Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Tortilla Mac's

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Tortilla Mac's
205 Union Avenue
546-0620

by Connie Seuer

The place? Crested Butte, Colo. The year? 1998. The time? 7 a.m. The setup? Twenty-two hours of bungled-up airline and rental car travel with barely a wink of sleep nor crumb of sustenance. Single earthly desire? Hearty food and black, black coffee.

With travel mug in hand I stumbled outside my B&B into an amazing morning. Crisp, clean mountain air, big sky, and a snow-capped mountain spiking up into the early horizon. And as proof that sometimes the fates do align, ahead, I saw a glom of people encircling a small cart—a burrito & coffee stand operated and patronized by locals.

Customers and merchants exchanged the quick and familial chatter of folks who work and socialize in small circles. They filled my travel mug to the rim with coffee so robust it could float a tank and sold me a vegetarian breakfast burrito bursting with tofu, eggs, chili peppers, cheese, potatoes, and onions. I ate this burrito from its humble foil packet, sipping coffee in-between savored bites, and walked through the small town soaking in the gorgeous morning. A mutt barked from a porch and followed me, happily. It was a pure moment—synesthesia. This is my burrito story. This is why one should always try burritos from carts.

Tortilla Mac's may not be a cart (although it isn't much larger than one), but the cart rule applies. You'll find it on the east end of Union Avenue, between Gay and State, in an easy-to-miss, red postage stamp of a building. One step in the door and there's no mistaking that honest, freshly prepared food is but seconds away.

Tender, juicy, marinated steak. Flavor-happy, marinated, charbroiled chicken. Homemade black beans. Cilantro-lime rice. Meat eaters can celebrate. Vegetarians can rejoice. Omnivores, you've got the best of both worlds. Tortilla Mac's makes its goods from scratch, from the tomatillo salsa to the guacamole, to the chips. All the fixings are in pleasingly plain sight, enabling eaters to build a burrito, taco, or nachos just the way you like 'em. And that's just how I did it.

First up, a steak-fajita burrito wrapped in a soft, spinach tortilla ($4.95). Inside, the marinated, char-broiled steak cuddled with cilantro-lime rice, Monterey Jack cheese, grilled green peppers and white onions, pico de gallo, and black beans. I opted to pair this creation with fiery habanero salsa (zowie!). No foolin' on the heat index, so tender tongues beware.

Significant chunks of roasted eggplant, zucchini, squash, roll up with cheese, pico de gallo, and your choice of black or pinto beans to compose the standard veggie burrito ($4.25). Sour cream's there for the taking, as well as your choice of salsa. I put it all inside a chipotle tortilla with a side of green tomatillo salsa, creating what my dining pals determined to be their favorite of the day. It would also be tomorrow's favorite leftover, as one burrito is larger than a softball. There's no skimping and no filler—just delicious, speedy abundance. I couldn't resist sampling the chicken on something, so I crunched into chicken tacos ($1.55/taco). Each came with ample pico de gallo, cheese, and lettuce, and I recommend a side of tomatillo or mild tomato salsa to create the taco divine.

A few ideas for lunch on the extra cheap: a side of beans ($.79) and a side of cilantro-lime rice ($.79) makes a modest repast, or try a side of the potato-creation that they've recently started serving. When I placed my order, they were almost out of the spuds. Instead of serving me the dregs and calling it a day, the fellow said, "Ya got 30 seconds?" and proceeded to cut up a potato and make the stuff on the fly. The tender (not mushy!) potatoes and onions, fried up with cilantro and a hot-spice seasoning, were fabulous. On the side or as a base for a vegetarian entrée, Tortilla Mac's taters will not disappoint.

Desserts? This is an eat-and-go spot, not a place for long, lingering lunches. But they did provide a charming fix to cancel out the onions and garlic I'd just enjoyed: a pitcher full of brightly colored Chiclets. Spoon a few in your hand and pocket some for the 3 p.m. woozies.

It's oh-so-rare that I find a place that does everything so right, but this little shop has figured it out. By keeping it simple, keeping it fresh (remember those potatoes?), and keeping it humble, Tortilla Mac's is maintaining a true north (or south as the case may be).

I must reiterate that the place is small—there are only four tables, and they fill up quickly. But Mac's delivers and creates orders to go. And everyone who works there has his head screwed on straight—they're friendly, helpful, smart, and congenial, even when rushed. This, my readers, is an aspect of the lunch business that is woefully missing from most establishments. So when I find it, I revel. It's that certain X factor that can make or break the pleasure of one's lunch hour, and Tortilla Mac's makes it every time.

It's that X factor, plus damn good food, that rolls up to make a fine burrito story. My Crested Butte experience will always be one of my special food fables, but now Knoxville visitors and denizens alike have a place where their own burrito story can be made.