This post concerns my favorite Mexican spot in New Brunswick, NJ. Now, I'd love to give you the address and name of this place, but I'm afraid the NBPD might go there and break up our good time...........kinda-inside jokes aside, this could be any number of Mexican places in New Brunswick that doesn't have "Burrito" or "Bell" or "Cantina" in the name. Basically, in New Brunswick, you find a place with a name and menu that's in Spanish, in a neighborhood you wouldn't want to live in, and go there. That'll be where the good food is, I promise. This is one of those places. It's across the street from a bar on French St. that has an astounding number of transexual prostitutes hanging around it at all times, day and night. So you can imagine why I've taken such pleasure in walking there after a night at a non-tranny bar with a bunch of punk rockers and such.
Backstory on this joint: I was first taken here by my friend Vic Ruggiero and some friends after a night of spinning records at the Court Tavern (before I was old enough to legally drink there). I was blown away by the THREE fresh salsas they give you (a red, a green, and a pico de gallo) with chips, as well as the $4.00 pricetag on a burrito the size of my thigh. I've since taken an untold number of friends there for a taste of some phenominal, authentic Oaxaca-Mexico cuisine. In my hayday I was there 1-3 times a week. Various jerks I used to hang out with who were free Monday nights and Tuesday mornings would gather at our local watering hole, then at last call, we'd walk over to this spot, as they don't close until 3 AM. We closed the restaurant on more than one occasion. These were carefree days of innocence and beauty, when growing up was the last thing on any of our minds. Mondays were like any other night of the week: PARTY NIGHT.
So fast-forward 4 years, and here I am with one of the very same jerks I used to close the place with; a man called Jay Insult. I can no longer party like I could in the old days (a whopping 4 years ago), so I leave all the partying to Jay. On this night, we made a pre-bar run to the secret spot, as we would sometimes do back in the good ol' days, although now I don't pile beers and more Mexican food on top of it. We ordered what we'd normally order: I got a burrito al pastor (with seasoned, tender pork), and he got a vegetarian burrito without lettuce (he's a freak). The prices went WAY up to $4.50 or $5.00 for a burrito, but we carefully pick change out of our friends' couches and car floors and make up the difference in price. Let me now take an entire paragraph to explain something about these burritos.
Now, I know you're not supposed to judge a Mexican joint by their burritos, because burritos are bullshit gringo food, and restaurants in Oaxaca don't serve them. But these are awesome, and transend gringo burrito bullshit. They're huge, and you don't eat them with your hands, but with a knife and fork. They come with lettuce and tomato on top, as well as a nice salty grated cheese (akin to pecorino romano) and crema. They're stuffed with meat, rice and beans, veggies, and sometimes a little cheese. They're an intense burrito experience. The main reasons we mainly get burritos are: the price, and the fact that every other item on the menu (priced 6-8 dollars or so) is enormous and requires a to-go box, and there's no room for leftovers when you're walking with them to a bar, or what have you. That being said, I've never gotten a meal there I didn't like, and I've tried a variety of dishes. The salsas here are my favorite, as they're very fresh, and you know this because they're different every time you come. Sometimes one is hot, the next time it's not. Sometimes one is really salty, and other times it's kinda bland. You can always count on at least 2 of the 3 being winners, and one being so-so. As Meatloaf once sang, however, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
I've got plenty of awesome stories about this place, and could honestly do a weekly blog just about this restaurant, but I'll spare you all the gory details and let you experience it for yourself. This place is as good for a meal as it is for entertainment from a cast of characters that comes through the doors almost constantly. Here's pictures of our meal, and some of the awesome dudes you may encounter on French St.
PS: If I've never taken you here, and I know you, it's your fault. I'm always down to go here, so force me to take you. And if you go without me, brush up on your Spanish before going, because you'll likely have a tough time ordering in English!
Jay's burrito
Awesome dudes. Grimey and awesome.
No comments:
Post a Comment