The French Fry-Filled Burritos of Southern California Find a Home in the East Village | Eater NY
"At a walk-up counter at 81 Saint Marks Place in the East Village, I encountered a takeout-focused spot opened May 17 by Will Wyatt and Alex Thaboua that aims to do justice to the California burrito. They offer close to a dozen burritos — including the California burrito made with refried beans, cheese, french fries, and pico de gallo (available with pollo asado or carnitas for $12–$14) — a humble bean-and-cheese burrito made with a five-cheese blend (cheddar, Monterey jack, asadero, queso blanco, and cotija) for $8, bacon-and-egg and chipotle portobello options, plus tacos (which Thaboua insists are “great,” but “We’re not called Electric Taco for a reason”). There’s also carne asada fries topped with heaps of cheese, guacamole, and salsa ($14). They aren’t serving alcohol at opening and may never; instead there are two housemade sodas — the Pico Pop made from pico de gallo runoff and a lime soda made from spent lime husks — with bottled Jarritos, Mexican Sprite, Coke, and Topo Chico available. Born out of pandemic recipe testing (including recreating a slightly creamy, orange-colored Southern California salsa), the team spent hours building the restaurant and testing tortillas (sourced from Pasadena) and thin, shoestring-style fries (also served at Mister Paradise) until they landed on what Thaboua calls “absolutely perfect.” The space is very casual — a walk-up counter, a few wooden stools, and standing rails — and is open noon–10 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and noon–1 a.m. Friday–Saturday." - Luke Fortney
