Juan's

In my office, choosing where to eat lunch is akin to passing healthcare reform. Factions are split between cost, time, substance, and just when you think an agreement has been reached, there is always someone lying in wait to organize a filibuster. Thankfully, one choice we can all agree on is Juan's Flying Burrito. While the proliferation of authentic taquerias around town have pushed Tex-Mex further back in my mental list of preferred cuisines, Juan's is never far from my mind. The menu is unique enough to differentiate it from the typical place cranking out never ending combinations of meat, tortillas, and sauce which all manage to taste the same.

Chips and salsa are not free at Juan's, so we usually start with an order of Beans, Rice, and Chips - a heaping bowl of black beans and rice topped with melted cheese, red salsa, sour cream, and jalapenos. Although the chips are straight from a bag, it's still a great value at $4.

Although most people choose the familiar chicken/steak/taco/burrito route, I usually tend toward the specialties. The Pork 'n Slaw tacos is a former special which has evolved into a menu staple. Shredded pork in a light tomato sauce are filled in taco shells and topped with crunchy cabbage slaw. I once witnessed Willy Wonka eat a half dozen of these.

The quesadillas are huge and range from the simple (my preference) to the extravagant. The latter is best represented in the Bacon Azul filled with ground beef, bacon, crumbles of blue cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms, and more cheese. Too rich for my blood.

The most offbeat choice on the menu is likely my favorite. The Chicken Juaha Roll is filled with cold almond chicken salad, fresh spinach, a little cream cheese, avocado, salsa, and jack cheese. All of this is rolled inside a spinach tortilla cut sushi style, and then sprinkled with parmesan. Best of all, this concoction is classified as a salad on the menu, which appeases my healthy conscience.

The ambience at both the Mid-City and Uptown locations is alternative to say the least. While the children running amok on Carrollton creates a "McDonald's Playland gone wrong" atmosphere, Magazine Street is seemingly more refined with it's long, narrow dining room and wooden booths and chairs. Visible ink and piercings appear to be a requirement for employment at both locations, but for some reason I wouldn't have it any other way. Lastly, while I am partial to the Mid-City location because it's closer to home, I must say that in my experience the original location on Magazine Street serves consistently better food.

Juan's Mid-City - Par
Juan's Uptown - Birdie

For Lunch Today...

I lived in Austin for 4 years and was fortunate to experience a lot of great Tex Mex as well as some authentic Mexican cuisine (though not in the border towns we frequented every few months or so ... but that's another story for another time). So I'm spoiled, but that's not to say that we don't have some great places around town to indulge in tacos and enchiladas. Of course, most put a NOLA twist on the food, but who ever said there is anything wrong with that?

Which is why I like Juan's because it does not pretend to be something it's not. Is it authentic Mexican or even Tex Mex? No. But it's still good. I like the Juaha Roll of tarragon chicken salad, avocado, spinach, jack and cream cheese rolled in a tortilla and sliced sushi style. Anything remotely Mexican about that? Not really. But it's freaking delicious, and it's labeled as a "salad" on the menu (which usually makes me feel like I am making a health conscious choice at the table). The burritos are loaded with fillings, but they are pretty messy to eat. A friend of mine swears by The Luau quesadilla of shrimp, bacon, cheese, and pineapple salsa; and my Dad always orders the red fish tacos.

Juan's Flying Burrito. A creole taqueria? Only in NOLA.