Papalote - Crushing Bobby Flay's Gringo Burrito

I don't usually take food advice from Bobby Flay, but after watching Throwdown on Monday night I had to go to Papalote. The burrito they made on the show made my mouth water. Bobby's made me laugh, it was not a burrito, and certainly not by Mission standards.

So a friend and I trekked out to Valencia and 24th and were met with long lines and a very busy dining area. Ah yes, seems that the exposure did them well. It's a small place, with three or four employees working the kitchen. The meat is being grilled constantly, so your burrito meat is freshly cooked. I got a carne asada super burrito. Nice upsell by the cashier on that one. Burrito $9, bottle of Crystal Geyser still water? $2.25!! As my friend said "that's movie theater prices"! Yeah, next time, must remember to get water at a bodega down the street for 50 cents. I really did want the Triple Threat they made on the show (steak, chicken and shrimp), but it's $20! I won't be getting that anytime soon.

Although, the shrimp that were on the grill looked damn tasty, I might have to get that next time.

We ordered and then took our numbers to the dining area where we were seated. Almost immediately two bowls of chips and salsa were at out table. Nom, nom, nom, this salsa was spicey! Like super spicey, and yet I couldn't stop eating it. The salsa was what they used on the show on the burrito, but our burritos did not have it in them.
I wish they had.

So then the burrito made it's appearance. Not kidding, it was as big as my forearm! I wish I'd had my camera so I could prove that to you.
It was good, really good. Not overwhelming on the guac and sourcream, so I could still taste everything else in it. And I ate half very quickly. My friend had the chili verde one, she loved it, so much that she ate the whole thing! Interestingly, she didn't think there was rice in hers, since it didn't fill her up like burritos with rice usually do. So they were light on the rice, meaning? More room for meat! I bagged the rest and called it dinner.

Despite being such a busy place, they weren't constantly hovering offering to take our plates and push us out the door, so that was nice. I think it's a bit overpriced for the area, given that there are a million taquerias in the area. So this won't go down as one of my cheap eats places. Is it the bestest burrito I've ever had? No, it's not. But it is a damn good burrito.