{"id":244756,"date":"2011-12-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/peace-love-and-gigantic-burritos\/"},"modified":"2011-12-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-23T08:00:00","slug":"peace-love-and-gigantic-burritos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/peace-love-and-gigantic-burritos\/","title":{"rendered":"Paz, Amor y Burritos Gigantescos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Frank Sabatini Jr. | Descripci\u00f3n del restaurant <\/strong>\"Peace,<\/a><\/p>\n

A suspended effigy of The Statue of Liberty seated on a shiny motorcycle inside Freebirds World Burrito summarizes the enlightened philosophy behind the Texas-based chain, which made its San Diego debut in Hillcrest last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about the freedom to choose,\u201d says Manager Jim Hyllengren, pointing to myriad burrito options and a staff that\u2019s afforded the right to work in any street clothes they prefer. The barrier \u201cLibby\u201d is seemingly motorcycling toward symbolizes the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the background are multicolored peace signs that beckon to the 60s hippy movement. \u201cPot brownies\u201d are also available at the cash register. They\u2019re labeled as such \u201conly because we store them in big pots,\u201d quips Hyllengren. Unless cocoa makes you high, these homemade treats won\u2019t bend your reality.<\/p>\n

Some are calling Freebirds \u201cChipotle on steroids\u201d in that you select the size and flavor of your tortilla before pointing to the numerous fillings and sauces you want added in. A \u201chybird\u201d burrito barely extends beyond the palm of your hand while the \u201csuper monster\u201d could fool people into thinking you\u2019re toting a baby if you threw a blanket over it. Depending on your ingredient choices, it can weigh up to seven pounds, warns Hyllengren.<\/p>\n

The \u201cFreebird\u201d sized burrito served me well in two separate visits. It sports the customary length and girth of burritos you\u2019d find at the local taco shacks \u2013 bulky but manageable as you begin peeling away its taught foil wrapping. I also stuck each time to the bright-orange cayenne pepper tortilla, which provides a subtle kick to the sustenance within. Other choices include spinach, whole wheat and plain flour.<\/p>\n

Customers next face a rice decision: Spanish or cilantro-lime. The latter proved far tastier and I found that it energized the understated flavor of Freebirds\u2019 chicken, which is flamed, cubed and available in white or thigh meat. If you want both, just ask.<\/p>\n

Bean choices extend to black, refried or whole pintos, all of them vegetarian. A stickler for refried beans, these were as creamy and nurturing as any spiked with lard. Moving on to the cheeses, there\u2019s queso fresco, jack or cheddar-jack mix. As for the meats, choices feature grass-fed beef boasting a catchy steakhouse essence, slow-roasted shoulder-cut carnitas and the aforementioned chicken. In addition, vegetarians (as well as carnivores) can plump out their burritos with a medley of roasted vegetables.<\/p>\n

Then comes the hard part. Indecision naturally strikes when you begin pondering the condiments and other enticing additions such as fresh-squeezed lime juice, dried garlic crumbles, roasted poblano salsa, white onions, red onions \u2013 and yes, even Ranch dressing and a carnitas-friendly barbecue sauce that\u2019s slightly smoky and made from ancho chilies. The possibilities turn endless as your burrito begins intensifying.<\/p>\n

Prices run the gamut depending on your specifications, although for $2.99 extra you get a foundation drink plus a homemade cookie or \u201cpot brownie\u201d or a pile of delicate chips with warm queso dip or guacamole.<\/p>\n

Since Freebirds launched in Santa Barbara nearly 25 years ago, its two \u201cex-hippy\u201d founders expanded the business throughout Texas and developed World Works, a charitable arm that promotes volunteerism among their employees. Here, the recipient organizations are Operation Home Front and Scripps Mercy Hospital. Just as the company does a fine job feeding our bellies, it caters equally well to the surrounding community.<\/p>\n

Freebirds World Burrito<\/strong> (Editor\u2019s note: No apostrophe in \u201cFreebirds\u201d)
\n3958 Fifth Ave. (Hillcrest)
\n619-299-5500
\nPrices: $1.99 to $13.79; kid\u2019s menu, $2.89 to $3.09<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review A suspended effigy of The Statue of Liberty seated on a shiny motorcycle inside Freebirds World Burrito summarizes the enlightened philosophy behind the Texas-based chain, which made its San Diego debut in Hillcrest last month. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the freedom to choose,\u201d says Manager Jim Hyllengren, pointing to […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":816,"featured_media":244757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Peace, Love and Gigantic Burritos","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/816"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}