Let’s be honest, Santa Maria is a culinary mecca. The city put itself on the map years ago with its own style of barbecue.
And let’s not forget about the wine.
Having recently moved from New Orleans, and Miami before that, where food defines cultures, it didn’t take me long to figure out that Santa Maria has a lot going on in the culinary arena. Beyond sizzling shanks of savory meat, and massive swaths of wine grapes growing along Highway 101, lies a world of Mexican food, and that means a lot of burritos.
From the outset of my time here, I wanted to find a good burrito. At one restaurant per week for the past three months, I explored the Santa Maria burrito scene. But I’m neither chef nor foodie, so I consulted a few experts along the way. I kept track of my progress on Yelp.
A note to the reader: Between Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Orcutt, Lompoc, and the rest of North County, the number of restaurants where burritos are served is practically uncountable. So I stuck with Santa Maria, since it happens to be the county’s largest city.
While conducting this self-imposed assignment (it’s a tough life), I learned that there are more Mexican restaurants in Santa Maria than I thought. It was a daunting task.
“Santa Maria has a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of stores,” Jeffrey Rodriguez, general manager of Floriano’s in Lompoc, said about the city’s Mexican restaurants.
Rodriguez, whose parents own the restaurant, said each restaurant makes burritos a little differently, usually reflecting a different region of Mexico. In Rodriguez’s case, his parents’ restaurant reflects the regions of Guanajuato and Michoacan.
“In the Hispanic family, every city has their own little style,” Rodriguez said.
But there are some common denominators, according to Rodriguez: beans, salsa, peppers, rice, cheese, guacamole, and—if you’re not a vegetarian—meat. Of course, there’s also the seasoning.
“The seasoning is what kicks everything off,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what tops off the burrito.”
Keep in mind that burritos are not strictly Mexican fare. They’re a bit of a culinary conundrum when it comes to authenticity. Are they Mexican? Or are they American?
“It’s a completely bastardized version of Mexican food,” said Ryan Gromfin, a Santa Maria-based chef who works as a consultant for local restaurants.
The authenticity of burritos is questionable, but they seem to fit into a category of food called “Tex-Mex,” a term referring to Mexican food north of the border. Tex-Mex is a largely commercialized style of food, according Robb Walsh, a Texas-based writer and author of The Hot Sauce Cookbook.
“Tex-Mex is a Texas version of Mexican food, and it’s a commercial cuisine for the most part,” Walsh told The Splendid Table in 2013. “It mostly exists in restaurants.”
Also keep in mind that some truly authentic Mexican restaurants don’t serve burritos at all. Mariscos Las Islitas on North Broadway comes to mind.
An even better question must be asked: Why a burrito? Why not a taco or an enchilada? Gromfin gave some insight.
“It has value,” Gromfin said. “It’s portable, and it has a lot of flavor in one bite.”
Gromfin knows a little bit about the burritos in the Santa Maria Valley and said there’s really no standard for them around these parts. This could be true, at least from Gromfin’s perspective.
Burritos are served in various ways. While ordering at a restaurant, a common questions from the server are: “wet or dry?” or “green or red sauce?”
If wet, then it becomes a fork-and-knife operation, as the burrito is usually surrounded by a moat of sauce and topped with cheese. If dry, then you can usually eat it with your hands.
That leads to the eat-with-your-hands burrito, which is typically wrapped in foil and served at food trucks and restaurants alike.
For the record, all of the restaurants I visited make good food, and the service was exceptional. For a good wet burrito, I found El Herradero to be the spot. Others may disagree, but it was around $10, and it’s huge. After eating one, you might have trouble staying awake. My other favorites include El Mejor de Jalisco and Taco Ranchero.
For great hand-held burritos, the ultimate spot is not even a restaurant, but a grocery store with a deli. I found myself frequently going to Carniceria su Mesa near Battles for a carne burrito with verde sauce. This is the best burrito as far as price and taste is concerned. One bite is a cross-section of flavor: savory grilled beef, cilantro, refried beans, green sauce, and nice pliable tortilla. It costs around $5.
The burrito filling must be considered as well. Carne, chicken, vegetables—take your pick. For the more daring, try the beef tongue burrito at Taqueria Guerrero. Never underestimate what a Mexican can do with a piece of seemingly unwanted meat.
Ask Gromfin and he’ll say that Santa Maria’s burrito scene is average. For a truly delicious burrito, you’ll have to go outside the All-America City and also look beyond the menu. Gromfin suggests checking out Pasiòn Comida Mexicana in Orcutt and ordering the coffee and ancho braised brisket barbacoa burrito.
According to Gromfin, it’s not even on the menu and made only by special request.
Contact Staff Writer David Minsky at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 11-18, 2015.