This is the No. 2 at Alberto’s on Colorado Blvd. in the ‘Dena (relli, help me out).
As soon as I walked in and saw four college-aged girls eating, I knew I was in trouble. Nonetheless, I pressed forward.
The dilemma Tuesday afternoon was that I wanted beef tacos, but I didn’t want to drive all the way from “where I stay at” (relli is that good?) in Pasadena to El Monte where I know Alfredo’s on Santa Anita will take care of me just like it has 10,589 times before.
On Tuesday, I was a victim of the current gas crisis. After having driven by Alberto’s on Colorado (a new locale) hundreds of times now, I thought to myself “Maybe I don’t have to go all the way to Alfredo’s in El Monte”. Big mistake. Stupid thinking.
You see, if there’s anybody out there who knows there’s a HUGE difference between Alberto’s and Alfredo’s, it’s me. The menus look the same. The vibe is sort of the same. But the food is not the same. The hot sauce ISN’T CLOSE TO THE SAME.
Alfredo’s is the kind of Mexican food that your Trendy Green co-worker in the cubicle next to you, you know the one with the banana chips, Fiji water and pics of he and his dog, WILL NEVER TOUCH!
So, I strolled in and knew I was in trouble right away because none of the peeps in there looked like they knew what good Mexican food is. You see, college-aged girls aren’t down with legit, take-a-few-days-off-your-life Mexican food like they have at Alfredo’s. But Alberto’s is different, obviously.
I got my standard No. 2 — two beef tacos w/rice and beans. I loaded up on the red-colored hot sauce. From top to bottom, it was all garbage. Very little lettuce in the tacos. The cheese was a mix and not straight cheddar. No grease dripped out after each bite. The hot sauce was ranchera sauce, not the runny acidic kind I like. The beans had very little melted cheese on them. The rice was the only thing comparable to Alfredo’s. Big deal.
Down in El Monte, there both Alfredo’s and Alberto’s locations. Back in the day, the now Santa Anita Ave. location of Alfredo’s was an Alberto’s. The name changed, the food didn’t. Alfredo’s is legit. If anybody tells you they’re the same, give them a breathalyzer.
Painful lesson learned for me. Now I’m stuffed and I don’t like how I got there. There’s a difference between being stuffed on good stuff like Petrillo’s or The Oinkster or Portillo’s or Alfredo’s and being stuffed on garbage like Alberto’s.
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