Burnt Tortilla by Ed Milich
		The Burnt Tortilla (affectionately known as “BT”) was one of the first good local lunch spots I ever hit when I moved to the South Bay. I was originally taken there by coworkers at an engineering firm in Torrance. There location that I frequent, at Redondo Breach Blvd in Gardena sits in a nondescript, fairly run-down building with a hand painted sign.. The décor inside also conceals BT’s excellent lunch offerings. I particularly love the dated ~20 year old beer mascot- featured mirrors that are hanging up inside. Remember Bud Man? Well, Bud Man still lives on the wall at BT. BT is the kind of place that you could walk past many times and think that it’s merely another nondescript, typical, greasy SoCal Mexican joint. In some ways, it is, but it transcends its unilluminated décor with truly outstanding food. As you enter BT, you’ll move to the front counter where you’ll place your order. The combinations of tacos, enchiladas, and burritos are the commonly ordered items. Don’t expect too much sophistication. I probably wouldn’t ask these guys to do a mole chicken for me. If you stick to the basics, though, you will be rewarded with an excellent lunch experience. Order by combo number. Then take a plastic triangle with your order number, grab a glass of water from the counter, find a seat in one of the dated booths or at one of the tables, and then relax as a waiter brings you chips, salsa, soup or salad, and eventually your order. The quality of the chips and salsa are the first thing I notice at a Mexican restaurant.  BT’s salsa is spicy, consistently pureed red tomato and pepper salsa. BT’s chips are thin and flavorful and only slightly greasy. I usually blow through at least a basket of them, if not more, during lunch. If you’re sitting alone for lunch at BT, they will charge you $.050 for a second basket of chips and salsa. Ask me how I know. I guess that’s to keep out the riff raff who might otherwise sit there for hours eating basket after basket of chips and salsa.  Soon after the chips arrive, you’ll probably receive either soup or salad, as you will get your choice with most lunch combos. I usually opt for the salad, which comes drenched with Italian or similar dressing. I don’t generally like salad that is drowning in dressing but I always forget to ask for the dressing on the side, so I just deal with it. The soup is also a good choice. Combinations of tacos and enchiladas make a great choice for an entree. The shredded beef items contain lean, juicy shredded beef that is almost ready to fall apart with succulence along with onions and peppers. The chicken is spicy and features mostly white meat. You can’t go wrong with the entrée fillings.  I don’t really relish eating anything with vast quantities of lard in it, so I usually opt for double rice and no refried beans. Yeah, I’m pretty positive that these guys use the good stuff in the beans. How could they not?  The Chile Colorado is another excellent choice here. It comes as mostly lean cubed steak in a heap of dark red chile sauce with tortillas on the side. Mmmmm. There are actually two locations for this South Bay Mexican chain, and the contrast between the two is a bit startling. The other location (informally known as the “highbrow” BT) on Artesia Blvd near the end of the 91 freeway is much fancier and much cleaner looking from the outside than the Redondo Beach Blvd location. It features neon lights and tile floors instead of dated beer signs and half falling down booths. Even though the exact same menu items are typically a dollar higher at the highbrow BT than at the lowbrow BT, the food is exactly the same! Go figure. I usually get out of BT for around $9-10 with tip. Note that BT takes cash only. If all you have is your debit card when you get to the counter, you’re going to be bummed, because you’ll be experiencing the wonderful aroma of BT’s Mexican specialties all throughout your wait in line. BT flawlessly executes some old Mexican lunch favorites, while operating in a unique, funky, slightly bizarre environment, and for that reason, I highly recommend them for lunch. Gold Star.
	Burnt Tortilla 1725 W Redondo Beach Blvd Gardena, CA 90247 (310) 327-0644 Burnt Tortilla 1310 W Artesia Blvd Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 217-2382