4- The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, October 20, 1994 Panchero's might just convince you to make a run for that border By PAUL BARGER On a college campus, the quantity that a meal is served in often outweighs the quality. Pizza establishments throughout Ann Arbor are the masters of selling great amounts of their below average product by employing an enormous amount of bargain deals geared towards the student body (e.g. Gumby's five large pizzas for $20). The Panchero's burrito has one quality Immensely important to most college students: It Is very big. Unfortunately, it isn't any good. I wasn't expecting the best meal that I had ever eaten, but I could never have Imagined that the food would be so bland. Pancheros, located on South University, reaffirms this idea that size and price are more important than taste. The chain is recognized as the "home of the 2 lb. burrito" and can be found in college towns throughout the midwest. What boggles the mind is how anybody could possi- Panchero s portions are plentiful, but taste is tiny bly finish the 2 lb. burrito. I personally ordered the regular bean burrito and was shocked to see how big it was. I was equally disappointed to find out how bad it was. The Panchero's burrito has one quality immensely important to most college students: It is very big. Actually it is enormous. Unfortunately, it isn't any good. I wasn't expecting the best meal that I had ever eaten, but I could never have imagined that the food would be so bland. I took a bite of a chicken taco and discovered that the flavorless nature of Panchero's food did not confine itself to the wide variety of burritos. Pancheros does, in fact, have a very impressive and enticing menu, including eight different burritos and five different tacos, it is just greatly lacking in the more important areas. Because of proximity and style of food the natural comparison to Pancheros is Taco Bell. During the meal one of my companions stated that he wished that we had made a "run for the border" instead. I had to agree with him. A basic Taco Bell bean burrito, as many know, is a mere $0.59. However, it would probably take more than five of them to equal the size of the Pancheros burrito, which runs customers $2.65. The prices and ingredients are basically the same. But, as hard as it is to believe (and even harder to write), the food at Taco Bell simply tastes better. Pancheros' patrons do have more options, including tortas, a mexican sandwich topped with lettuce tomatoes, onions, hot sauce, cheese, and sour cream. The sandwich can be made with steak, chicken, chorizo, beans, pork, avocado, and a few combinations. This was actually pretty good. The sour cream and sauce added enough flavor to disguise the lack of taste in the meat. The meal was saved by an unlikely item; the apple burrito. For a mere $0.94 patrons can partake in "apple filling wrapped in a fried tortilla sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar." It sounds a little too sweet, but it truly was a great way to salvage the meal. One of my companions ordered a churro (or cinammon twists as they are called at "the Bell") and was equally satisfied. Pancheros states on its menu that ceratin items are prepared "vegetarian style," but strict vegetarians should carefully observe their order being cooked. Every item is prepared on the same greasy stove and many remnants are left on the grill after one item has already been served. One customer cringed when she realized that her bean and avocado torta was made on the same spot as a pork taco. I would suggest that everyone give Pancheros a fair chance. As I have stated, it is inexpensive, very filling, and some may find that with enough sauce, the food is not all that bad. It is, however, just another reminder that in the world of the late night munchies and the starving student, it is not the quality of the food that counts, but the size of the package that it comes in. .~a. SI' ..h i Haircuts " Color " Perms * Nail Care W " MIRO 119 W. Washington, Ann Arbor 665-1583 Monday 9-6; Tuesday - Friday 9-8; Saturday 9-6 Panchero's 1208 S. University (bet. Forest & Church) 996-9580 Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. - 3 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Prices: Appetizers: $.59-$1.85; Dinners $3.39-$5.55; Main Dishes (tortas, tacos, burritos, tostadas): $1.55-$5.53; Desserts: $.94. Notes: Vegetarian friendly (but tell them) More or less non-smoking, but they weren't quite sure Good ol' American cash only Wheelchair accessible )ress: Casual Rating: MMI I I I I I I I I I ~1 I I I I I I I L I T L . I I " " I Take your pick: I FREE Stick (with purchase of two) 1 -or- FREE Skate Sharpening (with stick purchase) I -or- 1 FREE Radius (with the purchase of two sticks) I Ask about Team Discounts 1 Exp. 10/31/94.I Must Present Coupon 1 I Ann Arbor Cyclery 1224 Packard I 761-2749 1 - m.. -.-....... u......J m 0 0 FANTASY ATTIC COSTUMES Get all ofyour supplies now for a spooky HALLO Ep Extended Halloween Hours 305 S. Main 665-2680 Just a.short walk downtown from main campus. Panchero's is the latest addition to the South U late-night dining selections. But can they compete with the Bell? Sound Division and Radio Kilroy present the: ANNARBOR CD ANDE D at the RAMADA INN (formerly the Holiday Inn-East) 3750 Washtenaw (at US-23) (from 1-94 take US-23 N. to Exit 37B) *SRT OCT. 22nd 1eam-4pm* $1 off admisssion w/ this ad dealer info. Dan 616-249-0444 other info. Dave 810-288-6730 BUTT Continued from page 3 trades between characters and also spo- ken hints fromothers. Beavis and Butt- head can pick up dozens of items in- cluding scissors, chewed gum, and a green hamburger, and have to figure out who they have to give each to, usually to find a piece of the GWAR tickets. Otherobstacles include figuring out a code to the Burger World backdoor, which players have to use their own common sense to discover. One of the most difficult scenarios in the game is couch fishing. Even after finding the fishing pole and required bait, the hardest part is still yet to come. Reeling in the line is ridiculously diffi- cult, taking up to five minutes a catch sometimes, and also requiring extra. people to take turns pushing the but- tons at light speed to pull characters through the window. Rated for mature audiences forages 13+ by the Videogame Rating Coun- cil, Beavis and Butt-head encounter their share of puke, violence, and of course, farting, but all in good fun. The game captures the spirit of the cartoon, and plays on the characters and situa- tions very similartotheoriginal.Itcanl be more mind twisting than an organic chemistry test at times, but the humor of the scenarios definitely make up for all the hardships along the way. So, if you think you're as intelligent as The Great Cornholio and Bung- hole, test your knowledge with the rejects ofa reject generation, andmaybe you too can see GWAR! Cool! Heh, heh! "MTV's BEA VIS AND BUTT- HEAD" is now available for Sega Genesis, and will be available in other formats in the next few weeks. 4 TE E ILLINsZr ;!