Cactus Taqeria and Gordo's

Cactus Taqueria - We each had burritos mejor. Lady Steed had a pollo con mole rojo and Theric had a pollo can mole verde, substituting cilantro rice for Mexican rice. We both had black beans. Theric substituted the hotter salsa, but no difference was detected. Lady Steed's decidedly tasted red and Theric's green. Just like they looked. We also had nachos with added guacamole. The guacamole and the salsa had excellent flavor. The nachos were good but a bit soggy--possibly because we did takeout. The food was good. Lady Steed gives CT 3¾ stars out of five. The meat (shredded chicken) she particularly liked--she calls it excellent, particularly good. Given the option, she would have been satisfied with just a big plate of that. And a bowl of the guac. The burrito's filling overall had a good flavor. Compared to Gordo's? Gordo's is more authentically Mexican and this more Americanized. She could not really detect a "chocolately" sense, but the mole was good. The ingredients were tops as promised--everything tasted newly made from veggies on down. We would eat there again and the search for the best burrito continues--but overall Gordo's wins this burrito battle. However, we must return to CT to try the agua fresca and the caramel-filled Peruvian shortbread, both of which looked delicious.

Gordo's - We had super burritos, but this was a few weeks before we began this listing. Both meats were good, Lady Steed's was better--she believes it was carnitas. Theric's was likely carne asada, but again, we are unsure. The flavors seemed more authentically Mexican and the atmosphere was more hole-in-the-wall, which is a plus with a burrito place, that mom-and-pop feel. The burritos were decidedly more greasy. But that's a good thing, right?

We hit both restaurants at night--both on Friday?--and both had lines nearly out the door and are obviously quite popular. Both seem to be run by Mexican families, but more Spanish is spoken at Gordo's if you're in to that sort of thing.