Friday, September 09, 2011

Mixto: Los nuevos burritos de Silver Lake

The arrival of Mixto in the old Burrito King spot is a sure sign of the Silver Lake of the future: grass-fed, compostable, vegan-friendly, and of course more expensive than the old Silver Lake. From the owners of Tomato Pie, Mixto's menu sticks mostly to tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas with a few sides and salads.
 
 
I tried a carne asada torta; made with grass fed beef, the meat was nice and tender but didn't pack a ton of flavor. A free-range chicken taco came with a possibly handmade tortilla, pickled onions and a creamy salsa, but strangely, you'll pay extra to add the cilantro or onions that are usually laid out alongside salsas on a counter. These simple preparations will need a dollop of salsa to wake them up. Fresh mixto green salad was pleasant with arugula, lettuce, yellow peppers and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Of course, there's also a kale caesar salad.
New tables freshen up the old Burrito King
They've put in new wood tables and given the outside a coat of bright green paint, and the remodel was done in record time. Mixto doesn't have the more ambitious Mexican cooking of a Guisado's or Cook's Tortas, though it's still nice to have a place in the neighborhood where the food seems healthy enough to eat fairly often, and there's even delivery. But I can't help slightly missing the old-school Silver Lake joints like Zamora Brothers, where the jalapeno-laden $2 gut bombs brought on a state of chile euphoria before crashing victoriously into your stomach.
Mixto
2827 Hyperion Ave.
Silver Lake
323-668-1818
Mixto Comida Latina on Urbanspoon

14 comments:

glutster said...

thanks for the heads up on this place Pat! I will not lie that I am a sucker for grass fed things, to see it applied to a torta?

I'm down to try that!

Although, not sure how I feel about paying extra for traditional garnishes! haha.

Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

not going to lie very excited when I heard about it but really disappointed now.. first time I went there they were out of chicken. Second time they closed the restaurant because according to them they were under staff and had no more food... really? old place was better

Anonymous said...

Nixto on the MIxto...stupid name and th epukey green paint job should have been an indication of what was to come. Bland boring and NOT MEXICAN FOOD.

I want the old fashioned fare at Burrito King, I've been going there since 1979 or 1980. If you want health food go across the street to Trader Joes. This place is not that great.

rubiconvict said...

Disappointing to hear. I live in NY now. Grew up in Silverlake/Los Feliz in the 70/80s. Places like Burrito King (and yes, it was never very good, let's be honest, but it was...honest) were abundant. Now, we're getting this Tomato Pie in the face. There's a ton of that stuff out here in New York. Overpriced, low taste, pseudo-Mexican food. I find it upsetting and not just a little grotesque. Los Angeles IS Little Mexico. Let's keep it that way. Gentrification doesn't always have to mean that we forgo the old for the new. There has to be a way to combine them into a happy...mixto?

hayleymills said...

Thanks Mixto, appreciate having another Silverlake option for healthy, vegan Mexican food (other being Hugo's).
Pay no mind to the whiny carnivores posting who will miss the lard. They apparently will never learn, and go on clogging their arteries and just not getting it.

Anonymous said...

Well Hayley let me fill you in...I've been eating Burrito King for 30 years, have a normal cholesterol range and a 30 inch waist and I am 50. It's called being active and working out. If you want your grass fed crap go across the street to Trader Joes.

LosFeliz Native said...

RIP Burrito King. Best quesadillas on the planet. I'm very sad that they closed. You can keep your vegan, grass fed yuppie-itos. Give me high fat/salt/calorie Mexican food any day!

Anonymous said...

Grass fed beef just loses most of the beefy flavor. Some say it may be healthier, but beef is still beef.
As to that color, geez, can't we find a worse color to paint the place. Bright red, blue or yellow all would have been better choices, or even other shades of green! But neon avocado!

Anonymous said...

There is no grass fed beef at trader joes!!! Calling TJs healthy is a joke.

Anonymous said...

PAY FOR ONIONS AND CILANTRO? Pathetic. And get rid of the hideous green everywhere. Always blows my mind how hard people make it for themselves. Making a slightly healthier mexican restaurant should be a no brainer...

Anonymous said...

what a joke. I miss the old SL. guess we have to move on down the road to echo park until the hipsters ruin that too.

Anonymous said...

I dunno.. I guess if you don't mind paying more for their extras it is pretty okay. I got a soy burrito and added the yummy pickled onions, sour cream, one of the cheeses, lettuce (which they forgot to add), cilantro, tomato, and guacamole. I asked for no rice, and wondered if I could substitute it for onion or something, but no... anyway, it was over $10, yet it tasted pretty good for faux chorizo! But didn't fill me up, so I ordered a pork quesadilla. Tasty enough, yet could use some spice. Modestly sized, a little oily, probably from the cheese, which means it didn't quite crisp up, and unfortunately I don't really care for whole wheat tortillas. I also tried the fried plantains, which were very boring. With the watermelon beverage and tip it cost just under $25, which is bit steep for one lunch.... but hey, it's healthy! I will go back to try the tortas, as they were out of bread on my first visit. The staff seems nice, a little stressed, but hopefully they'll sort it out.

Jrod5150 said...

Mixto's food is excellent! It's the only place I know of to get grass fed carne asada. To the "Grass Fed Crap" & "Beef is beef" peeps, you can still go down to sunset and have a nice Burrito King burrito made from cows that are dirty and full of disease's for $5. I'll pay $10 for clean grass fed raised beed any day. Don't let your health insurance lapse though your going to need it!

Juan said...

Looks interesting. If you guys want authentic Mexican, check out Chichen Itza