Sombrero's Chile Verde Burrito Makes Others Green with Envy

There have been a lot of firsts for The Burrito Blotter, recently. Last week, I had my first . For my intrepid comfort food travels this week, I made my first visit to , on Sweetwater Boulevard.

Once I scanned the menu for what my hear desired, my eyes kept going back to the Chile Verde burrito ($4.29). When I received the  burrito, filled with piping hot pork, swimming in a green chile sauce, I knew I was about to have another first.

The first burrito in which a knife and fork was necessary. Let's break it down.

Tortilla
Not really much to say about the tortilla, as one of its main requirements is to hold all of its components inside. With this offering, cutting into it with a knife and fork prevented me from assessing that quality. Still, it was a soft, moist tortilla, with a nice balance of firm and chewy.

Refried Beans
The beans, unfortunately, feel like something of an afterthought in this burrito. You can definitely taste them, and they provide a nice contrast of flavor and a smooth, creamy texture, but I didn't walk away saying, "I'm sure glad those beans were in there."

Pork, Chile Verde Sauce
The reason for my seeming indifference toward the otherwise tasty refried beans is because of the last ingredient. It's probably obvious, but in this chile verde burrito, the chile verde and pork was definitely the marquee performer. Let's start with the sauce, it was a flavorful combination of green chiles, tomatillos (I assume), lime, and  spices. My pallet did a bit of a double-take as on first taste, it was a bit tart and fresh tasting, but the heat began to make its way through on the second taste, starting slow and then exploding onto your tongue. Incredible flavor.

The pork itself was slow-cooked and tender, falling apart on each bite. It absorbed a lot of the green chile sauce, but still maintained the unmistakable pork flavor. Though the pork was tender and easy to chew, the chunks that were happily swimming in sauce could have been a little bit smaller. Had they been smaller, it's possible for a few more pieces of pork to be added.

Overall
I rather enjoyed eating the burrito with a knife and fork, to be honest. It added (at least in my own mind) a bit of refined sophistication to the experience. The chile verde sauce was the star – hot, spicy, sour and delicious. I used a bit of salsa rojo to cut the flavor a bit, and that added a new dimension as well.  Could have gone with a bit more pork, or at least smaller pieces, but that's really nitpicking.

Rating: 4.4 (out of 5)