El Emperador is in the House

Today we visit El Emperador, Spanish for The Emperor. I’m assuming they’re referring to Emperor Maximilian, and not Emperor Norton or the Emperor of Ice Cream or any of the other famous monarchs. Or, given Maximilian von Hapsburg’s untimely end at the hand of Benito Juarez, the Emperor in question might be Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor, another ill fated Hapsburg. No matter, on the next visit, I’ll make inquiries and fill you in on the rest of the story.

The Process:
The troops rallied a bit today at the same time that they jumped ship like lemmings. I can’t say they all jumped ship, nor can I say that those who did jump didn’t have a defensible position…Hell, maybe this thing isn’t even a ship. In any event, the letter E was calling, Tuna heard the call and together we answered it, brave lunchtime warriors that we are. The pre-visit telephone call is becoming obligatory, I’m coming to believe, especially when you don’t have a menu at hand.

The restaurant itself is located on the Southwest Bank of Interstate 80, on Benicia Road, a broad boulevard that takes you from the Vallejo Shores to Midtown Benicia in the blink of an eye. Plenty of free curbside parking is available and the restaurant has a freelance greeter who works for tips. For the low price of a single dollar, he complimented us on our good taste in shirts offered to guard the car, posed for a picture, and offered to take one of us. And they say the American Service Industry is dead.


The Chow:


Sometimes it’s best to play it safe, and the vegetarian burrito is always a safe bet. Tuna beat me to it, so I had to go out on a limb and order the tacos, three huge meat tacos with fresh green salsa. I couldn’t finish, partly due to size and partly due to getting creeped out by eating all that meat. I’d forego the carne asada and the carnitas next time and stick with the shredded white meat chicken…Delicious. The tube o’ food burrito was heavy on the cheese and rice. The vegetables were hidden somewhere in the center at just about the place where the appetite stopped.


The Wrap:
We made it back alive ! Free decals for your car ! A great pound per peso ratio…good if you’ve fallen on hard times, but the taste per peso ratio is still pretty low.

The Rating: 2.5 out of 5.