LITTLE ROCK — The Flying Burrito Company has a simple menu - simply perfect, some would say.
My son, 5-year-old Beans, has actually proclaimed it his new favorite restaurant.
“The quesadillas are soooo good,” he insists.
I don’t know about you, but when my kid is that happy with his food, I feel downright giddy.
The kids quesadillas ($2.99) really are good - I sneaked a taste on a recent trip. The flour tortillas are lightly grilled and filled with just the right amount of cheese. They are served with thin, crisp tortilla chips and a side of mild salsa, and Beans always asks for a side of rice to go with his.
We’ve been to The Flying Burrito a few times this summer. It’s just down the street from the Museum of Discovery, after all, and you have to walk right past it to go from the museum to the splash pad in Riverfront Park.
Flying Burrito is a build your-own burrito place housed in what looks like a former garage, so the humongous Texaco and MobilFlying Red Horse signs on the wall look right at home.
A low wall just inside the door guides you to the counter, where you first decide if you want a burrito, MOAB (Mother of All Burritos), quesadilla, rice bowl (a tortilla-lined bowl with two scoops of Mexican rice and two toppings of your choice), tacos, nachos or a taco salad.
If you choose a burrito (from $2.99 to $6.79), like The Dad and I did, a quesadilla or a rice bowl, your next step is to pick a tortilla. The Dad’s favorite tortilla flavor is herb garlic. I’ve tried the spinach tortilla, which has a nice “greens” flavor, but I’ve settled on the tomato basil as my top choice. Other choices are jalapeno cheddar and wheat.
After that, you choose what goes inside. The many ingredients available behind the protective glass were colorful and looked fresh, and what was on our plates tasted that way, too. (Though I once chose chicken, as opposed to the spicy Diablo chicken also offered, and it was bland and a little on the dry side.) The ground beef I chose most recently was seasoned just right.
My burrito also had black beans, some sort of onion and cilantro mix, tomatoes, corn, shredded cheese, a little bit of rice and some salsa.
The appropriateness of salsa on a burrito is a source of debate between my spouse and me. He says it’s a nogo because it leaks from the end while you’re eating. I say the salsa, made fresh every day, is too good to pass up, even if it does drench the foil wrapped around the burrito and pool around the chips in the paper-lined plastic basket that serves as a plate.
My hands are usually so icky after a meal that I make a point of running to the restroom to wash up before heading out. Unfortunately, the soap dispenser in the women’s bathroom was empty on our last visit, so I had to make do with a good rinse and some scrubbing with a paper towel.
The Dad’s burrito was stuffed - and I do mean stuffed, there can be so much inside it’s hard to get a real bite - with ground beef, guacamole, rice, ranch potatoes, black olives, shredded cheese, lettuce and corn.
The youngish guys behind the counter who assembled our meals were nice and accommodating, but they always look like they might still be a little hung over from the night before. I try not to speak too loudly when I order, lest I hurt their aching heads. But they don’t seem bothered in the least by the vintage rock music that pours out of the speakers. Beans bopped to some Eagles tunes while we were in line, and even 13-month-old Tallulah got her groove on to Pearl Jam when we got her settled into her highchair.
Beans generously shared some of his quesadilla with his little sister, and she noshed on some of my burrito, too.
The dining area is small - just a few tables and booths in an L-shape between the raised bar area and the walled-off ordering lane - but we were able to squeeze in four adults and six kids, plus two strollers, when we stopped for lunch on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago.
Diners dump their trash after they eat. There are receptacles for paper, plastic, landfill and aluminum foil, which makes this want-tobe-more-ecologically-conscious mama even happier than she would be with just a full stomach and contented kids.
Beans has told several people about his new favorite restaurant, although he often forgets the name, asking us to tell him again what “that place” is called. He giggles when we tell him.
“That’s silly,” he says. “Burritos can’t fly.”
Maybe not, Beans, but I bet that won’t stop you from going back just to see.
The Flying Burrito 300 President Clinton Ave., Suite D, Little Rock, (501) 372-7272 Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday For the parents: Burritos can be vegetarian ($5.79); chicken, ground beef, carnitas or Diablo chicken ($6.29); steak or fish ($6.79) or “El Cheapo” (beans and cheese only, $2.99). Two 12-inch tortillas are used to make the Mother of All Burritos ($12.99 to $14.99). Quesadillas, tacos, taco salads, nachos or rice bowls can be made with any of those ingredients, and all dishes come with unlimited “Free Flyer” toppings, which include black, refried or pinto beans, rice, sauteed bell peppers and onions, ranch-seasoned potatoes, red onions, black olives, pickled or freshjalapenos, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, sour cream and ranch dressing.
You can add more cheese, sour cream, meat, and sides of salsa, cheese dip and guacamole for 49 cents to $7.99.
Happy hour is Monday through Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There are daily specials on well and draft beers, margaritas and frozen drinks.
Kid-friendly food: Ages 10 and under qualify for the cheese quesadilla or meat-and-cheese taco for $2.99, which includes a small drink and chips.
Highchair report: Functional wood ones.
Hire a sitter: What, and make your kids miss out? Save the sitter for other River Market doings.
Family budget: Very reasonable.
Our bill was $22.27 plus tip.
- Kimberly Dishongh
Family, Pages 32 on 07/21/2010