Hello again. Back for another week of food festivities, I see. Well, this past week certainly deserved celebration as it contained my all-time favorite holiday, Halloween. In honor of this spectacular Spooktober celebration, I decided to hop on board the scary train and shoot my shot with something that I would not normally opt for.
Between a questionable encounter with a cactus taco a few years ago and a fairly recent and not-so-pleasant attempt at the taco once more, finding the area in which I have had the least luck was quite a breeze. This week, I donned my armor and charged out onto the battlefield of Tex Mex once more.
So, I ventured into the city of Rochester to scope out El Sauza with mi compadre, Max. Upon first impression, we were definitely pleased with the atmosphere of the restaurant. The theme of the place was bright, warm colors, making for an aesthetic both festive and cozy at the same time. Upon walking in, guests are greeted by a beautiful large bar decorated with rich wood panels and brightly patterned tiles. This attention to detail also materialized in ponchos and sombreros adorning the walls and a very cute festive tablecloth topping each table. To top it all off, I very much enjoyed the playlist of Spanish songs. Relaxing yet energetic, the music really captured and enhanced the ambiance of the joint.
To start, our waitress brought out some complimentary chips and salsa. As mentioned in my last Tex Mex review, I have never been a fan of tomato. I actually just tried salsa for the first time about a week ago, so I am just beginning to warm up to it. However, I actually really enjoyed El Sauza’s salsa and even found myself going back for more as a nice palate cleanser all throughout the meal. This salsa was so light and fresh. The flavor was a wonderful bright blend of fresh tomato, spices, and herbs. The texture was incredibly smooth: perfect for those, like myself, not too thrilled by the idea of eating chunky tomato bits.
Aside from this free starter, Max and I ordered an appetizer off of the menu as well: the chorizo dip. I loved this dip. I really didn’t know quite what to expect when I ordered it, and what we ended up receiving was an extremely creamy, luscious white dip topped off with lots of crumbled chorizo. The overall flavor was a great mix of that cheesy, slightly tangy sauce and the warm, semi-spicy chorizo on top. As much as I loved the free salsa, upon the arrival of the chorizo dip, my chips and I immediately took our business elsewhere for a bit.
For dinner, both Max and I selected options from the restaurant’s extensive menu of burritos. This meal did mark my first ever tasting of a burrito, so I was apprehensive yet had high hopes after our great start. And rightfully so. To sum it up simply: these burritos were impressive. To speak of mine, in particular, I ordered the frito especial: a “big burrito” stuffed with grilled chicken, chorizo, bacon, lettuce, rice, refried beans, and sour cream, all topped off with queso.
There were so many great textures going on in this burrito from creamy beans, to crisp lettuce, to chewy tortilla, tender chicken, soft crumbled chorizo, decadent queso, and so on. The chorizo inside was so satisfying — rich, tender, creamy, and delightfully salty. I only wished there was more of it. As good as the other fillings were, I did find myself digging through the burrito a bit to try and locate bites of chicken and chorizo. But overall, this was truly a delight to eat.
I’d now like to refer back to my previous quoting of El Sauza’s menu with the phrase “big burrito.” A “big burrito” is a burrito that is difficult to pick up. What Max and I received were burritos that one could not even attempt to pick up — “massive” burritos, if you will. Seriously, I took a picture of Max holding his arms up to his burrito for comparison and the burrito was the entire length of his fist and forearm. Massive. And, to top off the whole experience, we weren’t even expecting the burritos to be so gigantic; the price certainly didn’t give anything away. Just under thirteen dollars for three meals worth of food — and, not to mention, a perfect opportunity for cute Instagram pics — I think this warrants the use of my all-time favorite Spanish expression. Que ganga. What a bargain.
