Caliente Grille Heats Up Hattiesburg

I recently got a suggestion from Jared Loftus to stop by Caliente Grille on my way through Hattiesburg to check out the restaurant, hang out with Charles, the owner, and eat some delicious burritos.  Jeremy of the blog Faire Les Courses and I were conveniently hungry as we drove through Mississippi on our way to FoodBlogSouth in Birmingham, so stopping in just made sense.

Caliente Grille in Hattiesburg, MS

Caliente Grille is similar to Izzo's or other "roll your own" overstuffed burrito places.  However, I could tell from walking in this was going to be a little different.  The service was excellent as we were kindly greeted right when we walked through the door.  The employees explained how to create our custom burritos, and I quickly knew exactly what I wanted.  I ordered ancho chili pork on a whole wheat tortilla.  I added some black beans, rice, sour cream, and the secret ingredient: a homemade, fresh, sweet corn jalepeno salsa.  As an extra measure to set themselves apart, Caliente Grille also toasts their burritos on a large sandwich press.  It does magic to crisp up the tortilla and melt the cheese.

My meal at Caliente Grille - regular ancho chili pork burrito with chips and queso

The burrito really hit the spot for both Jeremy and I.  As I stated above, the main things that Caliente Grille had going for them really set them apart from any competition.  The ancho chili pork combined with the sweet corn salsa is a flavor combination I would go back for again and again.  To top it off, pressing the burrito on the grill gave it just enough texture to take it to the next level.  Charles came into the restaurant after we finished eating and he told us about how all the salsas are made fresh daily.  Freshness is clearly a key to the Caliente way, and it shows in their food.  The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the absolutely plain queso... however looking back I could have easily asked for a little cup of one of their multiple salsas to mix it with.  Now I know!  Bottom line: if you're ever in Hattiesburg, go check out the Caliente Grille, and tell them Bite and Booze sent you!  It'll be worth the trip!

Sweet corn jalepeno salsa topping off the ancho chili pork burrito at Caliente Grille

Juan's Flying Burrito Creole Taqueria

Way back before the Saints won the Super Bowl (as in the day before), a group of friends I were out on the town in New Orleans and decided to grab some eats and drinks at Juan's Flying Burrito "Creole Taqueria" in the lower Garden District.  Joining me in the debauchery were Daniel "Nunee" Nunes, Brent, Brandon, Celeste, and couple from California (well one was from Nola and the other came from Cali, I think) that invited us to sit at their table with them so we didn't have to wait for a table of our own.  Yeah, it looked like we were in for that kind of night!

Juan's Flying Burrito "Creole Taqueria" on Magazine St. in New Orleans

After settling in at the large booth near the entrance of the restaurant, we found ourselves waiting for service.  When the waiter finally came he told us about their $1.10 Pabst Blue Ribbon drink special, so I promptly order two of them.  Puzzled, the waiter asked if I really wanted two at the same time.  I said yes, I really do, and I'll probably finish both of them before he could return with two more!  Then Brent ordered shots because, well, Brent orders shots.  Being that we were in a "Creole Taqueria," Brent logically concluded that those shots should be Patron.  Oops!

Shot of Patron, Two $1.10 Pabst Blue Ribbons

I was correct about the slow service.  Apparently it is part of the customary charm of Juan's.  They also forgot to bring out our chips and salsa.  It took asking for it 2-3 times before it finally showed up, and then I believe they sent out something on the house because of the mess up.  At least they got that part right!  My memory of the whole things is a little fuzzy because I ordered another double-dose of PBRs and chose to enjoy the company rather than fuss about the service.  At least they acknowledge the slow response times and are aware of it though.  As our waiter very sarcastically pointed out, "we're (Juan's) known for our impeccable service!"

Pork 'n' Slaw Tacos

Several rounds of drinks later our grub finally arrived.  I went with the trio of pork 'n' slaw tacos.  These bad boys came with tender, shredded pork, jack and cheddar cheese, spicy slaw, and salsa fresca for only $6.95.  The wait wasn't short, but to their credit the place was slammed with a lively crowd, and the food turned out to be good and cheap.  We really had a blast interacting with our waiter and the random people that allowed us to join their table.  The tacos themselves were served in hot and chewy flour tortillas that acted as a superb vessel for transporting the tasty pork and slaw from the wax-papered basket to my mouth.  I ate all three tacos and afterwards certainly felt full and satisfied.  I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Juan's again as long as I'm looking for a good time and not in a hurry!  

Things To Do
New Orleans

La Carreta on Government Street

Not too long ago I met Megan for lunch at La Carreta on Government Street.  This local Mexican Restaurant got its start in Hammond, La area before expanding to Baton Rouge and other locations in South Louisiana.  In fact, business has been so good for owner Saúl Rubio that he has recently opened a second location in the Red Stick on Bluebonnet Blvd.  Still, the Mid-City location is easier for me to get to from work, so it was there that I dined!

La Carreta on Government Street

The restaurant recently underwent a renovation that moved the entrance to the patio area that used to be the back of the establishment.  La Carreta actually has one of my favorite outdoor dining spaces in Baton Rouge, so if you are ever in the mood for Mexican food on a nice day, it is a good spot to hit up. 

La Carreta's Salsa

Obviously one of the best things about Mexican dining in the United States is the free chips and salsa that customarily accompanies every feast.  La Carreta's salsa has a few chucks of fresh tomato that are mixed in with an otherwise liquidy base of tomato juice and herbs.  The flavor is fairly ordinary but still tastes fine if you like a classic salsa to go with your salted corn tortilla chips.

La Carreta Special: Beef Burrito, Chicken Tostada, Beef Enchilada

I ordered the La Carreta Special for lunch.  It came with a beef burrito, a chicken tostada, and a beef enchilada.  The tostada got buried under a pile of lettuce, sour cream, and pico de gallo while the burrito and enchilada could be found a little easier on the plate.  Unfortunately the ground beef that stuffed the burrito and enchilada was nothing to brag about.  It was plain and bland and I think I've honestly been happier with burritos at Taco Bell.  This really surprised me as I've had great experiences with La Carreta in the past.  Perhaps the best advice is to stick with chicken or steak and avoid the ground beef.  I'm sure I'll be back at some point to sit on the patio and enjoy some cerveza.  I'll just have to be more careful about what I order!

San Francisco Part I: Taqueria La Cumbre

This past weekend Eusebio and I took to the friendly skies courtesy of our dear friend Amanda who happens to work for Southwest Airlines.  Amanda has graciously flown me all over the country for the past several years and I am very thankful to her.  We headed West to the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco, CA.  Immediately upon arriving in Oakland, Eusebio and I took the BART across the bay to San Fran and walked a couple blocks, past Union Square, to our hotel.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was an interesting place to be for the weekend because all of their housekeeping and food service staff were on strike!  Good old California labor union strikes.  We walked up to a hotel that was being picketed by its own employees right outside of the front door with rhythmic drum beating and constant chanting of "Don't check in, just check out!"  Having already made reservations and paid for the room, and thinking that the fact that we just walked up on a real-life labor strike was hilarious, we proceeded to check in, throw our stuff down, and go grab some lunch before our festival activities started at 5:00 p.m.

Our San Francisco culinary journey got started with a ride on a classic street car trolley and a trip to the Mission district. The Mission neighborhood exists as an incredibly impressive international melting pot of residents and restaurants. From sushi to Salvadoran, pizza to Pakistani, eating well should be easy to do in Mission for everyone who walks its streets. We had heard of Taqueria La Cumbre as the innovator of the authentic overstuffed mission-style Mexican burrito. For those of you who know about Freebird's or Izzo's, that is what I'm talking about... but way better!

Taqueria La Cumbre, Mission District, San Francisco

The Taqueria has a lot more to enjoy than just the burritos.  They offer many different Platos Mexicanos for the frequenters to consume, but it is pretty obvious that their mission-style burritos are what they are famous for.  Meat filling for the burritos comes in the form of carne asada (steak beef), pulled pork, chicken, several flavored versions of beef, pork, and chicken, and beef tongue.  I didn't look over the menu long before ordering my "super" burrito.

Menu Board at Taqueria La Cumbre

I ordered the carne asada super burrito which came with grilled steak meat that was chopped right in front of me, Mexican rice, black beans, fresh guacamole, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo, and hot sauce which was all stuffed inside a giant flour tortilla.  The meal came with corn tortilla chips and a selection of salsas.  I added a Mexican beer, Negra Modelo, to the feast just to top it off properly and help wash all of the spicy goodness that I was about to consume down.

Super Burrito, Chips, Salsa, and a Negro Modelo at Taqueria La Cumbre

The completely stuffed burrito fillings exploded both figuratively with flavor and literally out of the thinly pressed tortilla. Rice and black beans created the bulk of the subsistence but the seasoned beef and guacamole were still the flavor highlights.  Fresh ingredients all around gave the burrito the taste that made it famous.

The Stuffing of My Super Burrito

While there might be rival burritos out there in other parts of the country and world, I certainly can not get anything this good in Baton Rouge.  I love how the restaurant has maintained its original, classic, casual atmosphere with friendly service.  The Mission district as a whole was an area of San Francisco that I could spend a lot more time in.  There were unique restaurants and shops at every corner, each with its own culture that it contributed to the overall diverse cultural center that is San Francisco.

In San Francisco Part II, I will write about the adventures that we had on Friday night at the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival Street Vendor "Fare"!  Stay tuned!

Things To Do
San Francisco