An After Hours Burrito
“NO DRUGS, NO DRUG DEALERS, NO LOITERING, NO WEAPONS” proclaims the sign hanging above a cluster of tables. Located behind the Vermont and Santa Monica Red Line Station, El Gran Burrito (4716 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 323-665-8720) gets a good amount of business during the day, but you’ll find the long lines of hungry customers at around 2:30 a.m.: chic clubbers, stoned teenagers, ostentatious drag queens, dazed junkies and fresh-faced hipsters all looking for some open-flame grilled carne asada. Let’s face it, L.A. may be a happening place until last call, but after that finding a good bite to eat is a bit of a task. El Gran Burrito offers an alternative to Tommy’s or other greasy drive-through 24-hour fast food and inadvertently serves as a cultural cross-section of all of L.A.’s amusing characters. (My favorite sighting: a drunk 20-something impersonating — quite well — Natalie Cole’s version of Janis Joplin’s “Cry, Baby” after a Hollywood Bowl show.) Oh, yeah, and the food hits the spot for your after-hours munchies. Try the platanos fritos con frijoles y crema (fried plantains with beans and cream) or the chicken flautas. Everything is cooked right in front of you with two different grills next to the covered outdoor eating area. Two salsa bars hold spicy pickled carrots I could live on, guacamole, peppers and at least three different kinds of salsas to complement your dish. A cheap and convenient way to end (or start?) an evening.
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