El Diablo Burrito - Devilishly Good.

On a rainy Saturday after mother nature had thwarted my plans to take the kids to the dog park I decided to head down to Trolley Square to get my laundry done. Conveniently Trolley is also home to several eateries so I could get my nosh on while my knickers were drying.






There has been a buzz around El Diablo since they opened a couple of months back. I usually only go to Trolley Square to drink at Logan House on Welfare Wednesdays (when Miller Lt. drafts are $1) so I hadn't had the opportunity to check it out yet. I headed in around 6:30 for dinner. The place has a kitschy appeal I love. The El Diablo logo is a cartoon style devil with a pitchfork skewered burrito. I ordered the first thing my eyes fell on: The Serrano Short Rib Burrito. Okay, I waived slightly. I originally was going to go with the taco version but changed my mind. I should have gone with my original instinct. The burrito version came out weighing 72lbs and I had to back my truck up to take my leftovers home. This is only a slight exaggeration.




The place is situated in Trolley Square's shopping center. Diamond shaped decals decorate the front window and they have two small tables outside for dining in the weather. Since the weather around here has been hot enough to make El Diablo feel right at home I chose to dine inside. The tables and chairs are all retro 60's style and quite comfy I might add. The walls alternate between bright blood red and a gray wallpapaer that has the El Diablo logo. After ordering my Serrano Short Rib Burrito ($8.75 + $1.75 for Guacamole), iced tea ($1.75) and chips ($1) I took a seat to enjoy the food and sunshine. And to write this blog right here.




While I was typing away I overheard the employees discussing how many of their customers were tall men. As an amazon myself, I no know where to come in Delaware to pick up men. El Diablo is airy, fun, and hip. Even the employees seem to have fun being there as I watched them joke and laugh in between costumers. I enjoy seeing this kind of atmosphere in a casual dining spot. Unlike the gloomy misery queen's over at Johnny's Dog House these guys seemed to be a happy crew. It's good ju-ju for your food. Now to the food!




The iced tea was a true blue brewed iced tea. It wasn't skunked either. Ever have a glass of iced tea that tasted moldy? That's because it was brewed, chilled, warmed, then chilled again. Or left out overnight. It's gross. There were happy slices of lemons on the side. Another happy moment for me. The burrito. Oh, the burrito. The Serrano Short Rib (with goat cheese, salsa verde, lettuce, pico de gallo, rice, beans, and pickled peppers) smelled so good I had to take a bite before I took a photo. I'm not blowing air up your skirt when I say the meat was almost as good the short rib I enjoyed at Bibou. It was far beyond something I'd expect at a burrito shop in Wilmington. The tomatoes were fresh and crisp, the guacamole was creamy and delicious. Next time I would skip the guacamole since I think it took away from the mingling favors of the meat and goat cheese. The pickled peppers (mild, because I'm a sissy) were something I'd never tried before and intend to get extra of the next time I come. They have a tart crispness that really perked my taste buds up.

I do have a gripe: I wished the chips had been saltier, and warm.


El Diablo Burrito - Well worth some time in purgatory.

Dead President's - No, this isn't a pop quiz.

Dead President's Pub & Restaurant is a small bar on Union Street in Wilmington with a cult following that rival's Rocky Horror. Back in November on ThanksgivingEve ChopStixx and I unknowingly were there on what would become a night of infamy: Dead President's Last Night. The following day we were shocked and horrified to find the doors locked with a note pointing to plumbing problems as the cause. Slowly rumors began to circulate that there was a good chance the bar would not be reopening. Were we heart broken? Does a bear shit in the woods?

Lucky for us we live in the modern world of Facebook. A grassroots moment started by John Dieleuterio, Jr popped up and quickly gained the attention of local media. That's when Brian Raughley, former bartender at Dead President's stepped in and took over. The bar reopened on December 18th.

This Sunday fueled by a the need for dinner and beer, Shirazsta and I headed down the block to our local watering hole. This is St. Patrick's day weekend and of course the place was lit up with green, shamrocks, and cuties potted faux green carnations. There was also the promise of a live band playing Irish music later on in the evening. DeadPrez has the typical bar fare. They do however have daily specials that are most often pretty bitchin'. This night we were treated to an Irish themed menu. With a nudge from the lovely barkeep Veronica I selected the Lamb and Stout Stew with a side of Mrs. Raughley's Irish bread.




Now I've obviously exposed myself as a lover of this bar. However I'm not blowing sunshine up your arse when I say this was delightful. The lamb retained its gamy taste but had a tingtang (yes, that is a culinary term) to it from the stout. The veges weren't mushy or over done and the carrots added a nice sweetness to the dish. The bread was outstanding. Mrs. Raughley has both of my thumbs way in the air for her recipe and I'd like to encourage that it be left on the menu. Or sold down the street to Black Lab Bakery so I can enjoy it more frequently. It was dark and spicy but surprisingly sweet. It tasted almost like lighter, sweeter version of gingerbread with raisins. It was a very enjoyable, although my only gripe is not realizing that many of the owner's family were there. Because they brought their children, Shirazsta and I cuss like sailors, and we didn't know their were children present until one of us dropped a loud "F" bomb as a youngin' walked by. D'oh >.<


Dead President's - Like Cheers but without Ted Dansen's Toupee.

Back with a bang ....and a bust. Part Two: Union City Grille - Is there a waiter in the house?

This weekend a small portion of my misfit friends gathered at Union City Grille to celebrate the birthday of my BoyBFF, DJ Gumbo. I made reservations for four at 7:30 and met DJ Gumbo at the bar after circling several times trying to find parking. The third in our party and my other BoyBFF, Shirazsta, arrived at 7:35 and we went to the hostess to be seated. I keep mentioning the time for a reason. The hostess asked us to wait a bit longer because our table wasn't ready. Strawberry Tartcake arrived, tarty, at 7:40. While I went to fetch her the boys were seated. We were given our menus, water and the waiter disappeared...for twenty minutes.

I understand that 7:30 on a Saturday night is a busy time. However if you're waiting tables during this time you should know how to handle the demands. When he finally returned with our bread (that's right, 20 minutes for bread) we immediately placed our orders. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. If the kitchen gets backed up and you don't have our food it's still polite to stop by the table, see if we'd like more bread and apologize for the delay. Oh, and perhaps see if we would like refills on our drinks. Other servers may take the approach of "stop by the table as infrequently as possible and let them slowly dehydrate as they wait for their food" but I'm pretty sure that my philosophy on waiting tables garners bigger tips.

At 8:40 DJ Gumbo was threatening to leave in five minutes if our food didn't appear. He still needed to eat and needed to leave no later than 9:15 to make it to the Manayunk Brew Pub in time to start his set at 10pm (Yes, he really is a DJ). I left the table in search of our waiter to locate our food or a manager to bitch at. I got as far as the kitchen door when our waiter emerged with our food. DJ Gumbo and Strawberry Tartcake both ordered steaks. DJ Gumbo said his was good but Strawberry Tartcake thought hers was "Meh". I tried hers and I'd have to agree, "meh". Shirazsta ordered the chicken cutlets. It was essentially chicken parmigiana. I didn't try it, he didn't comment, but it didn't look worthy of the $17 price tag.

I ordered the Flatbread ($10 lump crab, mushrooms, mozzarella and chives and a small side of Fettucine Pomodoro ($7 pasta hand made on site).





The flatbread was flat. So flat it was more like a cracker than a flatbread. The mozzarella was funky. That's the best word I can give you. I don't know if it was a poor quality cheese or if it had just sat around for too long, but it was something I'd expect to find topping a Domino's pizza. That's not a compliment. The chives didn't help. They showed up on the plate but weren't noticed on the palette. It isn't something I'd be willing to try again.





Now the Fettucine Pomodoro? Yeaaah. I don't know if anyone let the cooks in the back know, but salt is no longer traded pound for pound with gold. It's quite cheap and readily available. UCG is located in Wilmington's Little Italy district. Pomodoro, voted best upscale Italian Restaurant for two years running, is across the street. If you're going to taut your pasta in this area you'd better bring your "A" game.

After DJ Gumbo split we moved our empty water glasses and his empty beer bottle to his place. There they would sit for the remainder of our time at the restaurant. DJ Gumbo finished his beer before we received our bread. This means the empty container sat on the table for over an hour without being cleared away. Shirazsta made the mistake of ordering a soda which also sat empty on the table for nearly as long without an offer of a refill. This really irritated me because they charged $2.50 for the soda. $2.50? For a coke? Bitch please I can get a 44oz Big Gulp at 7-11 for less than that! I had to steal the salt and pepper shakers from another table as ours didn't have them. I can only assume that the proprietors of UCG hold the steak purist belief that A1 or Worcestershire sauce is sacrilegious as neither of my dining companions were offered either of these.



Half empty water glasses and empty beer bottle that sat on the table.



At the end of the meal when almost all other tables had cleared out our waiter was suddenly much more available asking if we'd need anything else, if we needed boxes, etc. I ordered an espresso martini and the tiramisu which I was told was made on premises. The tiramisu was good, but far from the best I've had. The main tenant of tiramisu is espresso soaked ladyfingers. Espresso is supposed to be very strong. The coffee in this dish was far from winning any strongman competitions. They also hadn't thoroughly soaked the fingers so it left the taste a bit flat. I believe it was served with what was supposed to be some sort of whipped cream but tasted like Cool-Whip, only waxier. The espresso martini was a twist on the menu variant created by our waiter. This was outstanding and makes me wonder if perhaps he was better suited to mixology than servology. To this, my hat is off to him. If I had come to hang out at the bar and listen to the live music while sipping on this beauty I'd have no complaints about my experience.






This was a dining experience bust. The waiter was much more attentive once we were the only table left but that didn't make up for over an hour of being forgotten. I don't mean to rag to hard on him because I understand the human factor of being a server. For all I know he could have had a shit day, difficult tables in the other dining room, or any number of things that caused him to be off his game. However the food itself was lackluster and that killed it for me. I may possibly try them again for lunch sometime but only if they up their game.



Union City Grille - I wouldn't cross a picket line for them.

Burrito Bandido - Sweet Horchata, Burritogirl!

For about three years now I've been driving past Burrito Bandido (227 N. Maryland Ave, Wilmington DE) every few months and thinking to myself "I really need to try that place. I just KNOW they've got to have awesome food there". Alas, I've either not been hungry (shut up, it does happen) or I've been in a hurry (ie, running late as always). Well I have learned my lesson this time. I waited too long, and those little upstarts over at The Spark got the drop on me and reviewed them first. Jerks.

I also found this review which describes the area surrounding Burrito Bandido as being "questioning" and "discomforting". This dude obviously hasn't had the pleasure of driving down 4th St at 2am. Or 2pm. Really, 4th is pretty scur-dry any time of night or day. Seriously, I ran over a cup once while driving down 4th and thought I'd been shot at. I digress.

I found myself exiting Wilmington the other night, and found the opportunity to stop at Burrito Bandido at long last. As soon as I entered I was backhanding by the visual assault of bright orange, lime green, and mexi-kitsch. We all know I love kitsch. The first good sign was a Latin (I'll wager Mexican) couple eating dinner in the small dining area. When you go to an ethnic restaurant and there are no patrons of that ethnicity there, you just know you're about to eat crappy food. The menu includes steak, chorizo, lamb, pork, beef ...and tripe, tongue, or head. I went the safe route, and got a steak burrito. The waitress was very friendly, asking me if I had any questions about the menu.

Why yes, I do. Oh please, sweet little Mexican woman, tell me what I want to hear, tell me you have my beloved Horchata? THEY DO! I refuse to believe that any Mexican establishment can claim to be "authentic" and not serve Horchata. What makes this South Jersey Jew the foremost authority on the authenticity of a Mexican eatery?

1) I spent weeks in Phoenix, AZ as a teenager.
2) I said so.

If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying a glass of horchata, allow me to explain. Simply put: Horchata is a Mexican rice milk drink flavored with cinnamon. Sir Forksalot compares it to a drinkable rice pudding. I compare it to milky proof that god loves us and wants us to eat well. It's subtle sweetness and milky consistency make it possible to eat fire and not rip our tongues out.


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I ordered the steak burrito ($6.50) and a horchata ($2.75). The horchata came in a huge quart sized bucket-to-go container. I got a cup so I could drink on the go. I got my order take-out. A dumb choice, in retrospect. I should have stayed and hung out there. Especially once I saw the size of the burrito. Let's just say that if this burrito were transformed into a living breathing man, that man would have a great career in porn. I ate it for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. The horchata was just as orgasmic as I had hoped. There were even bits of cinnamon clinging to the bottom of my cup when it was done, a testament to the flavor of the drink.





Yeah, it's a crappy photo. The Travel Channel hasn't come through with their financial backing to this blog yet. I'm waiting.

The burrito came with a green and a red sauce. The green tomatillo had an undercurrent of cool flavor to offset the spice. The red was just out to burn my face off. First bite impression: WOWZA! The steak has been marinated since last October, it's packed with flavor. Fresh crispy lettuce, perky sweet tomatoes, rice, and refried beans. I wish I'd had more refrieds and less rice, but I'm a pain in the ass that way. I really can't stress how much I enjoyed the flavor of the steak and appreciated the time they had taken to spice and marinate it rather than just grilling it up with bland salt&pepper. I can't wait for an excuse to go back and try some of their tortas.

Burrito Bandido - If you don't like it, you're a jackass bandit.