5 Burro Cafe Brooklyn 05-26-2011

Location: 127 Columbia St.

Time: 8pm

People: Mum, Dad, RB and myself

Feelings: RB's sister often raves about 5 Burro Cafe in Forest Hills, and she loves it so much that she drives in from Long Island. Although Forest Hills is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, it is difficult to find the time to get there. Conveniently, another location opened in our neighborhood.

Calling for a delivery is almost always RB's job. After over 18 years of living in the U.S., Japanese hospitality and politeness should not be my standard anymore, but to this day, I fear for the unexpected hostility and rudeness from businesses. I am usually too afraid to call for delivery because restaurants often have poor phone manners. I encounter enough shouting and appalling demeanor at work, and I don't think I can take it during my off time. As RB called for delivery, he was impressed how friendly and polite they were. Perhaps I can give them a call next time.

Calexico is our usual Mexican neighborhood favorite, but it could get a little heavy sometimes with all that cheese and tasty Crack Sauce. 5 Burro offers a little lighter and more simple flavor. At $14, it is quite a bit more than Calexico consisting of two burritos with your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetarian, or lobster ($2 extra). All entrées are served with rice, beans, salsa fresco, guacamole and sour cream, so the meal can get voluminous.

We all ordered the burritos with various protein of choice. The tomatoes from salsa fresco were sweet and fresh, and the soft corn tortillas were grilled to perfection and delightfully chewy. RB thought the chicken was little dry but the lobster was fresh. He fully enjoyed the creamy side of beans and Mexican rice. My dad could not get enough of the salsa fresco and sneakily even stole my portion.

I hear that their outdoor patio is excellent, and the restaurant is quite baby friendly. I can't wait to spend some nice Summer afternoon there.