Burrito Box: Maybe the Best Mexican Delivery in Midtown

February 1, 2008

My previous post detailed my delivery disaster with Blockheads Burritos. As a result, I still hadn’t quelled my Mexican craving. Thanks to my Menu Pages method of finding a restaurant, I took a chance on Burrito Box, a place I’d never heard of. The menu seemed to offer the no frills Tex-Mex I was looking for. For once, I assumed right. I can’t crown it the best after one visit but I’m looking forward to eating here again.

Corn chips, grilled chicken tacos, and half of a grilled chicken and steak quesadilla all for $20 including tip.

Discover my Menu Pages method for finding great new restaurants plus what makes Burrito Box so good after the break.

The Menu Pages method is a simple way to bring some order to an NYC eating conundrum. Can’t decide what you’re in the mood for? Bored of ordering from the same places?

**Here’s a step-by-step breakdown for finding a new QUALITY place to eat:**

1) Go to http://menupages.com/ and click on your neighborhood on the map

2) Choose your cuisine on the left side of the page

3) Click on the Reviews header link at the top right of the restaurant list

4) Now start clicking on restaurants with at least 10 reviews and a star rating of 4 or better

5) Read the reviews, make sure they don’t all seem like the restaurant put them up there. A good way to detect this is when a review is ultra positive and full of praise for the owners and information on specials and claims of the best food in the neighborhood.

Now you’re off to an educated start on what can sometimes be a daunting journey.

Back to the Burrito Box.

My craving was for tasty Mexican food with no gimmicks and Burrito Box delivered.

Below you’ll see a pile of quesadilla. Mark Lewis and I split a Grilled Chicken and a Steak ($6.95 for each).

Both were delicious but the steak was tastier.

– The steak was hot, not too fatty, and like the chicken, tasted flame-grilled

The Grilled Chicken Tacos ($5.95 for an order of 2) arrived hot and tightly wrapped in aluminum foil. When unraveled, they looked like tiny little bricks of tasty goodness.

Filled with shredded Romaine, chopped tomato, and hot pieces of flame-grilled chicken, these tacos, when smeared with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and dipped in some of my personal favorite, El Yucateco Habanero hot sauce, were just what the doctor ordered.

Why the Tacos were delicious:

– They were hot and tasted fresh

– The grilled chicken wasn’t sinewy or fatty and tasted like it had been flame-grilled

– Despite their small size, they packed a punch that didn’t leave you overly full

Burrito Box didn’t skimp on the sauces either. Included with my bag of what tasted like freshly fried tortilla chips, was a plastic dish of house made salsa ($2.65 for the chips & salsa).

The salsa was chunky and fresh with pieces of roughly chopped onion and cilantro swimming throughout. Unfortunately, the salsa was a little strong on the garlic, but not offensively so. Overall, it was tasty enough to merit another try.

You can see the generosity I alluded to earlier as far as sauces go:

– Ordinary Pico de Gallo on the left

– Nearly-neon green chile sauce to the right

– Solid guacamole in the middle. They only sent over two little thimbles of guacamole so if you’re big on guac, make sure you ask for extra. For a side order you can choose from three sizes: Small ($0.95), Medium ($1.75), and Large ($2.95).

Interesting Discovery:

After seeking out Burrito Box’s website, I discovered there’s a sister restaurant right next door called Lunch Box. Offering a generic menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, espresso, cappuccino, and juices, NYC Food Guy will make sure to check it out and report back.

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In the end, Burrito Box delivered big-time. This may have been my best Menu Pages discovery yet. I plan on ordering from the Box again and I hope they continue to impress because if so I’m ready to anoint them the best Mexican Delivery in Midtown. Keep your eyes peeled for an update.