The Flying Burrito is the newest addition to Campustown food vendors, and with its late hours and simple menu, you can tell this is yet another creation of Matthew Goodman, “the Gyroman,” and one of his friends who attended the Culinary Institute of America. The Daily’s DPD duo went to see if The Flying Burrito could really fly with its take on a Mexican favorite.

Atmosphere:

KB: The lime green on the walls was freaky at first, but you get used to it. For the space, Flying Burrito did well, attempting to modernize with bent metal pieces and a completely open area. The only unsettling thing about the restaurant was the large tray of meat sitting in the “kitchen” area, open to the environment.

KF: When I was eating and ordering, I could see all the exits of the restaurant. And the pantry. The owners obviously have nothing to hide, and you can dine while looking at economy-size cans of corn. Now that is what I call an “intimate dining experience.”

Service:

KB: I was confused. Maybe I didn’t understand the process, but one line of burrito-cravers turned into three lines of burrito-cravers, and I wasn’t sure which line I belonged to. Kate also ruined the service by smudging the board so I couldn’t read it. Other than that, the owners came up and asked for suggestions. The “burrito slingers” were also friendly.

KF: You walk up to the counter, and the dude behind the sneezeguard makes your burrito while you watch. The servers were nice, and the owner talked to us while we ate. Maybe he saw Kim and me taking notes on our burritos and got curious, because who writes about burritos? For the love.

Quantity/Value:

KB: Now, I’m a lover of the large burrito, especially the Pancheros and Chipotle variety. These burritos were pretty good for the smaller non-homemade tortilla, but large enough to fill me up.

KF: For $4.75 a pop, these burritos were huge. The tortilla could barely close around my burrito-zilla. Sure Taco Bell is just down the road, and I can get a burrito there for less than you would pay for a night of fun in Tijuana — but the Bell’s burritos could cower in shame when met with The Flying Burrito.

Quality/Taste:

KB: My meal was spoiled by a single thing: mushy beans. In order to have a quality burrito, you must have fresh beans that stay together. My black beans just took over the whole burrito and I could barely taste my salsa or any of the other yummies, including the perfectly cooked pork.

KF: I had never had a tomato-basil tortilla before, but the taste definitely complimented my hand-picked toppings. The chicken was actually chicken, instead of the meat pellets served by the competition. I purposefully chose the fresh, handmade chipotle salsa, supposedly the spiciest, to test my resistance to stomach ulcers. However, the salsa didn’t even leave the tingly feeling in the back of my mouth, leaving me mildly disappointed.