America's Best Burrito Resides In San Francisco At La Taqueria In The Mission District
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Burritos are a treasure in San Francisco's long food culture. Ask any person and they will likely have their own favorite. But one San Francisco spot is now tops in the country.
The website was launched by statistician Nate Silver, perhaps best known for his spot-on predictions during the U.S. Presidential election in 2012. Earlier this year, FiveThirtyEight launched its own "Burrito Bracket" in an effort to find the best burrito in the U.S.
Traveling across the country, FiveThirtyEight Burrito Correspondent Anna Maria Barry-Jester tried the best of the best, eventually narrowing the list down to a final four – the carne asada burrito at Taqueria Tlaxcalli in the Bronx, New York, the bean and cheese burrito with green chile at Al & Bea's Mexican Food in Los Angeles, California, the chile verde burrito at Delicious Mexican Eatery in El Paso, Texas and the aforementioned La Taqueria burrito. In the end, La Taqueria took the crown, with Barry-Jester writing "It's not necessarily the burrito you'll want to eat every day, and may not even be my personal favorite (I'll leave you guessing on that), but it's a technical marvel with a monumental first bite worthy of a national title."
Barry-Jester tells the San Francisco Chronicle's Inside Scoop blog that she has actually tried 15 burritos from La Taqueria over the last two months, and had never visited the Mission favorite before she was assigned to the burrito bracket. "The magic of La Taqueria is the first bite, the first time you ever eat one," Barry-Jester tells Inside Scoop. "Definitely the winning ratio is its liquid ratio, which is high. It's not about the addition or subtraction of rice. All the ingredients are juicy and I think that makes the difference."
La Taqueria is thrilled to have won @fivethirtyeight #burritobracket! An enormous thank you to… http://t.co/7eg7FvI8mt
— La Taqueria (@lataqueriasf) September 10, 2014
La Taqueria owner Miguel Jara told the paper he was "excited" by the news, but he doesn't get on the computer much, so his kids told him about the bracket. And what makes his burritos so popular? "You know, a lot of people ask me that. I really don't know. I think we all make burritos and put beans on them and that kind of stuff," says Jara told the paper. "What makes them different for me is that everyday we make everything. That does make a difference."
The burritos were judged on tortilla, main ingredient, other ingredients, presentation and flavor profile. La Taqueria scored 96 out of a possible 100.