Mike Favila, Janet Thornhill, Sundeep Singh, Ritul Walia and Pradip Singh have lunch at Chinito’s Burritos, famous for its 5-pound Gomez burrito.
VERDICT: best quality 635 Florida Ave. NE; 202-544-4447 chinitosburritos.com Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
District Taco The one-time suburban Virginia food truckers have finally taken root in their namesake city, establishing a brick-and-mortar outpost that’s as famous for ridiculously long lines as the original Arlington cart.
Co-founder Osiris Hoil noted that while tacos remain the main attraction, burrito fans have gravitated toward two distinctive menu items: the sauce-covered burro mojado and 24/7 breakfast burrito.
The burro mojado with carne asada ($8), which Hoil said consistently weighs in around 2 pounds, was somewhat daunting. The flour shell arrives zebra-striped with contrasting bands of fiery, cheese-spiked salsa and cool sour cream. The filling is composed of peppery steak, seasoned rice and sweet black beans, all of which tumble out and plummet into the surrounding well of spicy tomato salsa when the wrapper is pierced by tooth or cutlery.
The breakfast burrito ($7) goes even more overboard, tricking out each tortilla with a layer of pork-studded melted cheddar (and your choice of free chorizo or bacon), while padding the interior with more pig, scrambled eggs, savory fried potatoes and dulcet black beans.
“It’s better than a Red Bull!” Hoil said of the multilayered eye-opener.
VERDICT: best variety 1309 F St. NW; 202-347-7359 districttaco.com Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
The Well Dressed Burrito The grandfather of grab-and-go Mexican dining has been helping customers get their burrito fix for more than a generation. And demand does not seem to be waning.
On any given day, the folks huddled in the cramped, out-of-the-way eatery are Well Dressed Burrito regulars who have called ahead so they can haul their customized prize back to their desks or burrito connoisseurs eager to learn what the fuss is about.
The answer is manifested in the marinated beef El Gordo ($6.75), a mammoth serving that works out the jaw muscles at least 1.5 pounds per encounter. Each folded-over tortilla is parked dead center of a carryout container and then buried beneath a supporting cast of shredded lettuce, steamed white rice, roasted tomato salsa and grated cheddar. The interior boasts a medley of stewed and shredded beef (infused with tomato and onion), creamy refried beans and heart-stopping pockets of melted cheese. Thrill seekers can up the ante by spreading on the house hot sauce, a mishmash of minced hot peppers that’ll ring your bell but good.
VERDICT:best value 1220 19th St. NW; 202-293-0515 thewelldressedburrito.com Open for lunch Monday through Friday.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
