November 18th, 2009 by Natasha Ball – Comments (9)
Having lived in Tulsa for more than a quarter century, I’ve had my share of meals that by most accounts would fall into the Mexican food genre.
Set down in front of me on technicolor Fiestaware has been everything from the cheese-doused, deep-fried chimichanga filled with Rotel and composite chicken to handmade tamales I had to order either in Spanish or by number from one of those back-lit menu boards we know from snack bars at high school basketball games.
I know I just painted the two ends of the spectrum of what could be called Mexican food in the lower Midwest in very different lights. But, here’s the deal. I’m not one of those food writers who leads a concurrent life as a food snob. Sure, I like fine food and dishes that resonate with authenticity. But, I also like bagged tortilla chips and several brands of canned enchilada sauce. I’d eat the dishes I described in the preceding paragraph with equal satisfaction. And vigor. And dirtying the same number of napkins.
A secret: All the great food writers are messy eaters. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. This is one of the easier ways to aspire to greatness in our lives. Since my opinion on the importance of authenticity of cuisine is neither here nor there, I’m also not one of those food writers who is hellbent on globetrotting to discover how different foods are “supposed to be prepared.” I’ve never been to Mexico, but I have shopped in grocery stores that, for a certain red-headed, self-tanner addict required an English-Spanish dictionary.
All of that said (yes, I’m about to get to the actual food part of this post), I love to get my nosh on at El Rio Verde.
At 38 N. Trenton, just off of Admiral and Utica, its safe to say the location is right for authentic Mexican food. The decor is spot on, too.
While what comes out the mouth of the conservative talk radio personality Neal Boortz usually makes me want to jump out of my skin, I love what I heard him once say about Mexican food restaurants. He likes ‘em bright, he likes ‘em gaudy and he likes ‘em pretty darn near offensive to the eye. The more cacophonous and contrived the decor, the better the food, he says.
I couldn’t agree more.
This, ladies and gents, is the fabled El Rio Verde wet burrito.
What it is: A steering-wheel-sized flour tortilla is packed with pulled beef (or pork or chicken), refried beans, fresh pico de gallo, rainbows, ponies and baby giggles. It’s smothered in a rich, zingy enchilada sauce and topped with a few hands full of queso blanco. Sour cream and fresh guac are stacked on top almost humorously, like eyes.
Anyone still feeling snooty about authentic Mexican food? I know a lot of folks say that once cheese and refried beans come into the mix, a dish ceases to be authentic Mexican food. To those people I say, fine – all the more for me.
Girls, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not ladylike to eat the entire thing. I did it, and no one looked at me sideways. My debit card was charged a mere $6, a bargain for a platter-sized lunch, and I was allowed to continue to sit at my table to chatter with my friend and dining buddy, our basket of housemade tortilla chips and salsa being refilled regularly. We didn’t even hear a tisk-tisk.
My buddy and I, we were in real-girl heaven.
Guys, if you can’t eat a whole wet burrito, you’d better have the cash for a tip to make up for it. You can’t slack on the machismo in a place like El Rio Verde and expect to get away with it.
Have you made your way to El Rio Verde? What do you order there? I hear the breakfast is good enough to send a person back to bed.
El Rio Verde
38 N Trenton Ave
Tulsa, OK 74120
Natasha Ball is the blogger behind TashaDoesTulsa.com, a hub for Tulsans who turn to the Internet to plan their nights and weekends and to learn about the city they love. She brings T-Towners the rundown of the most exciting weekend events every Friday morning on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley and can be seen on 2News Midday with the site that’s the Facebook and more for Tulsa moms, Ttownmoms.com. Natasha also contributes to Tulsa Business Journal and Oklahoma Magazine. She lives in Oklahoma City. Just kidding.
Tags: Mexican Food
9 responses so far ↓
Tulsa Restaurant Deals Nov 18, 2009 at 9:01 am
I love El Rio, what a gem that place is. There’s usually a couple of cop cars in the parking lot too, and if cops lunch there then you know you’re onto a winner.
I wanted to have our rehearsal dinner there, but couldn’t convince my fiancée – more’s the pity!
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Bob Nov 18, 2009 at 10:01 am
I’ve loved RV since before the downtown crowd “discovered” it. I was heartbroken when it started packing up at lunch. Nevertheless, still get my wet burrito on whenever I’m in the area.
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Joe Nov 18, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Natasha, you have to go back for their breakfast. Love their Huevos Rancheros and a big Coke in the bottle – yum yum!
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brad Nov 20, 2009 at 12:05 pm
el rio verde is my favorite place in twon… wet burrito w/ cabeza is heaven on a plate.
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phil Nov 20, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I usually get the beef torta (turtle shaped sandwich, dont know if thats a coincidence) and a soft mexican taco. I put the salsa on both, YUM.
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Russell Apr 7, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Rio Verde is very authentic and you selected the best item on their menu to review, so nice going Natasha! I have eaten at this place with lots of Mexican clients and friends, and they all love this burrito. Remember, lots of real authentic Mexican human beings love to eat Tex-Mex type food, so in reality, authentic Tex-Mex is its own category of legitimate latin food. I’m excluding places like Ted’s Cafe Escondido (gross) and honestly Chimi’s doesn’t quite make it into the authentic category. But believe me, Senor Tequila does, among others. My Mexican friends love that place. So there’s no reason to turn up your nose if something seems to incorporate elements of Tex Mex. But back to Rio Verde.
Yes the burrito is very juicy and dripping with sauce and melted cheese, easily warranting the title of wet burrito. It looks massive but you can fit one inside and still waddle out the door. In addition to this, I really like the ceviche at this place, a cold fish/shrimp soup, and they have pretty good fish tacos too. And of course, the glass-bottle coke with fructose, i.e. sugar, not just corn syrup. You can tell the difference if you are a connoisseur of Coke. Be sure the get a water with your chips and salsa, because the red stuff is a little warm on the tongue.
Great authentic Mexican restaurant with an awesome wet burrito that is second to none in town.
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El Rio Verde Tulsa Mexican Restaurant by Brian Schwarts | The Tulsa Food Blog Jul 26, 2010 at 12:02 am
[...] 26th, 2010 by Brian Schwartz – Comments (0) El Rio Verde is one of those places that seems like it’s been there forever. I don’t remember how I [...]
Brian Schwartz Jul 26, 2010 at 9:02 am
*Gus van Sant, one of our most talented film directors, put a lot of time and effort into filming a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”
*The Wet Burrito is just one of those gustatory treats that, like a fine food muse, inspires all great food writers to excel themselves.
*I knew you’d written a review of Rio Verde but had forgotten how well-written it was.
All of these are valid excuses for my presumption in writing my own review of Rio Verde’s Wet Burrito after you wrote yours.
http://tulsafood.com/lunch/el-rio-verde-tulsa
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Heather Everett Aug 18, 2010 at 5:42 pm
El Rio Verde became my favorite mexican place five years ago, the first time I ate a carne asada “mexican taco” which has exactly tortilla, meat, onions, cilantro, and a dash of red salsa. Their steak is incredible and has a unique flavor. The pulled pork is even better. Chorizo tends to be overcooked, but just the right amount of spicy. The great thing is the rather large choice of meats available to put on/in whatever you order. I recommend the tacos to try out the taste of each meat before you decide what to get in a burrito.
Their quesadillas are killer good, stuffed with vegetables, tomatos and bell peppers, spinach, etc. Chicken spinach quesadilla is hands down, the best quesadilla I have ever had- ANYWHERE.
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