On Land Or At Sea, the Surf & Turf Burrito From Sarita's Satisfies to the Max

has become a favorite stop of since the inception of the column, and for good reason. Previous reviews of the   burrito, and the proved that the local favorite can kick out quality burritos.

But on my latest trip, a burrito caught my eye that I had no choice but to try: the double-wrapped Surf & Turf burrito ($7.49). I mean, who wouldn't want to dive in to a burrito that contained all of these: carne asada, french fries, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, shrimp, rice, and chipotle sauce. Oh, and did I mention that this bohemoth weighs about 2 pounds?

Here's the breakdown:

Tortilla
With a double wrap, you might think that the tortilla would become obtrusive, but I didn't find this to be the case at all... it was soft and moist, and had the perfect texture for encapsulating such a volume of ingredients. My first bite was a delectable array of potatoes, rice, carne and a sweet, smoky chipotle sauce.

Carne Asada
Pefectly cooked and seasoned. It was very tender, but still had a nice seared char on the outside. It was juicy and flavorful, and had it been the only ingredient in the burrito, it still would have been a success. That said...

Shrimp
What a combination! The shrimp complemented the carne perfectly, and provided a tender, buttery, briney element. The shrimp were soft, and not overcooked, but still had plenty of texture.

French Fries
The normal California Burrito from Sarita's features homestyle potatoes, and you can choose to get potatoes in the Surf & Turf, too. But honestly, why would you? These french fries were crisp and soft at the same time. They provided the much need "crunchy" element amid the rest of the more tender ingredients.

Rice
The rice was soft and moist and had a nice flavor to it, but it served as merely a vehicle for the main protein stars - carne and shrimp. If I'm nitpicking, the rice could have actually been cooked a little less, and had more of an al dente texture, but again, that's really nitpicking.

Guacamole & Sour Cream
These got lost a bit, as there was never really a time while I was eating this burrito that I noticed them... It wasn't that they weren't there, only that they paled in comparison to the other prominent sauce.

Chipotle Sauce
One of the unquestioned stars of this dish. The sauce was present in nearly every single bite, and brought all of the ingredients together in harmony. The sauce itself featured spicy chipotle peppers, but it also had a unique sweetness to it, that was in no way overbearing. Given the sheer massiveness of the burrito itself, I found that near the end, my pallet was a little "spiced out" so to speak, though the sauce isn't overly spicy. A real winner. If they chose to bottle and sell it, I wouldn't be opposed.

Overall
Yes, it was a big burrito, and cost a bit more than most others. But it was worth every single bite. The flavor combinations that were created among the ingredients really began to take shape instantly. And there was nothing about this burrito, that fell short of the mark in any way. And if you are able to eat the whole thing, you need to be commended.

Rating: 4.9 (out of 5)