Leave it to the burrito-starved hipsters of New York City to come up with something so inane it makes invading Russia in winter seem like a good idea. You can't get a good burrito to save your life anywhere on Manhattan island, and instead of doing the intelligent thing and writing a long article on what a tragedy this is, the New York Press sent a reviewer to Momofuku, an uber-trendy-lookin' East Village Asian fast-food-place that the reviewer labels a "burrito joint." Reading phrases like this is like listening to people who've never left Iowa talk about mountain climbing; you end up with sentences like "I reverted to learned, Chipotle behavior and ordered the equivalent of a pork burrito bowl."
Criminy. If you put a bunch of Asian-influenced food in a bowl, it is a bowl full of pan-Asian food. It isn't a burrito. No matter how much New Yorkers try and try, they still have yet to produce anything wrapped in a flour tortilla that would pass muster with any serious burritophile. This Asian wrap stunt reeks of an inferiority complex - since New Yorkers can't experience a good burrito, the food writers just put the word on any old thing that tastes good in an obvious attempt to get some respect from us West Coasters. Stop trying, guys; just accept that your attempts at burritos are more pathetic than an Isiah Thomas free-agent signing, and go back to your $15 mojitos.
In advance of the inevitable hate mail I'm going to get from this, let me note that I have no opinion one way or another about the food at Momofuku. To their credit, they don't use the word "burrito" in their menu - my issue is entirely with the New York Press. The place is a ssam bar, and calling it a "burrito joint" is a disservice both to your readers and the people who have worked hard to open the place up in one of the toughest restaurant towns in the world.
Criminy. If you put a bunch of Asian-influenced food in a bowl, it is a bowl full of pan-Asian food. It isn't a burrito. No matter how much New Yorkers try and try, they still have yet to produce anything wrapped in a flour tortilla that would pass muster with any serious burritophile. This Asian wrap stunt reeks of an inferiority complex - since New Yorkers can't experience a good burrito, the food writers just put the word on any old thing that tastes good in an obvious attempt to get some respect from us West Coasters. Stop trying, guys; just accept that your attempts at burritos are more pathetic than an Isiah Thomas free-agent signing, and go back to your $15 mojitos.
In advance of the inevitable hate mail I'm going to get from this, let me note that I have no opinion one way or another about the food at Momofuku. To their credit, they don't use the word "burrito" in their menu - my issue is entirely with the New York Press. The place is a ssam bar, and calling it a "burrito joint" is a disservice both to your readers and the people who have worked hard to open the place up in one of the toughest restaurant towns in the world.
