On the Subject of Burritos, Locally

It is a matter of incontrovertible truth that the finest burrito in town can be had at El Paso Grocery Store on the corner of Meade and Market. In the back of the store, one finds Charlottesville's closest equivalent to a taquería. (N.B., Excluded from the current taxonomy is the infamous taco truck, for as a mobile food-service unit, said taco truck can at any moment exist outside the boundaries of Charlottesville. It's still, rumor has it, delicious.)

Certainly, other burritos merit mention: Atomic's is good; Blue Moon's breakfast burrito is quite comestible (though, truth be told, "breakfast burrito" in general probably ought to be a category unto itself); Qdoba's is good but gets automatically disqualified because it's owned by Jack in the Box. So, El Paso rests atop of a delectable pile of burrito makers.

And yet, despite the preponderance of delicious burritos in-town, one encounters a veritable burrito black hole in the 29 North/Hollymead area (where many a fine Cvillian—your current author included—punches his or her timecard, despite living in-town). This burrito shortfall is at once lamentable and reparable.

With the opening of Martin's Grill Riverside (whoops!) and Christian's Pizza, we have witnessed the successful transition of downtown operations to an outskirt location. Certainly, a burrito entrepeneur—an El Paso II, even?! let us not overexcite ourselves—will eventually follow suit. It can't possibly happen too soon.

Cross-posted at Cvillain