I’ve been thinking about a Nieto’s carne asada burrito for months. Which is odd considering that I’ve thinking for months about something I’ve never had. Nieto’s has won me over with rolled tacos, and their bean and cheese burrito, so I had high expectations about the gold standard for SoCal Mex food – the carne asada burrito.

Surprisingly, the carne asada burrito held up to expectations. Small, well cut, bite size bits of beef filled the tortilla to bursting. Guacamole and salsa fresca complemented the meat in good proportions. Every bite had depth, flavor and substance. The beef was well seasoned and the guacamole just chunky enough. That’s the reason why carne asada burritos are so popular: just use simple basic flavors that work well together. Get that right, with some spicy hot sauce, and you got yourself a recipe for success…

…except that my current fave SD taco shop seems to be shrinking. A Peruvian restaurant, El AjiSeco, now splits the dining room with Nieto’s. The same archway separates the dining room from the counter, but now Nieto’s patrons are relegated to the 5-6 tables just on the one side. I can’t speak for the deliciousness of El AjiSeco, but their menu does look great. Still, I’m not sure when I’ll ever get around to trying their food when I know delicious carne asada burritos are so close.

For my second visit to Nieto’s, I decided to try something different. San Diego and its Mexican food have a long history with the potato, but for whatever reason I usually avoid it. (Well, I know the reason actually – the food I know is too good to mess with). I decided to try the San Diego Burrito. It wasn’t so much of a mistake as it was just confusing. Five ingredients spell out the definition for this burrito: tortilla, cheese, chicken, sour cream and french fries. In other words: white, yellow, white, white and bland. Nothing stuck out as bad, just the combination did not offer any depth. Even pouring Nieto’s delicious red sauce on the overwhelming whiteness did no good.

I left town again craving a carne asada burrito. This time however it was harder, since I knew the deliciousness I was leaving behind. Next time, I will probably try their torta (with carne asada), but really that burrito was great. Good ol’ fashioned San Diego Mexican food. Three simple ingredients, all done well. First thing I’m getting next time – then I’ll experiment.