Sol Burrito

For about 25 years before I moved to ROC, I had found cheap burrito heaven at Burrito Brothers.  The deliciousness of the food, the eternally punk rock/goth/possibly-on-parole vibe of the place was not even diminished when it moved from its hole-in-the-wall location just a few unsafe steps from the killer traffic at the corner of 13th and University.  The slightly gentrified location at the Presbyterian Student Center (really, a courtyard??) allowed an expanded menu but did not harm the cheap eats yummy-ness and the killer FrontPage website :)

Where in ROC, I wondered, could I ever find such a paean to college-food goodness?  Well, it's smack dab in the middle of Monroe Avenue, in a hole-in-the-wall location just a few unsafe steps from the killer traffic on that part of Monroe--and possibly other things, too, depending on the time of day.  The name of this temple of tacos, this nest of nachos, this burrow of burritos is--fittingly--Sol Burrito.

Sol has a menu that would suggest a place three times its size--and if that's not enough, I've never been there when there aren't additional specials.  The staff has an alterna-vibe but is ridiculously polite.  Back when they still had a fountain drink machine, my son once spilled his entire cup of soda.  They apologized for the uneven table and rushed out with a mop.  As this story suggests, Sol has a few tables, including one that doubles as an old-school Pac-Man machine, but it's largely a take-out place.

I stopped to pick up dinner this past week on a cold, rainy night as I rushed home from another Convention Center function.  The Sol gods were smiling on me as I somehow managed to grab a parking spot just steps from the door.  And, I beat a mad rush.  I was the sol(e) customer when I arrived, but when I picked up my order minutes later, there was a line out the door.

Here's what I got:  a Sol Burrito (shredded beef, suitable for 2 meals), 2 Sol Tacos (like the burrito but no rice or beans, and I opt out of the richly smoked chipotle sauce, too), 1 Cheese Quesadilla (fantastically rich cheddar, with salsa and sour cream), 1 order of Sol Rolls (kinda like chicken taquitos; my daughter LOVES them), 1 order of Chips and Salsa, and 1 bowl of Vegan Black Bean Chili (which was a special; it had a soft cinnamon scent in a lighter chili base chock full of pinto and black beans, onions, peppers, and tomatoes).  All of this cost me $28!

Everything we've ever ordered there is completely delicious, wonderfully fresh, and even on my longest days (see above), it brings me back to a time when my biggest worry in the world was passing QMB 3250 and scoring Police tickets.