the big bad
I'm not quite sure how we stumbled across this place, perhaps it was an ad, though - knowing it's cousin location (dirt bar) i kinda doubt they were doing any advertising. regardless, we happened to stop by one evening for a couple of ritas with some friends. During the course of hh we fell vitim to the smells coming out of the kitchen and ordered a few tacos to try. I was thrilled to see that you could add a fried egg onto your taco for just a couple of bucks more. (Anyone that knows me, knows I want to put a fried egg on just about anything. i'm not kidding, ANYTHING.)I had the carnitas, and T decided to 'be healthy' and go with the fish...it was a rookie mistake that he won't make again. Don't get me wrong, they weren't 'bad' fish tacos. It was just that mine were oh so much better. The house infused tequilas made for some great beverages, I enjoy a rita that is light on the sweet and sour and doesn't taste like sugar water - my favorite: Cayenne and Ginger was simply perfect. It had the right amount of heat to keep you from slurping it down but not so much that it was uncomfortable to drink.
The second time I stopped by it was raining, not that that had anything to do with why we came, or any impact on our time there - but it did lead us to have 'just one more' a few times as we tried to outlast the storm. Another plus, el gran malo's dark and cozy interior just seemed to fit the mood during one of those gloomy afternoons Houston has had so many of as of late. I took it up a notch and went for the pork belly taco that round. It was so flavorful I only needed a single taco to quench my craving (again, for those that know me, know how weird that is). The pork was cooked just to my liking, a light sear on the outside, forgive me if it was fried, it was HH after all... to give it a great texture and plenty of it. They go light on the other toppings here (slaws, peppers, etc) which again is just to my liking.
So last week we were back at it, and this time I figured, hey - let's go for broke. From what I've heard, the torta, or their version of the burger is credited with being pretty darn amazing. I'd seen others eating it before, and boy did they smell good. They have some interesting options, you can top it with a fried egg (of course), chorizo, bacon wrapped shrimp, pork belly (yes, you are reading that right, you can put pork belly ON YOUR BURGER). I kept it simple, just the basic torta in an effort to not get swept away by the amazingness that a friend egg, chorizo and pork belly topped burger might be.
First some basic facts. It isn't served with any sides, so you'll probably eat the whole thing, don't count on saving half for someone else like I did, because you won't, like I did. The bread is strangely larger than the meat, I'm not sure if this is a typical torta thing, or just the bread these guys use, but it does make me a little sad to see the ends of my burger looking like a veggie sandwich.
My particular version came with the basics - onions, tomatos, and lettuce. I noticed immeadiately that the top bun was ridiculously hard. I could tell they'd toasted the bun (a plus!) but I honestly couldn't bite through the top one and stabbing at it with silverware didn't get me very far. I tried taking strange, nibbly bites but at some point I gave up and used the bottome bun to wrap the rest of the patty. Maybe that's the logic on the overside bun, maybe it's to be used in case of emergency.
The meat was cooked well, still really juicy and had great flavor, the patty itself is a tad on the thin side, but again, for the way I ended up eating it, it worked out ok. Final thoughts: I will be back (of course)and I might try another burger, this time going crazy with the toppings. However, I may just continue to order those carnitas and a fried egg. mmmm!
**NOTE: this photo shows a fried egg on the burger, which I did not try but come on, of course it'd be better that way!**
El Gran Malo
2307 Ella Boulevard
The second time I stopped by it was raining, not that that had anything to do with why we came, or any impact on our time there - but it did lead us to have 'just one more' a few times as we tried to outlast the storm. Another plus, el gran malo's dark and cozy interior just seemed to fit the mood during one of those gloomy afternoons Houston has had so many of as of late. I took it up a notch and went for the pork belly taco that round. It was so flavorful I only needed a single taco to quench my craving (again, for those that know me, know how weird that is). The pork was cooked just to my liking, a light sear on the outside, forgive me if it was fried, it was HH after all... to give it a great texture and plenty of it. They go light on the other toppings here (slaws, peppers, etc) which again is just to my liking.
So last week we were back at it, and this time I figured, hey - let's go for broke. From what I've heard, the torta, or their version of the burger is credited with being pretty darn amazing. I'd seen others eating it before, and boy did they smell good. They have some interesting options, you can top it with a fried egg (of course), chorizo, bacon wrapped shrimp, pork belly (yes, you are reading that right, you can put pork belly ON YOUR BURGER). I kept it simple, just the basic torta in an effort to not get swept away by the amazingness that a friend egg, chorizo and pork belly topped burger might be.
First some basic facts. It isn't served with any sides, so you'll probably eat the whole thing, don't count on saving half for someone else like I did, because you won't, like I did. The bread is strangely larger than the meat, I'm not sure if this is a typical torta thing, or just the bread these guys use, but it does make me a little sad to see the ends of my burger looking like a veggie sandwich.
My particular version came with the basics - onions, tomatos, and lettuce. I noticed immeadiately that the top bun was ridiculously hard. I could tell they'd toasted the bun (a plus!) but I honestly couldn't bite through the top one and stabbing at it with silverware didn't get me very far. I tried taking strange, nibbly bites but at some point I gave up and used the bottome bun to wrap the rest of the patty. Maybe that's the logic on the overside bun, maybe it's to be used in case of emergency.
The meat was cooked well, still really juicy and had great flavor, the patty itself is a tad on the thin side, but again, for the way I ended up eating it, it worked out ok. Final thoughts: I will be back (of course)and I might try another burger, this time going crazy with the toppings. However, I may just continue to order those carnitas and a fried egg. mmmm!
**NOTE: this photo shows a fried egg on the burger, which I did not try but come on, of course it'd be better that way!**
El Gran Malo
2307 Ella Boulevard
