El Durango Grill
730 East Imperial Highway
Brea, CA 92821
For those of you that are unaware, my real job, the one that makes me just enough money to eat at all of these restaurants, is working in a grocery store. I'm probably one of the few people that you will meet that is still working at their job they had while in high school. Yes, that's right, 32 years and counting at the same place. The end is near, as I think I have about 3 more years left in me before I can retire and head off to my next chapter.
I bring this up because this is the time of year that really drains me. Holiday time in a supermarket is not a fun place. You can see people's eyes glaze over when they are deciding what kind of butter to buy, they forget basic things like nonfat and fat-free means the same thing, and they are so rushed for time that common courtesy goes out the window. So, as we approach the last couple of months of the year, I try to sneak in a vacation, and that's why I was meeting my mom and dad on a recent early afternoon at El Durango Grill in Brea.
El Durango Grill came across my radar after reading an article from Brad A. Johnson in the Orange County Register a year and a half ago. As I faintly recall, he was very high on their carne asada, calling it one of the best around. I'm not usually one to order carne asada, as I prefer pork, but I was pretty impressed because Brad is a pretty tough critic.
I arrived at the restaurant right at 11am, and true to form, my parents were way ahead of me patiently waiting. El Durango Grill is Brea Mall adjacent, as it's just past it if you are coming from the 57 Freeway on the left side of Imperial Highway. There's a 99 Cents Only Store, Fitness 19, and a Lamps Plus in this center if that helps you out a bit.
This is an order at the counter place with a pretty good-sized menu. Their offerings include a good number of burritos, tacos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, and breakfast items, which are served all day long. Almost everything here is in the single-digit range, except for a couple of entrees and a lobster burrito. They have moved some tables outside into their parking lot during these challenging times. Good thing too, since they had a very steady stream of people throughout our visit coming here on their lunch breaks. I was excited to find out if it was the great food that brought everyone to El Durango Grill.
Since it was Tuesday, it was logical that my parents would take advantage of the Taco Tuesday specials that they have here all day long at El Durango Grill. My mom went with the Carnitas Taco ($1.50), while my dad had the Adobada ($1.50), Chile Verde ($1.50), and the Chicken ($1.50). They seemed pretty happy with their $6 lunch. My mom liked the carnitas and was impressed with the amount of pork that they included in the corn tortilla. My dad liked the chile verde and adobada tacos the best, while he thought the chicken was nothing to write home about. Not sure why he's still writing letters in the digital age, but to each his own.
The taco train kept on chugging away with my three selections. I selected the Carnitas ($1.50), Asada ($2.75), and the Chicken Taco ($1.50). I'm not sure why mine came with salsa and chips on a real plate, while my parent's tacos came out on a paper plate without any chips and salsa. They probably just liked me better. The asada was as advertised, as it was the best of the bunch. Moist and tender, dressed simply with a sprinkling of onion and cilantro. I usually find asada to be a bit bland, but this version wasn't. The chicken taco was fine, but the tortilla on this one did not stand a chance as it ripped apart as I picked it up. I ended up just eating the insides of it with my fork. The carnitas was the weakest link here, as it was bland and dry. The salsa did end up helping though.
Man can not live by tacos alone, or maybe they can, and I was just ravenous during this lunch. When I saw this Frontera Burrito ($11.99) online, I knew that I was going to have to give it a whirl, as it was one of the most photogenic burritos I have seen recently. A homage to the Mexican flag, the insides of this burrito was steak, onions, and peppers. It was fajita-style, wrapped in a tortilla. The steak was good, but as is the reason I avoid fajitas in most places, they used too many onions and peppers and the meat did not shine through. I was also a little disappointed with the size of the burrito for the price. It was a little on the small size, as I was expecting a bigger version. I'd save the three dollars and just get the regular steak burrito on my next visit.
My parents did also get this Chicken Taquito ($1.50) to round out their meal at El Durango Grill. This was not a frozen then fried taquito you get at a lot of places. It was hand-rolled, filled with plenty of chicken, and then fried. Nicely done. I'm getting their beef taquitos next time.
A few hiccups at El Durango Grill for me, but for the most part, this is a solid Mexican spot alongside busy Imperial Highway. Their Taco Tuesday deals are pretty stellar, and they do not skimp on the meat like you see at a lot of other Taco Tuesday spots. There's much more I'd like to try on return visits, like their alambre taco, adobada quesadilla, and chilaquiles. If I lived in the area this place would definitely be in my rotation of restaurants I'd return to on a fairly consistent basis. This was a good place to start off my vacation of eating, catching up on things around the house, and getting ready for the busy holiday season.
Out of five scorpions, (because the state of Durango in Mexico is famous for their abundance of these dangerous arachnids), five being best to zero being worst, El Durango Grill gets 3 scorpions.
El Durango Grill does not have a website, so click here to visit their Yelp page for more information: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-durango-grill-brea
No comments:
Post a Comment