Sometimes when the weather is cold and stormy and all you want to do is sit around by the fire all day, you get to thinking about how brilliant it would be to get take-out trashy Mexican food... A couple factors contributed to the decision to have a Chimichanga-Off between La Sirenita and Ole Frijole the other night. First, my dad missed out on lunch at Ole Frijole when I went with my mom, and I was concerned about the jealousy that was clearly eating away at him. Second, I learned after a tasty (if rather greasy) meal at La Sirenita that my big brother uses the Chicken Chimichanga as the dish by which he judges the quality of a Mexican eatery. I can't say that I'd ever ordered a Chimichanga in a restaurant before, so this was definitely something that warranted further exploration... Now, I should point out that Ole Frijole and La Sirenita are neither the only trashy Mexican restaurants in town nor are they widely considered the two best. They do, however, both happen to be within one mile of my parents' house, which played a large role in selecting them (given the weather and the laziness that inspired this meal in the first place)...
The La Sirenita Chimichanga (below, right) had a slight disadvantage in the crispiness department because we picked it up first and it was topped with sour cream, melty cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo, while the Ole Frijole Chimichanga (below, left) serves sour cream, guac, lettuce, and pico de gallo on the side.
The Chimichanga-Off portion of the evening ended in a split decision. I found the chicken in the (gigantic) La Sirenita offering to be more flavorful, while my dad thought the best item out of everything we ordered was the (more reserved) Ole Frijole Chimichanga. (My mom thought both were awesome and had no preference.) A recurring theme in the evening's food (which I alluded to in my last post about Ole Frijole) is that the Ole Frijole food is surprisingly ungreasy, while La Sirenita is not at all shy with the grease. I think after the taste comparison, though, that the main thing I learned is that I'm not really a Chimichanga kind of girl...
Luckily (and because we are crazy), the Chimichangas were not the only menu items we investigated. For a more thorough comparison of the two restaurants we also decided to order a couple random things. From La Sirenita one such thing was a Carnitas Burrito (below). This things was seriously dripping with grease. (It soaked through the paper it was wrapped in, through the paper bag that was in, then soaked the entire interior of the outer plastic bag with grease.) That being said, it was a pretty tasty $4 burrito. I really do enjoy the Carnitas at La Sirenita...
...which is why we also decided to check out the La Sirenaita Carnitas "Special Quesadilla." You can see the grease glistening on it in the picture below, but damned if that thing wasn't absolutely delicious. I think this was my second-favorite food out of everything we ordered that night. The quesadilla was filled with carnitas, two cheeses, cilantro, and pico de gallo. It was really nicely seasoned and (aside from the grease) totally awesome.
From the refreshingly-non-greasy Ole Frijole, we ordered a Carne Asada Torta. This, my friends, was a good idea. This was definitley my favorite thing we ordered, and was probably the least horribly-unhealthy as well. The torta is filled with carne asada, jalepeños, avocado, onions, tomatos, lettuce, and mayo and is seriously delicious. I could see myself heading by Ole Frijole and grabbing one of these for lunch pretty often if I worked in the area... so it's probably a good thing that I will not be working in the area...
When you get down to it, La Sirenita makes very tasty but very very greasy food, while Ole Frijole makes some really nice trashy Mexican food without any of that icky greasiness... I still like the carnitas better at La Sirenita, but Ole Frijole gets my vote for Best Trashy Mexican Restaurant within One Mile of My Parents' House because not only is the food delicious and the ambiance sort of exactly what I look for in a trashy Mexican restaurant, but you also don't feel totally gross after eating there.
The La Sirenita Chimichanga (below, right) had a slight disadvantage in the crispiness department because we picked it up first and it was topped with sour cream, melty cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo, while the Ole Frijole Chimichanga (below, left) serves sour cream, guac, lettuce, and pico de gallo on the side.
The Chimichanga-Off portion of the evening ended in a split decision. I found the chicken in the (gigantic) La Sirenita offering to be more flavorful, while my dad thought the best item out of everything we ordered was the (more reserved) Ole Frijole Chimichanga. (My mom thought both were awesome and had no preference.) A recurring theme in the evening's food (which I alluded to in my last post about Ole Frijole) is that the Ole Frijole food is surprisingly ungreasy, while La Sirenita is not at all shy with the grease. I think after the taste comparison, though, that the main thing I learned is that I'm not really a Chimichanga kind of girl...Luckily (and because we are crazy), the Chimichangas were not the only menu items we investigated. For a more thorough comparison of the two restaurants we also decided to order a couple random things. From La Sirenita one such thing was a Carnitas Burrito (below). This things was seriously dripping with grease. (It soaked through the paper it was wrapped in, through the paper bag that was in, then soaked the entire interior of the outer plastic bag with grease.) That being said, it was a pretty tasty $4 burrito. I really do enjoy the Carnitas at La Sirenita...
...which is why we also decided to check out the La Sirenaita Carnitas "Special Quesadilla." You can see the grease glistening on it in the picture below, but damned if that thing wasn't absolutely delicious. I think this was my second-favorite food out of everything we ordered that night. The quesadilla was filled with carnitas, two cheeses, cilantro, and pico de gallo. It was really nicely seasoned and (aside from the grease) totally awesome.
From the refreshingly-non-greasy Ole Frijole, we ordered a Carne Asada Torta. This, my friends, was a good idea. This was definitley my favorite thing we ordered, and was probably the least horribly-unhealthy as well. The torta is filled with carne asada, jalepeños, avocado, onions, tomatos, lettuce, and mayo and is seriously delicious. I could see myself heading by Ole Frijole and grabbing one of these for lunch pretty often if I worked in the area... so it's probably a good thing that I will not be working in the area... 
When you get down to it, La Sirenita makes very tasty but very very greasy food, while Ole Frijole makes some really nice trashy Mexican food without any of that icky greasiness... I still like the carnitas better at La Sirenita, but Ole Frijole gets my vote for Best Trashy Mexican Restaurant within One Mile of My Parents' House because not only is the food delicious and the ambiance sort of exactly what I look for in a trashy Mexican restaurant, but you also don't feel totally gross after eating there. 
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