Al & Bea’s
Al & Bea’s
With all the hype (justified, cause they are delicious) of the food trucks in LA, I think it pertinent that a nod be given to what, in my opinion, is the original brain child of the first taco truck and every derivation of late. The taco stand, more appropriately the burritto stand!
Al & Bea’s is the original article. In East LA past downtown on 1st street, it has been argued they serve the best bean burritto in all of Los Angeles. More importantly, in all of East Los Angeles, which if I’m honest is a completely different city all together.
We ordered: bean and cheese burrittos, beef taco, chile verde burrittos, beef tostada, potato burritto and 4 sodas. Total cost = 24.00 (with tax and 2 $ to the tip jar.)
The tortillas and beans are made fresh using LARD (all caps cause it is the only way to make proper tortillas and beans!!) and are delicious. Served piping hot and wrapped neatly in yellow paper with a sticker identifying variety. There are few things in my opinion as satisfying or mind numbing as a great F&@#%ing burritto; Al & Bea’s left me exclaiming in Espanol! The green chile was more pureed and less laden with Hatch chiles and pork chunks than the Denver, CO versions that hold a special place in my gastronomic heart, but tasty none the less. The taco was not memorable -stick to the burrittos y’all! Although the tostada with shredded, “beef jerky” style beef indicative of Mexico city was good and I would order it again.
Some may disagree with my culinary assessment of Al & Bea’s, but Al & Bea’s is more than the sum of it’s parts. It represents the rich history of Los Angeles and its hard working immigrant fathers, uncles, brothers and sons crossing the bridge into the working city. Their all purpose lunch wrapped carefully and skillfully in a freshly made tortilla with some beans, cheese and a little of the previous evenings dinner. A burritto in it’s purest form. This is what you will encounter at Al & Bea’s.
p.s. Don’t forget to tip the Mariachi. I think he owns the place…
TimB.
