-1 Amlh ME= 0 0 -W )W -W 4 4B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Miazie - Thursday, March 25, 2004 The Michigan Daily - Weekend llagazi Pancheros's burrito reigns king ANDY KULA - BANGKOK RULES By Dan Adams Daily Arts Writer Some people eat until they are full. I, on the other hand, choose to eat until I hurt. Though sat- isfying, this habit of eating past the point of safe- ty can get expensive. And though an economical meal option, fast food can and does hurt people. From the general malaise that follows any trip to McDonalds, to certain death at the hands of a blood clot made out of chicken fat, fast food is a guilty pleasure that one should partake in at his or her own risk. But for those who still need to eat until they don't feel good and want to do it at cut-rate prices, a fine dining experience can easily be had at any one of the local restaurants that specialize in giant, fast and cheap burritos. Pancheros on South University Avenue was one of the first such establishments to take root in Ann Arbor, and its enormous two-pound burritos were a hit among binge eaters. However, with the addition of Qdoba on Main Street and Big Ten Burrito on South State Street, the burrito market in Ann Arbor suddenly has two new contenders vying for the title of Ann Arbor's best fast burrito. Though each restaurant boasts authentic Mexican fare, this Midwestern reviewer would- n't know authentic Mexican food from Taco Bell. So, for the purposes of this review, each restau- rant will be evaluated based on the things that really matter: variety of ingredients, quality of ingredients, convenience and overall taste of the finished product. We'll start with the reigning champion, Pancheros at 1208 S. University Ave. Pancheros boasts two behemoth offerings: the basic burrito, and the infamous "El Gordo." The Gordo isn't for the faint of heart; concealed within a warm, chewy tortilla lies nearly two pounds of grilled meat or veggies, cheese, lettuce, salsa and your choice of black or pinto beans. While other restau- rants fish their tortillas out of a bag, the beginning of life for every Pancheros burrito begins with dough being slapped onto a press and cooked through. Good enough to eat plain, their texture helps to keep the whole mess together as you force the last seven bites down your throat. Pancheros's stands out in the salsa department too, offering two varieties of homemade salsa and fresh pico de gallo. The hot is spicy enough to burn; the mild, flavorful enough to justify. Despite being located several miles off cam- pus, Qdoba at 2252 S. Main St. has managed to build an impressive reputation for itself in a short period of time. Clearly, Qdoba benefits from its size as a company (stores in 23' states), as it is able to offer a great deal more variety than its competitors. It starts with the rice, which is not only infused with a bit of lime, but also is liberal- ly sprinkled with cilantro. Qdoba offers not just the basic chicken, steak and veggie, but also mole chicken, shredded beef and ground beef burritos. For cheese lovers, Qdoba has simple shredded cheese, as well as a spicy melted cheese sauce, which adds not only flavor, but a different texture to the burrito. Five different salsas give customers plenty of options when choosing their own gas- trointestinal adventure. The downside? An out-of- the way location and limited hours of operation limit student accessibility. Last, the new guys: Big Ten Burrito located next to Mr. Spots on State Street. The dynamic duo that started this establishment have walked into an as-of-yet untapped gold mine - the stu- dent ghetto, an area filled with alcoholic insomni- acs eager for a late-night break from Jimmy Johns and lukewarm Bell's slices. Convenience here is tops. Sales tax is includ- ed in the price of the burrito, so there are no complicated choices to make - just point to the burrito you wish to consume, and hand the nice Al , ART APPRECIATION: MAKING AN ABE.' DORY GANNES/Daily Pancheros wins the competition for its delicious and distinct taste, convenient location and late-night hours. This semester, I'm taking an art interpretation class. Grades are based solely on quiz and exam performances, and to make matters worse, the professor has a sadistic nature. He enjoys watching the girls sob and boys develop ulcers, so he asks obscure and peculiar questions, often with little or no connection to the class. In the midterm, the essay question asked for a recipe for Vincent Van Gogh's homemade brand of absinthe, and an approximate amount he drank the night he cut off his ear. Extra credit was offered to anyone who knew the name of the prostitute to whom he sent the ear afterwards. He has already told us that a signifi- cant theme in the final will be describ- ing the emotion in various works of art. He's suggested that we practice inter- pretations of paintings and photographs by observing the subject and attempt- ing to predict his/her thoughts. These can be interesting, and because of my inherent laziness, I've decided to kill two boys with one stone and use my space this week to practice describing the thoughts of people in paintings and photos we all know and love. For the first example, consider the portrait of President Lincoln on the new five dollar bill. I interpret this to be one of the few times he removed that hat to publicly reveal his remarkably hip-looking hair style. He doesn't care that his ear extends from above his eyes basically to his mouth; he's loving every minute of it. Looks kind of smug, doesn't he? Kind of like "That's right bitch, I'm onthe five. And don't even pretend you ain't been to my memori- al." I imagine he's smirking at a group of women behind the painter, as if to say, "Could I interest any of you ladies in an Abraham sandwich?" Next, there's the classic Van Gogh painting "The Scream." In this famous impressionist piece, a person dressed in black stands on a pier over- looking a sunset above the water, screaming, hands clasped to the sides of his face. I think the strongest emo- tion conveyed in the painting is one of anguish, and I'd argue that the subject represents a child left behind by his parents. Perhaps they had an upcom- ing trip to Florida, and in the madness of organizing a large family's vaca- tion, mistakenly left him in the attic. It seems as though after having tried an especially strong aftershave for the first time, the child's physical pain acts as an illustration of his deep feel- ings of abandonment. In the corner, two dark figures approach, the taller of whom bears a strange resemblance to actor Daniel Stern. To examine a famous photogra: we're all familiar with, one that mar of you undoubtedly have in post< form, take a look at the cover of ti Beatles' "Abbey Road." For those wl: don't know, that's the one where th four band members are crossing ti street outside their London studio, a in mid-stride. George Harrison, at tI back of the line is thinking, "Why doe John make us walk single file lik this?" Paul McCartney thinks, "Wt the hell put Ringo in front of me? mean, come on. Yellow Submarine Somebody get me a damn silver han mer." John Lennon has simply turne off his mind to relax and float dowt stream, and Ringo thinks, "Wow. John really letting himself go. He's startir to look like Saturday Night Fever sta ing the Teen Wolf." Another photograph we've all grov fond of is that wonderful Nick Nol men your paper money. They will not give you complicated metal money back. The ingredients are quality - fresh guacamole, hot sauce and grilled meats, just like the other two establish- ments. However, the flagship burrito, the "Grande," is what really stands out here. Too big for just one tortilla, this gargantuan burrito needs two, yes two, tortillas to keep all the good stuff from busting out. The winner? The competition was tight, with each store bringing to the table strong offerings and high standards of service and quality. Qdoba clearly fields the finest burrito. The flavor is complex, and the ingredients are of surprising quality given the size of the company. However, despite providing a superior finished product, Qdoba can't match the hours or the location of its on-campus competitors. Big Ten Burrito has arguably the most convenient late-night food option in Ann Arbor and again, quality ingredi- ents, most of which are made in-house. But when put together, the sum of the parts can fall just short of perfection. It's difficult to isolate any one of the otherwise delicious individual ingre- dients in its burritos, making it hard to appreci- ate the flavor of the product. Intensely flavored ingredients combine to form a delicious, yet muddled composition overall. By a nose, Pancheros remains king. Its salsas and sauces are spicy yet delicate, their meats and beans sweet and salty. Overall, its burritos stand out as having the best combination of flavor and subtlety, and are large enough to satisfy all but the most legendary of eaters. Wonderful home- made tortillas only help seal the deal. Panchero's is also open late - until 3 a.m. every night but Sunday - and is located within walking dis- tance from most areas of Central Campus. Though finishing second to Qdoba in burrito quality and second to Big Ten Burrito in conven- ience, Panchero's tops them both overall, taking the day with the best combination of quality and convenience. But with so little separating these near-giants in the Ann Arbor food service indus- try, readers are advised to try them all and see for themselves. Teach your stomach a lesson. University of Michigan / ...5 ., .,00t-E University of Michigan 50'h Anniversary Commemoration SB RO WiN h l~OARD Featuring Tiskets at the deer .r il MUTM 134 13-tkts 14 iearal, 55 stsd ent Per mere Info visit: .sumsIhedsI~3ctm9, Beverly Daniel Tatum President of Spelman College and Gary Orfield Co-Director of the Harvard Civil Rights Project A conversation about the issues of race and public education in the United States today Thursday, March 25, 7:30 pm Rackham Auditorium 915 East Washington Street http://www.umich.edu/brown50 http://www.aareads.org Sign Language Interpreter provided KITTEL Continuedfrom Page 3B maybe a melody or a rhythm. If I'm lucky, that little fragment will inspire another, the new material inspires another little bit, and so on until the tune is finished. If a tune doesn't natu- rally flow out that way, I have to really think hard technically about how it could work and what it needs next." Although Kittel has played at many prestigious venues, such as the Kennedy Center and at Hill Auditorium for "A Prairie Home Companion," he doesn't necessarily prefer those per- formances to the smaller ones. "Musically, the most fun gigs are usually not the most glamorous gigs. The best musical experiences tend to occur in smaller situations or when I've had time to really put a lot into the music and practice for it." Kittel describes performing on stage as natural, even in front of large audi- ences. "I really love making that con- nection with an audience, and really feeling them enjoy it, and bringing everybody together," he said. Kittel's big upcoming performance is at 7:30 p.m. May 2nd at The Ark. The student ticket price is $10 with ID. Information can be found at Jeremykittel.com. As for the future, Kittel plans to be based in Ann Arbor for the next year. "I really want to perform for a while. I want that to be my focus for many years to come. That's what I really want to go after right now."