The Ultimate Burrito Bar
17711 IH 10 West at the Rim
(and 13444 West Ave. at Embassy Row)
By Rick and Rebecca Blayney
Today, my wife Rebecca and I were introduced to Habanero’s Grill, the “Ultimate Burrito Bar”. Upon entering the doors, our eyes were drawn to the wild colors and 3-D alien creatures festooning the walls. The atmosphere was fun, yet cozy, in the small dining area.
The first item on the agenda, and half the fun of eating here, was the ritual of ordering our mega-sized burrito from the cafeteria-style line. Since this was our first trip to the Habanero’s Grill, owner, Steve Kraft, gave us the first-timer (Gringo) introduction of how the process works.
Rebecca ordered the house favorite: a Fajita-Rito with a combo of Grilled Chicken and Steak Fajita meat. We were surprised to see the large tortillas made fresh for each individual burrito and we had a choice of ordering fresh, made-before-your-eyes, wheat or white flour tortillas.
Then the assembling began: The Fajita-Rito started with a layer of Spanish rice, then refried beans, tender grilled chicken and steak fajita meat, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream and choice of Salsa.
Rebecca’s eyed the mega-burrito and asked if she needed to eat it with a knife and fork. Steve winked and pointed to the sign on the wall. Believe it or not, it gave instructions on how to eat this monster, two-hands-to-hold-it burrito!
I then ordered my burrito from the “Build Your Own Burrito” menu. I chose the Steak Burrito on a wheat tortilla with the Spanish rice (vs. the Cilantro lime rice or brown rice.) I then chose the whole-pinto beans instead of the refried or whole-black beans and added grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, Queso, cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa. What a beautiful specimen that was!
We added an order of fresh, warm, tortilla chips and the tastiest Queso with roasted peppers we’ve ever had
Both our burritos had a wonderful flavor with all the freshly grilled ingredients and lived up to their claim to fame: We agreed, they really are the best burritos we’ve ever had! (Amazingly, the burritos stayed together as we peeled down to the last, saucy bite.)
We had sodas with our meal, but they have a nice choice of ice cold beer, Margaritas, as well as freshly brewed iced tea.
We later learned the secret to the great tasting food: Everything is fresh and made from scratch, including the tortillas and salsas. They marinate their own meat and chicken and use the healthiest ingredients, like shortening with no trans fat. They have Tacos, Quesadillas and healthy salads on the menu, but looking around the room, I could tell the objects of affection were the famous burritos.
Although we were quite full after finishing the hearty burritos and the queso and chips, we were still looking for that bit of sweetness that ends a meal with just the right touch. We discovered a wonderful treat listed on a sign over the grill and not on the menu itself: Habanero’s version of sopapillas, called Habapillas! This was a plate of warm tortillas, sliced like pizza, puffed up and sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon, drizzled with a choice of honey, chocolate or caramel sauce. We chose the caramel. It was light and heavenly!
We left the restaurant completely satiated and walked over to the theater for our movie night, with no desire for the Popcorn and Coke that would have cost the price of two wonderful Habanero’s burritos!
Before we left the Grill, we picked up the “Burrito Buzz”, an in-house newsletter, and saw a great gift idea for the holidays: Buy a $25 gift card and get a $10 bonus card for free. We’ll definitely be back, and will be sharing this find with our family and friends! The newsletter advertised Student deals of the week, the Company of the week, and half-priced burritos during any live Spurs Game just for saying “Go Spurs Go!” Rumor has it that this is Tim Duncan’s favorite burrito place, too!
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