Choices. Red or green salsa? Luckily, I didn’t have to decide on this particular issue. Both were laid out before me in large tubs resting in ice. Red or green? Naturally, I took one of each. But not all decisions are so safe.

Which is precisely why a trip to South San Francisco took me to La Morena. Along Grand Avenue and its side streets there are numerous selections when it comes to choosing a taqueria. La Morena is the only one I’ve ever been to. I was introduced to the al pastor at La Morena some years back by Toby – with considerable enthusiasm, I might add. Since then, I haven’t even bothered to try anything else. I know the al pastor is going to be great. And it always is.

But I can live vicariously through others. As I was shown the way of La Morena, I passed the knowledge on to Forest. As we drove through South City, every taqueria he saw he would ask if it was it.

“No,” I would reply. It wasn’t, and no other place would do.

It being just off the freeway, it wasn’t long before we were seated with food in hand. As I peeled away the outer layer of tin foil from my al pastor burrito, the sign of goodness greeted me in the form of a grease-stained tortilla. But not too greasy. Not fall-apart greasy. Just greasy enough. The telltale orange-red glow of al pastor soaked through just enough of the tortilla, and I dug in with relish.

Delicious. Exactly what I expected, and exactly what I got. For someone who takes chances of food all of the time, the al pastor burrito at La Morena is a welcome island of consistency. Some might say that there are not enough beans or cheese inside, or that avocado slices are preferable to guacamole, but to me it doesn’t quite matter here. The meat is perfect. Cooked to melt-in-your mouth perfection, the contrast of crispy bits to tenderness is perfect. The flavor is well developed in a complex kind of way that only comes from slow cooking.

Forest got the carne asada plate, a killer go-to dish when checking out a restaurant for the first time. Upon first glance the refried beans were a little runny, but subsequent tasting led to the conclusion that everything was delicious. I have to say the carne asada looked slightly dry, but perhaps that was because I myself was swimming in al pastor. In any event, Forest was quite happy with the carne asada. Maybe next time I’ll try it. But I know I won’t. Most likely if next time I exercise my right to choose, I will opt for the al pastor plate!