Chicago is the City of Big Shoulders and Belmont Cragin is the neighborhood of big burritos.  I’d read a review about large portions at El Gordo, but as a burrito-eating veteran, I brushed off the warning.  I stopped in to the friendly restaurant on Belmont between Mango and Menard and placed an order to go.  Chicken burrito.  Add avocado, cheese or sour cream?  Sure, throw some avocado in there.  Okay.  Will that be all for you today?  Yes.  Your total is $9.58.  You know what?  On second thought, I’m gonna get a steak taco as well.  Pro move, I thought to myself.  I like to get a taco back, like ordering an Old Style to wash down your Jameson.  Because, sometimes you’re just a little extra hungry and the burrito isn’t quite enough.  The woman at the register probably knew I was biting off more than I could chew.  I got home and looked inside the paper bag and found a monster-sized burrito.  And a sizable taco, to boot – overflowing with steak.  Even Hank looks scared.  Burrito weighs more than he does.

Really credit El Gordo for the abundance of salsa and green sauce.  Some places, you’re lucky to get one cup per item.  They loaded my bag with sauce cups.  Ultimate respect for the customer.

I sat down and looked at this aggressive over-order I’d placed.  Such hubris.

What’s done was done, however.  Time to face up to the dinner decisions I’d made, in spite of my miscalculations.  I attacked the taco first, just so it wouldn’t be lurking the entire time I engaged with the enormous burrito.  It was loaded with steak, seasoned by experts.  Knowing this was just the undercard and I’m no Kobayashi, I funneled a percentage of the meat to Hank under the table.  Together, we finished off the taco.

Then came the main event.  I dug in and came up woefully short.  Probably didn’t even get through half of the Goliath.  Sealed it up and put it in the fridge.  We’ll see if I can finish it by the weekend.  Lesson learned.  Know your burrito place before you order more than you can handle.