An Ode to Burritos (and burrito bowls...and just good Mexican food in general)

Can I even begin to explain how much I love Chipotle? Burritos are magical. My favorite is carnitas, guac, lettuce, medium salsa, and fajita veggies, with rice on the bottom.

Albany is kind of a black hole for decent eats (I have a vision of Alton Brown coming to visit Albany and standing in a parking lot screaming...why????) but there are a few gems when it comes to Tex Mex or Mexican Food.

I love the following retaurants:

1) Jose Malone's - Troy, NY: http://www.josemalones.com/

Five words: Giant. Margaritas. Top. Shelf. Tequila.
Need I say more? I think not

2) El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant: 144 Washington Avenue, Albany (no website)

This place is probably the most authentic of the three. Their mole sauce is unbelievable. Usually when I go their I get their vegetarian enchiladas topped w/ mole sauce - or their stuffed peppers topped with mole sauce (I like mole sauce. Got it?) They also have pitchers of margaritas (notice a theme? Awesome) and sangria. The only downside is the area. Last time Damien and I went there, I had to step over a homeless man to get inside. I would recommend parking on Lark street around the corner.

3) El Loco Mexican Cafe: http://www.ellocomexicancafe.com/

This place is right of of Lark Street and definitely has more of the ambiance thing going on. It's in a college area, so that's the crowd you'll find. It's small and noisey - but they make guacomole at your table and have 15 different types of salsa to choose from in their salsa bar. I am partial to their hard/crunch tacos. Carnitas and all the fixings stuffed in a hard shell taco wrapped in a soft taco. Kind of like a high class Taco Bell crunch wrap, without the questionable meat.

The only thing that pisses me off about this place is that they charge you per drink. Damien ordered 3 diet cokes the first time we went there and they charged us $9.75 for them. Their margaritas are thimble size too, and made with cheap tequila unless you upgrade at considerable cost.

In summation:
For great drinks, go to Jose Malone's. For great food, go to El Mariachi. If you're looking for ambiance and something that is a short walk to bars, go to El Loco Mexican Cafe.

Gracias por la lectura. No hay nada mejor en vida que buenas bebidas y buenos amigos.