Breakfast Burritos. I’m a huge breakfast guy. The whole “Most Important Meal Of The Day” is a tradition that I follow. Those are words I live by. Yes, I live by those words. And they have never failed me. And of all the breakfast foods one could have, my favorite thing to eat in the world in the morning… The Breakfast Burrito. Food of a Loving and Caring God.
And there are none to be found in this area. I’m not going to say that North Carolina doesn’t know a good breakfast… they have that Southern Breakfast thing down. Grits and Eggs, all that and then some. But they don’t know a good Breakfast Burrito. At least not that I have seen.
Now, I did hit a Sheetz gas station chain with the fancy touch screen menu that lets you pick what you want in the burrito – and that was good. Namely because I was able to pick what I wanted in the thing. Other than that… Every breakfast burrito I’ve had in North Carolina, and Virginia for that matter, has been somewhere between Poor and Terrible.
Let me put it this way… they have been so bad here, that they make me miss the horrible breakfast burritos made at the IGA Deli behind Basin Sports in Vernal, Utah. Because those, as nasty as they usually were… you could ever once in awhile get one that was just “MMMM!” and it was delicious and made right all the disappointments before it. I’ve not had that in a Breakfast Burrito since I’ve been here.
Closest thing is Sonic. You know Sonic… the red button and the car hops that bring the food to your car. Yeah… they have their Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito, which is okay. But the problem is that Sonic hasn’t embraced the BB. So they don’t care. So they don’t fill the BB like they could. They make them small and thin and filled with disappointment and regret and after eating one you are still hungry, but not enough to do a second one. This morning I had one from Chic-Fil-A. Now, they do make a good chicken sandwich, I’ll give them that. But the just really need to avoid attempting a BB. Because what I had this morning was probably the worst thing ever. McDonald’s little cigarette thin things they call Breakfast Burritos, while just stupid, at least taste better than the shame Chic-Fil-A rolled into a stale flatbread. And McDonald’s. Just… stop. No… I mean it… just stop it.
If they are in the area, you might want to try Steak&Shake. Their burritos are a little small, but packed with good flavor. And, at 99 cents each, you get your money’s worth. I would suggest Whataburger, but they don’t go that far east.
Another option is make them yourself.
I’ll be honest, there are certain food styles that, if you go to far from their place of origin, finding any of it that is good is next to impossible. Breakfast burritos may be one those items.
Evan seems to really like the ones from Hardee’s.
Personally… I like mine the best.
Mushrooms, onions, peppers, sausage, and eggs cooked up all together then topped with cheese.
I used to make a big batch at the beginning of the week slightly undercooked, so that it could be reheated through out the week.
You and Dev should do some experimenting until the local places find their BB game.
That would be the Hardees with the Red Burrito franchise. There is one up in Swansboro. The one in Jacksonville has the Chicken franchise with it. Hardees can have one or the other.
Swansboro is too far out of the way for a breakfast run by about a 45 minute round trip.
I’m sure if you look that Jacksonville has a little Mexican tienda somewhere. I’ll bet you can get a decent breakfast burrito there.
In the burrito vs. biscuit wars, North Carolina is still firmly in the biscuit camp. Speaking of which, if you get to the Piedmont look for a Biscuitville. They make great biscuits!
http://biscuitville.com/default.aspx
As much as I can try to rationalize it, I cannot deal with the idea of a meal named after an animal whose meat is inedible unless you pout 5 gallons of Pico de Gallo and salsa de Habaneros
My favorite place for a BB in Vernal is Betty’s. The service isn’t fast, but the food is excellent. On my way to SE Utah last spring, I stopped there and had a couple-one for the table, one for the road. Great place.
I actually never had Betty’s. Never even been in there. The best place is the Taco’s El Gordo. The Churisso Burrito was worth fighting a Los Zeta over.
Good to know. I’ll be sure to stop on my way through during my annual pilgrimage.
The Sonic SSBB’s that I get are usually so full that I can barely keep it wrapped. I do need at least 3 salsa packs though per burrito.
Then you have a great Sonic… The one here is a disappointment to say the least. Thin and scraggly and shameful.
There are a few really good Sonics in Fayetteville, and 1 or 2 that leave something to be desired. I actually got pissed one time because my SSBB was so full that it kept leaking its contents all over my shirt. I also like their strawberry limeades & Chicago dogs…Bonnie on the other hand hates Sonic. Needless to say I go there by myself.
Ogre, maybe time to open a breakfast joint?
The best breakfast burritos, at least in the fast food realm, seem to be at Jack in the Box IMHO.
While Mexican take-out is convenient and usually good, the clear answer is to roll your own. I suggest this for two reasons. First, with respect to your Morally Justified article, for the benefit of your sons. Second, you can make The Proper Breakfast Burrito that you are searching for.
In regards to your sons, teach them how to cook. Or reinforce previous cooking lessons. Do it for them now, and for their families later. Teach them how to shop, how to manage time, to measure, to use a knife, to be patient. To try it again if could still be better. They will be better men for learning such lessons.
Make the BB as you want it. You will have control over quantity and quality. Whether you shop in a modern supermarket, or a local shop. You get to call it. Your sons get to call it. Bacon? Chorizo? Pork in chile verde? Great, lets try it.
The only thing the other outfits may offer over home-cooked food is convenience. However, in my opinion, the convenience is not worth a substandard Breakfast Burrito.
Respectfully,
FatKid
I find the local “hippy dippy” coffee shops often have good breakfast burritos.
Being that I’m the Hispanic guy from AZ, growing up eating nothing but that sort of thing, who happened to have been stationed for 2 years in SC, the only advice I can give you…. is to get used to it. As much as I liked the South for what it was, Mexican food was distinctly, not something the South can truly offer.
Of course, since it was already suggested here, you might make a killing rolling your own and selling it amongst the masses… I for one, if I was still down there, might drive and hour or two or eight, to find something close enough…
louie the lumberjack
If you ever get up to Northern VA, then Anita’s New Mexico Style Mexican Food is really good. Here is the like to their stores. http://www.anitascorp.com/
Sir, you know what you want in a breakfast burrito. Would suggest on your off days experimenting in the kitchen till you can make your own. Most large chain grocery stores have good deli/ international food sections with spices etc. The time you spend wasting some food that turns out bad,will more than be offset when you can fire up your own kitchen ,get larger portions, and still save money
My Sonic overpacks them too…even drops the tots when I request it, which I do often. Ever so often they have a cheese steak kind of special that they do pretty well, but I’m happy to get the Supersonic BB usually.
Well George . . . . I can almost envision a gun store that sells Breakfast Burritos. 😉 Put you back in almost heaven.
I did three months in almost hell (Raleigh) back in the early 80s so I understand your plight. They do excellent evening meals, but breakfast . . . . . no way.