We were dining at Casa Monarca, a “Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar,” at 2980 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and a friend had a yen for a steak burrito, so we went for the “BURRITO CHILE VERDE — Choice of pork, chicken or steak with cheese & our special mild green tomatillo sauce. Served with rice, refried beans.” ($16.50, pre-tax/tip)▫️
Tomatillos are a small, round, green-colored fruit, used to make salsas and sauces. And because they’re “super sour,” they’re often described as “tart,” and “citrusy.” Low in calories, they offer lotsl of fiber, and are rich in antioxidants, niacin, potassium, and manganese.
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To make a sauce, you’ll need tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro. (Michael Symon, an American chef, restaurateur, and a Food Network “Iron Chef,” uses scallions, jalapenos, olive oil, salt, cilantro, cumin, garlic, and limes.) Monarca’s version was too watery and did nothing to enhance the dish.
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When it comes to the steak, you’ll see different cuts used to make a burrito, like sirloin, skirt, or flank. But whatever is incorporated needs to come out “balanced” — tender, juicy, moist, and flavorful. Some believe the secret is the marinade, in which the protein should sit for several hours. Whatever your take on this recipe may be, I’m sure we can all agree the meat should never taste like a sneaker. And, unfortunately, what we got had a dry, tough, rubbery bite. It was exceedingly unenjoyable.
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Even though the accompanying rice and beans weren’t awful, they weren’t enough to salvage this dish from either a failing score (“F”) … or the trash bin.
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“Taco Bell does it better,” quipped a guest. (And that, my friends, gets us to the meat of the matter.)
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