La dolce VT:Roll me a (burrito) joint

By Randal Smathers Rutland Herald

Road trip!

Cue ZZ Top on the 8-track: Easin’ down the road in a new Cadillac/Got a fine fox in the front, got three more in the back/They’re wearin’ short dresses, sportin’ spike-heel shoes/Smokin’ Lucky Strikes and wearin’ nylons too/Said we’re ba-a-a-a-ad, we’re nationwide.

Ah yes, cruising an American highway in a ragtop, partying as you go, stopping wherever the mood strikes and headed for adventure in the great unknown. It’s freedom at its finest.

That’s exactly what it was like last Sunday. Exactly. Almost.

Except we were driving the Toyota hybrid (better fuel economy than a ‘72 Barracuda convertible, and safer). And the kids were in the car seats in the back. And we were on the way to Weston Playhouse’s musical version of “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type,” on a military-type schedule only a parent or a drill sergeant can really appreciate. Sigh.

Actually, it was a lot of fun. But after a great matinee show, the kids were ravenous, so it was a question of quick, easy-to-eat food, RIGHT NOW, DADDY.

The Bryant House adjacent the Vermont Country Store was closed for the day, so the next option was to hop to Ludlow, about 10-1/2 miles, or 10 repetitions of “Have a cracker, Finn, we’re almost at the restaurant,” followed by 16 repetitions of “We’re out of crackers, Finn, but we’re almost at the restaurant.”

And if you’re driving to Ludlow to eat, you might as well have something you can’t get at home. A quick check with the Peanut Gallery (”Who wants a taco? Me! Me! Me!”) and we were pulling into the Tacos Tacos parking lot off of the main drag.

Speaking of which, any prospective restaurateur out there who wants me as a lifelong friend should open a burrito joint in downtown Rutland. I can’t believe we have a dozen and a half places to grab a quick sandwich within five blocks of my office (in no particular order and taking a deep breath he said: The SandwichShoppeEmmaT’sErnie’sGill’sMaxie’sYellowSubmarine-Costantino’sThelmaandLouise-BackHomeAgainTapasGrandUn-ionPriceChopperRutlandRestau-rantSal’sSabby’sClem’sTed’sWen-dy’sandBurgerKingnotcounting-barsandconveniencestores) and no burrito joint.

I left Little Harry’s off the list even though it does serve sandwiches — and burritos — to go because a) it’s not open for lunch and b) it’s not a joint, it’s a classy, sit-down restaurant that happens to do take-out.

And yes, I know there have been two Mexican places downtown in recent years that didn’t make it, but they also fell into the sit-down variety. I want a burrito joint.

Anybody who’s lived in, near or visited a decent-sized city in the last 20 years knows what I mean: You stand in line to order a burrito. Your options are beef, bean, chicken and chorizo. Black beans or refried. Salsa hot or mild. Cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and cilantro as toppings. For 7 bucks you get about a pound and a half of food, mostly rice and beans, folded into a tortilla … not a spinach and sun-dried tomato wrap. Skip the meat and dairy and it’s vegan-friendly and good for you. Pile on the chorizo and hot sauce and it’s not so good for you, but it’ll clean out your sinuses.

So here’s the deal: You open that downtown — hmmm, the old Subway’s still unoccupied — and I’ll eat there every week (at least) and bring a bunch of friends. And please don’t tell me Taco Bell’s coming. Yo quiero food that tastes like food, not salty, overprocessed, freeze-dried … well, you get my drift. I don’t know anybody who likes both Taco Bell and authentic Tex-Mex. It’s an either-or. Drive-thru? We don’t need no stinkin’ drive-thru.

So, after that detour, back to the road trip: Baja Burrito in Killington and Tacos Tacos in Ludlow are the closest options, and as we were in Ludlow, I wasn’t going to pass up a burrito.

It’s a joint in the finest possible meaning of the word: A counter to stand and order from the menu on the wall, a handful of tables and that’s about it. The menu stretches all the way from burritos and tacos to salads (including plain, taco and Mexican chicken) and nachos. Heaven … or a reasonable facsimile, under the circumstances.

We got a side of chips and the mildest salsa in the known universe to keep the boys busy and quiet, then moved on to the main event: Tacos for the boys and burritos for the grown-ups.

Here’s the rugrat review: No appreciable-sized crumbs remained, so the tacos must have been OK. We didn’t even open the plastic squeeze packets of taco sauce.

The burritos get only a slightly more-cautious thumbs-up. Tacos Tacos’ default is no rice or beans, so my wife felt a little cheated by her chicken-lettuce-and-topping-filled tortilla. Not that it was too small or didn’t taste good: She just missed the rice and beans.

I got the beef and bean, so I just missed the rice in my dinner. But I’m clearly missing something else, because it costs extra to get the cheapest fillings (rice or beans), and they offer combos of meat and rice or meat and bean, but no meat, rice and bean. Most places load you up on rice and beans with enough meat and extras for flavor. And Tacos Tacos only offers one kind of beans (refritos … no black beans), no chorizo, no fresh cilantro. “Extra spicy” was closer to “hotter than medium.” Oh well, so it’s not perfect. It’s pretty darned good.

And without the extra starchy bits, we had room to waddle down the porch to the rear of the building and get ice cream all around at Scoops. I recommend the soft serve blended with real maple syrup and walnuts. I can’t speak personally to the peanut butter cup or black raspberry-chocolate chip, as nobody offered me a taste, so I’m deeming them as “too good to share.”

I do know that for less than $40 including appetizer, entrée and dessert — $46 with gas — Daddy got to be a hero and these days, that’s the ideal end to a road trip.

Herald Editor Randal Smathers writes weekly on dining. He can be reached at randal.smathers@      rutlandherald.com.

Tacos Tacos, Lamere Square, Ludlow, VT 05149 (1/2 block west of the intersection of Routes 100 and 103). Cash only. In lieu of listing hours, the takeout menu advises to call the “Burrito Hotline” at 228-7899, so I would. Handicapped accessible. Prices start at $2.25 for a taco to $8.99 for fully loaded nachos.

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Scoops, 3 Lamere Square. 228-2135

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