Hold on and I’ll tell you how I heard about this place.
I was dining solo at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, eating something ridiculous like the Tomminator (tater tots smothered in Brunswick stew and cheese) and Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake. The fellow sitting next to me — also dining solo, also eating something ridiculous — was eyeballing my food and plainly enjoying his. Somehow, as he poked his spoon around in his Frito Pie (served in a corn-chip bag), we struck up a conversation.
He told me he was from Dallas but loved eating out when he visited Atlanta, and by the way, had I ever been to a place called Don Burrito at the State Farmers Market in Forest Park?
I allowed that I had not. He said I should check it out. I nodded politely, even as the thought of a fat, vulgar burrito triggered a kind of internal “no, thank you.” For some reason, burritos have just never been my thing, probably because so often you must chew through a mouthful of gummy flour tortilla before getting to the good stuff.
Well, don’t you know it. …
It wasn’t long before I found myself drawn down I-75 South, to the sprawling 24/7 farmers market managed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. This time of year, the cruise-by stalls are laden with citrus, sugar cane, Christmas trees. After a couple of loop-de-loops around the 150-acre campus, after peeking into the now-shuttered Oakwood Cafe where I used to go for summer veggies and peach cobbler, I pulled up to the Dallasite’s beloved Don Burrito Grill, at the far western end of the property.
What I discovered inside the sunny free-standing structure was an efficient, truck-stop-like counter-service diner that offers solid Mexican grub to market employees, browsers, tractor-trailer drivers and visitors from hither and yon six days a week.
Tacos, quesadillas, tamales, sopes, caldos, nachos, chilaquiles, tortas, burgers: It’s possible to score a $10 lunch here for many days in a row without touching a burrito. But if you do decide to indulge in one of the buxom, two-fisted flour-tortilla roll-ups, and should you order it “with everything” (as my friend did), do ask your server to saw it in half before wrapping it in foil. That way, you can share your overload of lengua (or steak, barbacoa, picadillo, pollo, carnitas or veggies), beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, pico, lettuce, onion, canned corn, and Lord knows what else without making a fabulous mess. Which is what we did. And yet, lo and behold, I liked it.
But more than our big, burly burrito, I liked the barbacoa, picadillo, lengua and carnitas tacos, on corn tortillas (never flour!), with nothing more than a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and onion, plus a splash of salsa from the condiment bar. Though you won’t see street tacos on the menu, that’s the way to go here. It also simplifies the ordering process and line time. But if you prefer to load up your tacos and quesadillas so they resemble the kitchen sink, that’s fine, too. The toppings are fresh and bright, the portions generous, the staff patient and accommodating. You may also skip the tortilla altogether and get a bowl.
The day I had a hankering for tamales, the kitchen was out of the pork and chicken versions. But I liked the ones with cheese and jalapeno, and the elote (sweet corn), which isn’t always available and tasted faintly of fermented maize, in a way I didn’t mind.
I love that Don Burrito serves breakfast all day, but I haven’t yet found a desayuno that totally suits me. Both the chilaquiles and eggs scrambled with chorizo were a little dry, though I scarfed down the scramble because it came with beans, rice, avocado and a slab of salty cotija, all good things for wrapping the huevos in corn tortillas and drizzling with salsa.
Soups are likewise uneven, but when they succeed, they’re stellar.
A caldo de camarones (shrimp) had a good broth, bright with chile powder and oil, but overall it was a bit lackluster (lots of celery, lots of carrots). I wouldn’t make a point of ordering it again. The caldo de pollo, on the other hand, was a thing of beauty, and made me wonder why pho and ramen get all the love these days. A veritable Mexican penicillin piled with flavorful chicken, carrot, potato, chayote, fresh avocado and a couple of whole chipotles, it was full of chunky things to wrap in tortillas, then dip back into the soup.
Pilgrim from Texas, wherever you are, I thank you for directing me to Don Burrito. It’s a diamond in a sea of concrete.
DON BURRITO GRILL
7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. 16 Forest Parkway, Building 3B, Forest Park. 404-361-6564, no website.
Recommended: Lengua burrito stuffed "with everything." Carnitas, picadillo, barbacoa and lengua tacos. Cheese and jalapeno tamale. Guacamole. Caldo de pollo.
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