Friday, May 8, 2009

habanero

after driving around clifton trying to decide what ethnic taste sensation we should indulge in, my friend jessie and i settled on habanero. neither of us had ever tried it before, so we thought we'd give it a go.

waiting in line, i glanced around and saw the banner broadcasting them as the best burrito in cincinnati, as determined by citysearch. that was promising. they were also cooking up some chicken on the grill and hand slicing it. very nice touch.

i ordered the tofu tango burrito and jessie the chicken quesadilla.

my burrito was stuffed with pinto beans, rice, and fire-roasted corn salsa, sprinkled with the occasional eggplant or tofu. it was spicy, but all i tasted was heat, not flavor. i ended up dumping out the contents and eating them with a fork rather than maintain the burrito wrap.the plate was overflowing with chips, and the chips were quite tasty. however, the salsa was, well, weird. i can't put my finger on the flavor - maybe it was the smoky tomato? it wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't exactly good either.jessie, a self-proclaimed avid quesadilla eater, rated her dish a "c". she said it tasted dry.

our favorite thing? the gucamole, not pictured because it was quickly consumed.

i think i would go back for some chips and guc and to give one of their margaritas a try, but overall it was not a meal i am eager to repeat.

Habanero on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

Julie said...

I believe it's a combo of smoky tomato and beer. Seriously. I kind of love their salsa.

FoodHussy said...

i can't stand their food - i'd put them lowest on the ranks of the "stand in line to get a burrito" places - moes, chipotle, qdoba - all FAR better!

of course - it is where my date with "fanny pack" occured...maybe he tainted it all...

Julie said...

The fanny pack would taint any food experience.

k said...

fanny pack. i have no words.

maybe i will give the salsa another go sometime. although the smoky tomato and beer does explain a lot.

Jerry said...

It's not beer, it's balsamic vineagar (I asked in 2001). I've been going to this restaurant for close to 8 years, and I personally love this place because all their food is fresh and made in the restaurant, unlike the chains who get their frozen food off the back of a truck (and it tastes like it too).

Heather, it seems like you have an axe to grind with Habanero based on your various posts on different blogs and sites. Your opinion is your opinion, but I think this is by far the best "stand in line to get a burrito" place in the city. I'm all about not supporting an independent restaurant if they suck, but seriously, if you want chicken, cheese and rice in a burrito, go to Kroger. If you want something fresh, unique and different (cmon, how many places offer cinnamon roasted squash?), then Habanero is the place for me.

Unknown said...

I have been here about 4 times-with people who raved about the burritos. I never got the love-the food did not inspire me EVER to come back on my own. Yes, I liked the chips. But the burritos just didn't taste that great to me. To each their own you see. Well, there is FREE parking, a real plus on Ludlow.