A few chapters back, I playfully insisted that we don’t think of ourselves as experts in much of anything, and yet Marie and I are frequently asked for dining suggestions, especially from acquaintances and co-workers who are going out of town. Chattanooga is a fairly regular destination for people whom we know, and I always include Mojo Burrito in my suggestions. I don’t believe that it gets a whole lot of visits, though. People seem very willing to try different barbecue or pizza places in other towns, which is good, but how many different ways are there to make burritos? Continue reading “Mojo Burrito, Dunwoody GA (CLOSED)”
Tag: mexican – california-style
Bell Street Burritos, Atlanta GA
Will the third time be lucky for Atlanta’s best burrito? Heck, we hope so. Matt Hinton, the owner of Bell Street Burritos, has had a run of bad luck that would make anybody else throw in the towel. After starting up as a stand in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, each successive location has closed before it could really turn itself into a solid neighborhood favorite. Landlord issues shuttered the first two, on Howell Mill and in the Irwin Street Market, and Hinton has weathered the storms with grace and calm, with a super team in place to serve guests. Continue reading “Bell Street Burritos, Atlanta GA”
Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Atlanta GA
A very brief history of burrito joints in Georgia: for about ten years after the first of the region’s Tex-Mex restaurants, Monterrey, opened, burritos were those things served on hot plates at El-This-Los-That joints, covered in sauce. In the mid-1980s, The Mean Bean in Athens might have been the first in the area to serve up burritos that you could eat on the go, wraps filled with – in their case – deliciously seasoned refried beans and other fillings. Right around that time (1984), a couple of legendary shops opened in Atlanta that gave guests more traditional San Francisco “Mission”-style burritos that, instead of refried beans, used either pinto or black beans. Frijoleros and Tortillas are still mentioned in hushed tones by the faithful. Oddly, Frijoleros fumbled when it tried to open a second location in Athens, failing after a couple of years, and the Mean Bean was even less successful when it crashed and burned in Atlanta’s Little Five Points. I recall that Creative Loafing‘s Cliff Bostock, a loud proponent of Tortillas and their fresh veggies, was utterly baffled by the Mean Bean’s use of refried beans and canned peppers. Continue reading “Willy’s Mexicana Grill, Atlanta GA”
El Pollo Dorado, Marietta GA
About a year ago, Marie and I visited a restaurant on Collier Road in Atlanta called Patrick’s Sub Shop. It is set up in a former Shrimp Boats building, one of an estimated 95 that were erected around the southeast in the 1960s and 1970s, before the chain, a small-player rival to the likes of Cedric’s and Captain D’s, folded. When I wrote that entry, I wondered whether we would run across any other repurposed Shrimp Boats buildings. Continue reading “El Pollo Dorado, Marietta GA”
Mojo Burrito, Chattanooga TN
On our previous trip to Tennessee, we stopped for supper at Mojo Burrito in Red Bank and enjoyed the visit a lot. This small chain has three stores, and one of them, conveniently, is not far from I-75, absolutely perfect for people traveling between Knoxville and Atlanta who don’t have lots of time to detour into Chattanooga properly. That described our situation just perfectly. Continue reading “Mojo Burrito, Chattanooga TN”
Mojo Burrito, Chattanooga TN
We got a very late start home from Nashville on Saturday afternoon. Part of the problem was that the baby had been cranky and fighting a cold most of the time. He wasn’t horrible, just clingy to Marie, and not a particularly fun guest. After lunch, he cheered up tremendously, and while the clock said we should’ve already left, we just didn’t want to strap the little stinker in the car when he was finally showing signs of his usual, playful self for Tory. So we let him run around the yard for several minutes, and he gave good hugs and kisses. He was also breaking Marie’s heart just a little. He’s calling me “Dada,” and her “Daddy.” This prompted some – I hope – good-natured grumbling from Marie. “I want to be Mommy,” she pouted, but it sure was funny watching him run across the length of Tory’s yard bellowing “DAH-DEEEEEEE” and jump into Marie’s arms. Continue reading “Mojo Burrito, Chattanooga TN”
Voting Day!
Two Saturdays before the election, for the first time, Georgia allowed weekend early voting. While the girlchild spent the morning with her godmother, following a long, late night at Six Flags, Marie and I took the baby to the Cobb County Civic Center and spent a very long time waiting in line. We had a blast. Continue reading “Voting Day!”
Marie, Let's Eat! 