Burrito Quest 4 and 5: Diablo Shrimp Burrito and Texan Burrito

For Quest 4, my brother, "Wilfredo", suggested we go to Cotija's Mexican Food. Before going, I quickly YELPed the place to see what yelpers recommended. The general consensus claimed the Diablo Shrimp Burrito as the burrito to try. For those of you who don't know, the Spanish word "diablo" translates into "devil." The devil is usually depicted living in hell, and hell is depicted as a hot ass place. So to feature diablo with a menu item means that that meal is going to be pretty damn hot. I however, enjoy eating hot , spicy-type foods, so this sounded like a good choice.

I've seen maybe 2 or 3 Cotija's around San Diego before, but the one we went to was the one on 3rd Avenue. I am terrible with this area, but I remember it being in front of a Jack in the Box restaurant, if that helps.

Upon arriving, I noticed that under the Cotija's sign, it said "Home of the Shrimp Burrito." If a taco shop is going to point out their specialty meal like that, than that meal better not disappoint. What I also noticed was how Cotija's had an ordering window outside along with eating tables, as well as an ordering desk inside along with dining booths. Most taco shops have one or the other, so I thought that was cool for them to have both.

Browsing the menu, I found the Diablo Shrimp Burrito and ordered that, while my brother Wilfredo ordered a Grande Breakfast Burrito. On a quick note, I took of couple of bites on this Grande Breakfast Burrito, and damn, this burrito had 5-star potential. For sure, it is going on the Quest list. Anyways, my burrito totaled $4.29. Considering that shrimp was the main ingredient here, the price was understandable and fair. The wait took about 10 to 15 minutes, which is long if your waiting for say, a Carne Asada burrito. But again, since it was a shrimp burrito, I let it slide.

Receiving my burrito, the size was fairly average as most, about 6 inches. I took my first bite, and holy crap,
I actually felt like my mouth creamed itself. The ingredients featured shrimp, mexican rice, and a white sauce, with some spices mixed in, all wrapped in a giant tortilla. The shrimp was nice and tender and the rice had the right amount. The cream sauce was what made the burrito. The sauce was white and creamy, but also hot. I remember eating the first half of my burrito, and how it was all hot and spicy. I was already dripping sweat, and my nose was running. I had hot sauce next to me, and yet I barely used it. When I would use it, the burrito would actually taste milder.

The second half of the burrito was where the the hotness disappeared, and it just came out tasting delicious and creamy. I found this to be my favorite part, because I still tasted the spicyness of the first half, adding the right amount of spicyness to the creamy part of the burrito.

I give Cotija's Diablo Shrimp Burrito ✭✭✭✭☆. This burrito was bomb, from the taste of the shrimp, to the creamyness of the sauce. However, a star is deducted because I did not like the way the tastes were separated. Instead, I would have preferred the sauce to be mixed around better, to have the same taste throughout the burrito.



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For Quest 5, I decided to visit an old favorite of mine, El Aguila Mexican Food. Except I heard that the place has a new name, and possibly a whole new management.

El Aguila was located in South Bay San Diego, at Southland Plaza. It was across the street of the now dead music store, The Warehouse, and right next to Vons. I discovered this place through the afformentioned brother of mine, Wilfredo, as well my cousin Ted, the same one mentioned in past posts. Those main dish Ted and Wilfredo introduced me to was Aguila's Carne Asada Fries. And to this day, I consider those fries to be the best Carne Asada Fries that I have ever tried.

The taco shop that currently resides in El Aguilas' original spot is now named Tacos La Playa. Upon entering, I noticed that the walls were plain looking. When Aguila's existed, the walls were covered with all sorts of Mexican-Indian artifacts and paintings. What was once interesting-looking is now plain, boring, and empty looking.

The burrito menu had all the usuals, but the one that interested me the most was the Texan Burrito. I've tried a Texano Burrito before from Victoria's, so I assumed that this would be the same. The price was $4.69, so I assumed this burrito would be delicious. Upon waiting, we were given appetizers in the form of tortilla chips, which only a few shops actually do. Despite there being only a few tortilla chips, it was still cool to actually get some.

I also got a horchata to accompany my burrito. In case I haven't described it before, Horchata is a rice and cinnamon drink, and pretty much every Mexican taco shop has them. In this instance, the Horchata Tacos La Playa offered was amazing. Some shops can't even mix the 'chata right, when you still have powder collecting on the bottom of the cup. This place mixed it perfectly, and even added a bit more sweetness to their 'chata mixture.

I received my burrito in about 10 minutes. My burrito was about 5-6 inches, and thick. I took my first bite of the Texan Burrito, and all I could feel was disgust. The burrito consisted of bits of chicken, french fries, and cream, all inside a tortilla. However, each ingredient was cooked poorly. I was expecting to get shredded bits of chicken, but I instead got dry, little square bits of chicken. The french fries were not cooked long enough, as it was still too mushy inside. The sauce inside the burrito had no flavor. I even tried drenching my burrito in hot sauce, but that couldn't even make this burrito enjoyable. I ate more than halfway, thinking the Texan Burrito would eventually get better, but it didn't. I ended up tossing it even though it still had a couple of bites left in it.

For the first time in my Quest, and possibly in my whole life, I give Tacos La Playa's Texan Burrito ✭☆☆☆☆. If you enjoy eating shitty burritos, then the Texan Burrito is definitely for you!