Antarctica Starts Here.

While out and about running errands last night, Lyssa and I found ourselves running dangerously low on blood sugar but trapped in a Whole Paycheque that just didn't have anything we particularly wanted for dinner in the form of takeout, which to date isn't anything that's happened within recent memory. After stowing our groceries in the trunk of the TARDIS we cast our eyes about the strip mall in search of a nearby restaurant for a quick dinner. The local Thai restaurant didn't particularly appeal, but then our eyes fell upon a hole in the wall tex-mex joint called Burrito Brothers (7505 Leesburg Pike; Suite E; Falls Church, VA 22043; phone 703-356-8226; fax 703-356-1235) on the other side of the parking lot.

"What the hell," we said. "This could be either really good, or hideously bad."

While it wasn't hideously bad, it was what Fuschia once termed "stunningly mediocre" in fare. We walked in and found ourselves inside what seemed to be a buffet restaurant converted into a sit-down; the buffet part was behind the counter and contained sundry components of their fare: shredded lettuce and spinach, different salsas, cooked and steamed rices and beans, what have you. By this point I was hungry enough to order just about anything on the menu so long as it would clear my head, so I ordered the chicken burrito. Lyssa ordered a papusa revuelta and what appeared to be the carne a la plancha (grilled steak with sides of refried beans, rice, and fresh salsa). My burrito wasn't all that bad, especially when I started trying samples from the bar of salsas on it, though my digestive system prepared to hoist a black flag and threatened to slit some throats if it didn't get its way shortly (it did). Lyssa says that she wasn't impressed at all by the carne a la plancha. Both of us agree that the papusa was definitely something to write home about... to tell our friends and loved ones not to order it.

If you do happen to go here, don't bother ordering the super platters because the burritos themselves are quite large, and would easily be enough for two strong-stomached individuals to share as a meal. It should also be noted that the usual extras taken for granted with tex-mex food (like guacamole and sour cream) must be purchased as extras if you've a mind to add them.

Overall, I give Burrito Brothers a rating of three and a quarter flare guns. The food was mediocre at best: not very tasty, filling because there was so much of it, and required a major trip to the bathroom about an hour after we got home. Also, I was desperate enough to need food of any kind so that I'd be able to drive home. If you're desperate or a high school student looking for someplace to get a cheap meal while you're out with your friends, and you happen to be in Fairfax, Virginia, then this is probably the place for you. If you're looking for decent fare, however, avoid this restaurant.