Ristras
posted on Wednesday, October 28, 2009
“Hey, you guys haven't touched the burrito yet,” Chef Rob Goco pointed out.
I hesitated as I was only halfway through my chicken taco. Across the table, my two companions busied themselves with taking pictures of the food. There were only four dishes on our table, but we already knew that there was way too much food for three of us girls. The burrito that was awaiting our attention was about the size of two Coke cans.
One half was stuffed with steak and the other with pork; both were dripping with tomatilla sauce, beans, chorizo brown rice, three kinds of melted cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, cilantro... The burrito wasn't a whole meal in itself -- it was two meals in fact.
Welcome to Ristras. The tiny, nondescript restaurant found along J. Abad Santos Street in San Juan has quickly found its way into the hearts of many urban foodies for serving popular Mexican dishes in gut-busting sizes.
Ristras is a kind of Do-It-Yourself restaurant. You walk in, choose a dish from the menu above the kitchen counter, and then pick the ingredients you want to add along the way. For example, the Burrito (P290) starts out as a piece of flour or whole wheat tortilla rolled out on the counter. You are then asked to do the following: take your pick of meat filling (carnitas, chicken, steak, barbacoa, or even vegetarian in the form of beans), then your choice between chorizo brown rice or cilantro rice, and lastly, your pick of red or green sauce. It doesn't stop there too, as you can decided mix the meats and sauces, and even take out parts of the burrito that you don't like.
Burrito
This may sound like a lot of work for a customer, but you also get the added treat of seeing your food being prepared in front you by the assembly of workers behind the counter. Apart from seeing how clean and efficient the preparation is, you can also see how Ristras does not scrimp on the ingredients-- each order is good enough for two to three people, or one very, very hungry glutton.
'Wet' Chimichanga
Our second dish was the Chimichanga (P290), which is basically a deep fried burrito. Chef Rob advised us to try it “Wet”. This means that for an additional P90, you can add a thick layer of sauce and cheese on top of the finished chimichanga. The sauce and cheese are then baked into the tortilla, soaking the ingredients inside with additional layer of flavor. While a regular burrito or chimichanga can be eaten like a sandwich, the wet version is a beautiful mess that requires a fork and knife.
Quesadilla
For a “lighter” meal, you can opt for the Quesadilla (P290) or the Taco Truck Tacos (P290). The enchilada contains freshly made buffalo mozzarella, and is served with a side of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Taco Truck Tacos
My personal favorite in our meal was the Taco Truck Taco, which is made up of three tacos made up of both soft and hard tortilla shells. Our order contained juicy chicken chunks, salsa, and lots of cilantro. The tacos come with lime wedges, which one squeezes over the tacos, as the lime juice enhances the flavors of this simple, but very tasty dish. It's also best enjoyed, at least by legal adults, with one of the Mexican beers that take up two rows in Ristras' only refrigerator (which holds only drinks and the occasional dessert).
Ristras is hardly empty. Even in mid-afternoon, the place was filled to capacity by customers eager to chow down Mexican food. The ambiance was purposely kept austere, with only a handful of brightly colored ristras -- wreaths of dried red chili peppers -- serving as accents to the neutral-colored walls. This was to give focus on the food, as well as to keep the vibe casual and relaxed. In fact, the resto is so low-key, I missed it twice on my first visit.
Chef Rob told us of a customer who ate in the restaurant everyday for a couple of weeks, and despite the huge servings, managed to lose weight. How is it possible with such huge servings? Well, two things: one, the ingredients found in each of Ristras' dishes are all-natural and served at the peak of their freshness. Two, the cuisine itself is very healthy, full of vegetables, lean meats, beans, and real cheeses.
In the end, we had to throw in the towel. We felt as stuffed as the aforementioned burrito. The Ristras team graciously wrapped our food and advised us to consume them as soon as possible. I had the rest of the burrito for dinner that night, and it held up quite well. Was that too much Mexican food for one day? Not with Ristras -- not at all.
I hesitated as I was only halfway through my chicken taco. Across the table, my two companions busied themselves with taking pictures of the food. There were only four dishes on our table, but we already knew that there was way too much food for three of us girls. The burrito that was awaiting our attention was about the size of two Coke cans.
One half was stuffed with steak and the other with pork; both were dripping with tomatilla sauce, beans, chorizo brown rice, three kinds of melted cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, cilantro... The burrito wasn't a whole meal in itself -- it was two meals in fact.
Welcome to Ristras. The tiny, nondescript restaurant found along J. Abad Santos Street in San Juan has quickly found its way into the hearts of many urban foodies for serving popular Mexican dishes in gut-busting sizes.
Ristras is a kind of Do-It-Yourself restaurant. You walk in, choose a dish from the menu above the kitchen counter, and then pick the ingredients you want to add along the way. For example, the Burrito (P290) starts out as a piece of flour or whole wheat tortilla rolled out on the counter. You are then asked to do the following: take your pick of meat filling (carnitas, chicken, steak, barbacoa, or even vegetarian in the form of beans), then your choice between chorizo brown rice or cilantro rice, and lastly, your pick of red or green sauce. It doesn't stop there too, as you can decided mix the meats and sauces, and even take out parts of the burrito that you don't like.
Burrito
This may sound like a lot of work for a customer, but you also get the added treat of seeing your food being prepared in front you by the assembly of workers behind the counter. Apart from seeing how clean and efficient the preparation is, you can also see how Ristras does not scrimp on the ingredients-- each order is good enough for two to three people, or one very, very hungry glutton.
'Wet' Chimichanga
Our second dish was the Chimichanga (P290), which is basically a deep fried burrito. Chef Rob advised us to try it “Wet”. This means that for an additional P90, you can add a thick layer of sauce and cheese on top of the finished chimichanga. The sauce and cheese are then baked into the tortilla, soaking the ingredients inside with additional layer of flavor. While a regular burrito or chimichanga can be eaten like a sandwich, the wet version is a beautiful mess that requires a fork and knife.
Quesadilla
For a “lighter” meal, you can opt for the Quesadilla (P290) or the Taco Truck Tacos (P290). The enchilada contains freshly made buffalo mozzarella, and is served with a side of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Taco Truck Tacos
My personal favorite in our meal was the Taco Truck Taco, which is made up of three tacos made up of both soft and hard tortilla shells. Our order contained juicy chicken chunks, salsa, and lots of cilantro. The tacos come with lime wedges, which one squeezes over the tacos, as the lime juice enhances the flavors of this simple, but very tasty dish. It's also best enjoyed, at least by legal adults, with one of the Mexican beers that take up two rows in Ristras' only refrigerator (which holds only drinks and the occasional dessert).
Ristras is hardly empty. Even in mid-afternoon, the place was filled to capacity by customers eager to chow down Mexican food. The ambiance was purposely kept austere, with only a handful of brightly colored ristras -- wreaths of dried red chili peppers -- serving as accents to the neutral-colored walls. This was to give focus on the food, as well as to keep the vibe casual and relaxed. In fact, the resto is so low-key, I missed it twice on my first visit.
Chef Rob told us of a customer who ate in the restaurant everyday for a couple of weeks, and despite the huge servings, managed to lose weight. How is it possible with such huge servings? Well, two things: one, the ingredients found in each of Ristras' dishes are all-natural and served at the peak of their freshness. Two, the cuisine itself is very healthy, full of vegetables, lean meats, beans, and real cheeses.
In the end, we had to throw in the towel. We felt as stuffed as the aforementioned burrito. The Ristras team graciously wrapped our food and advised us to consume them as soon as possible. I had the rest of the burrito for dinner that night, and it held up quite well. Was that too much Mexican food for one day? Not with Ristras -- not at all.
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