse for not eating more burritos. Go to Burritoeater and pick one of the many taquerias in your neighborhood and have a feast. I envy you!
I've just talked to my friends about burritos and Mexican restaurants. I love Mexican food. However, I don't think I can find any of them in Bangkok. Many Americans that i know have asked me if we have McDonald or KFC... Yes, We do. But, there's no Taco Bell in Thailand. Shall we open Taco Bell in BKK?:)
Ugh. Not taco bell. That might actually turn even more people off to Mexican food!
Yeah, I'm surprised we don't have Taco Bell in Thailand, considering we have McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and even A&W. I would think that Taco Bell would be all that popular in Thailand, but then again, I wouldn't expect hamburgers and french fries to be all that popular either, since there isn't much beef or potatoes on a Thai menu. But I think that the Mc Donald's at Siam Center is the biggest one I have ever seen, and it is packed all the time. So maybe Taco Bell would work too.
On the other hand, as Joseph says: Taco Bell... ewwww... (ok, so that was a bit of a paraphrase). I can't say that Taco Bell is a very good substitute for real Mexican food. Then again, neither is the food they serve at most Mexican restaurants here. I guess it's because there just aren't that many Central American expats in Thailand...
- Stuart
Well, I think most of American Expats, esp who comes from Southern California would love to see any mexican restuarant in Thailand. However, most of Thai people are not familiar with Mexican food. So the wannabe owners have to work hard on promoting menu, and adopt some of the items for locals.. Here is my suggestion Larb Taco ..As for Taco Bell, I would stay away from it and open La Salsa chain instead..
Actually, one of the problems with opening a Taco Bell in Thailand is that their business model is a little different - Taco Bells (in the U.S. and elsewhere) don't cook their food at the store/restaurant, it's all cooked at a central location and then taken by heated truck every morning to all the Taco Bells served by that cooking location.
Because of this, anyone who wants to open a Taco Bell here (in Bangkok) or anywhere needs to commit to opening *three* of them, and the franchise fee for each is $45,000 USD.
To even qualify for the franchise license, any person (or group, up to 5 people) needs to have $360,000 in liquid capital, plus a total net worth (not counting primary residence - homes!) of $1 million USD.
With a Pizza Hut, or another Yum! brand, like A&W, you can open just one, which is a lot easier to start.
There are some okay mexican places here (Senor Pico's at Rembrandt is okay, and Tops sells the "Churritos" brand burritos, tamales and enchiladas hot, or the ingredients to make your own (which I do).
On the other hand, if anybody else here wants to go in 5 ways on a set of 3 Taco Bells here, and you have $75,000 in liquid assets and another $150,000 in net worth, let me know ;-)
That's one of the big things I missed about SF when I moved to Atlanta. The first few years, most of the taquerias I ate at here were pretty bad. There is one place I think is decent, but in SF there was so much choice. It was great.