Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Earlier this summer, we told you about ESPN's FiveThirtyEight website and their quest to determine — once and for all — the best burrito in America.
In an NCAA-style elimination tournament, the original field of 64 burritos (determined by an expert "burrito selection committee") was whittled down to a final four:
Round three is over Wednesday, and we have a winner: La Taqueria in San Francisco.
FiveThirtyEight's burrito correspondent Anna Maria Barry-Jester traveled more than 20,000 miles across the United States and sampled 84 burritos in two rounds.
She judged the burritos based on five criteria: The tortilla, main protein, other ingredients, presentation (look and textures) and overall flavor profile.
The winning burrito is a rice-less, mission-style burrito, and Barry-Jester said she tried all of their burritos but liked the carnitas one best.
What makes La Taqueria's burrito so great?
Barry-Jester says, "They have sort of a magical first bite. The first time you ever eat one of their burritos, it's really incredibly juicy. And it really came down to this liquid ratio that, I think, makes for just an incredible, monumental culinary experience the first time you try it."
Do you agree? Let us know your favorite burrito in the comments below, on our Facebook page or on Twitter (tag @KPCC).