S & W Country Diner - Breakfast Burrito Review

Their Breakfast Burrito is the bomb, or a gut bomb! Served on a plate with Mexican Rice and Refried Pinto Beans, the Breakfast Burrito from S & W Country Diner is loaded. This is a Cali/Mex classic grande burrito.

The eggs are scrambled, the bacon is crisp and in large pieces, and the hash browns are of the shredded variety.

 The Pico de Gallo of chopped onion, tomato, and cilantro is fresh, all wrapped in a large flour tortilla topped with a mild Salsa Verde (green tomatillo) and melted, shredded Cheddar Cheese. Who could ask for more?

The Breakfast Burrito is bookended with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice. The Refried Beans are made the way I like them. Refried Beans are sometimes mashed to mush, but I like them with a bit of texture from small, solid pieces. The Mexican Rice is tangy and blushed with tomato sauce/paste. This is the way I had Beans and Rice when I lived in the Mexican border state of Texas.

The flour tortilla is extra-large and bulging with typical breakfast ingredients. The Breakfast Burritos I've had usually are stuffed with beans and rice, but this version has Hash Browns instead - I enjoyed this version.

You can skip lunch after this breakfast. My wife kept it simple with Eggs Over Easy, Hash Browns, and Turkey Sausage.

They make a darn good cup of Joe. We arrived after the breakfast rush. The service is quick and efficient, keeping the coffee cup filled - you don't even have to ask for water.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The decor is old-school diner with vintage posters and classic metal signage. You seat yourself at the counter or tables - we sat in a roomy red upholstered booth.

Bring a fat wallet as the Diner is "Cash Only". Breakfast with coffee for two was $41.86, excluding the tip. 

The Breakfast Menu is as large as the Lunch Menu. All the familiar diner classics are here to enjoy.

In the heart of Culver City and next to the Kirk Douglas Theater, S & W Country Diner has metered parking out front and parking structures nearby. 

S & W Country Diner is home cooking in the big city with a small-town atmosphere. They are open for breakfast and lunch and closed by 2pm.

I think my next breakfast will be  Eggs Over Easy with Biscuits and Gravy.

S & W COUNTRY DINER

OPEN 8AM – 2PM DAILY

9748 Washington Blvd. 

Culver City, CA 90232

310.204.5136

Website: https://sandwdiner.com

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/s-and-w-country-diner-culver-city

Vegan Chorizo & Scrambled Eggs Taco - Video Recipe

Vegan Soy Chorizo is really good! I first noticed this Soy Chorizo one day at the 99c only Store in Hollywood. I did a double-take and thought, "Why not try it?" When I spied it next to the Beef and Pork Chorizo, I read "Soy" as the Mexican word for "I am," as in "Soy Mexican" (I'm Mexican), not "Soy" as in vegetarian.

Since I originally made this video, recipe prices for Chorizo have increased 99.99 cents to $1.29. It's still a steal and the right price for this Chintz Chef. Corn tortillas and egg prices have also increased a bit.

Typical  Mexican-style pork or beef Chorizo is soft like raw ground meat. 

This Soy Chorizo, by Cacique, is similar, but with a cooked ground beef crumbly texture. I would still saute Soy Chorizo for a few minutes to get some crunchy texture.

Spice-wise you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between regular meat Chorizo - it's chile flavored and spicy hot. Since there is no meat, or fat, you need to add a splash of oil if you are using a regular pan.

I guess what I miss the most is the grease that is rendered when a meat chorizo is browned -- it's so pungent and very flavorful. But, for calorie watchers, Soy Chorizo is a great alternative.

The ingredient list is short, unlike meat Chorizo which has organ meats like lymph nodes and salivary glands. Read the package to see for yourself, or go to Cacique's website here.

The best way to try out a new food product, I've found, is to use it in an egg scramble. This also works well if you don't know how a particular spice tastes and want to try it out cheaply and quickly.

Soy Chorizo squeezes out of the plastic skin easily. I used about a third of the 8 ounces, and added a tablespoon of oil, as soy chorizo sticks to the pan, unlike meat chorizo which has some fat and greasy bits in the mixture.

Soy Chorizo is already cooked, so you just need to heat it through to bring out the flavors in the chile and spice paste. After about three minutes of stirring, I added two eggs to scramble.

Soy Chorizo and Eggs are tasty on their own. For my recipe, you can use regular corn or flour tortillas.  

This spicy breakfast taco will snap you out of a foggy-headed morning if you had a little too much Cerveza the night before. If you want spicy, chili-infused scrambled eggs, as a tasty change to typical breakfast, my Soy Chorizo & Eggs Breakfast Tacos pack a lot of South of the Border flavor.

Vegan Chorizo & Scrambled Eggs Taco - Video            Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 45 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (2 or 3 tacos)

• Soy Chorizo - about 3 ounces, and remove the plastic wrap!
• 2 eggs - I used medium size.
• Tortillas - 2 or 3 flour or corn tortillas. Heat a couple of minutes to soften.
• Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon for sauting Soy Chorizo. Add more if needed when scrambling eggs.

Directions

Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a medium heating pan. Soy Chorizo has no fat like meat Chorizo, so some oil is needed to prevent sticking to the pan.

Saute Soy Chorizo for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the heat of the pan.

Soy Chorizo is mushy so sauting will firm it up and allow the wet spicy mixture to render more flavor. I leave out salt and pepper as Soy Chorizo has plenty of seasonings.

*Regular Pork and Beef Chorizo has raw meat so it needs to be cooked through.

You can start to heat up the tortillas over low heat in another pan, grill, or microwave.

When the Chorizo has some brown crunchy bits, push it to the side of the pan and add eggs. Mix the scrambled eggs any way you like. I add eggs directly to the pan but you can blend the eggs first then add to the pan.

Once the eggs start to firm up after a minute, mix in the sauteed Soy Chorizo. It is ready to eat when the eggs are done.

Serve chorizo and eggs in a warm tortilla -- plain or with salsa!

Breakfast Burrito

I've had many types of breakfast burritos. A favorite is from Cactus on Vine Street in Hollywood: Mexican Eggs made with chopped and sauteed tomato, onion, red and green bell pepper. And I've made my own with sauteed chorizo and eggs (click here for my Chorizo and Eggs Breakfast Taco).

Americanized versions are basic scrambled eggs with bacon, salsa and sometimes potatoes.

But the most unusual one I have ever had was a Flying Burrito -- captured on video last month from my Joshua Tree travelogue. Just click here for this one-of-a-kind eating experience.

Quite often, the common denominator in a Mexican Breakfast Burrito is the addition of  refried pinto beans and Mexican rice. Most restaurant or taco stand burritos use huge flour tortillas. I'm lucky to finish half of one.

My recipe uses typical grocery store-bought tortillas which are considerably smaller -- really just the right size. And my local 99c only Store always stocks cans of refried beans. Eggs and packages of rice are cheap anywhere.

If your store does not carry refried beans, add a tablespoon of oil to a hot pan and just use use a fork or potato masher on drained canned pinto beans (add a few tablespoons of the liquid from the can until the mixture is the consistency of chunky peanut butter). Of course, you can use heated whole pinto beans, too. I like it both ways.

In a previous post I made Mexican Rice, so click here for that recipe.

My Breakfast Burritos recipe is recession proof, and versatile -- so prepare scrambled eggs your favorite way, and just add rice and beans to make it your own. And open up that bottle of salsa to add extra heat!

Ingredients (one serving)

• 1 egg - scramble your favorite way, or see my Mexican Eggs recipe below.
• Flour or wheat tortilla
• 2 tablespoons Mexican Rice - okay to use regular rice.
• 2 tablespoons refried beans
• 1 teaspoon oil
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Mexican Eggs

• 1 tablespoon chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 2 slices of jalapeno - chopped fresh or from jar. Adjust amount to your heat tolerance.
• 1 teaspoon oil
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Directions for Mexican Eggs
Heat oil in an omelet pan and saute onion, jalapeno and tomato for about 3 minutes. Add whole egg, season and scramble until firm, about 3 minutes.

Assembly
While preparing Mexican Eggs, heat tortilla in pan or on grill, over low heat, on both sides. No need to crisp up tortilla, it's ready when hot on both sides. Also, microwave refried beans (with a teaspoon of water if beans dry out) and rice in separate bowls until hot. Cover and set aside.

Ready to assemble when Mexican Eggs are done. Layer in rice, beans, and eggs and top with salsa (optional).

If you have a favorite eggs scramble, try it! I like to add cheese, mushrooms or sundried tomato.