These Chihuahua-style burritos on Grand Avenue rival the best Sonoran burros in Phoenix

People say that Sonoran tortillas are the best in the world and for most of my life I have agreed with them. The wafer-thin flour tortillas that we know and love here in Arizona and Sonora are the perfect medium for grilled meat, guacamole and hearty beans. But then I tried the Chihuahua tortillas. The tortillas from this Mexican border state are puffier and thicker to enjoy simply rubbed with a little butter, but they are best enjoyed in burrito form. And when it comes to burritos, Chihuahua knows their stuff. Widely regarded as the birthplace of burritos (although this claim is controversial as some historians refer to it as being from Sonora), the Chihuahua has perfected the medium by serving burritos with simple and homely guisado stews like shredded beef and creamy rajas, these hearty flour tortillas . The burritos themselves are thinner instead of bulging with fillings, and they’re unsealed at the ends.Local Arizona Eats: The Stories Behind 10 of the State’s Famous Foods and Drinks Style but for the lively alcoholic spirit Sotol, a tribe of world-famous indigenous athletes, and a breathtaking canyon system that rivals the Grand Canyon in size and beauty. It is also the birthplace of Fernando Hernández, the Testal, a counter service restaurant on Grand Avenue in Phoenix. Hernández grew up an undocumented immigrant in Arizona and fell in love with his Mexican state of birth after obtaining legal residence and returning as an adult. His restaurant is called Testal, from the Spanish word for an uncooked tortilla dough ball and hopes to use it to educate people about the rich food culture and heritage of his northern Mexican state. Concert tips and more, subscribe to azcentral.com. What Makes These Chihuahua Style Burritos Stand Out? Burritos in Testal on Grand Avenue. The Testal burritos really blew my mind. In fact, they were better than many of the fabulous burritos I’ve eaten on my trips to Chihuahua cities like Juárez and Nuevo Casas Grandes, not to mention Texas and New Mexico, where the burritos are also popular, the tortilla, made with flour , Water and vegetable fat, without preservatives. The restaurant’s kitchen staff follow the recipe from Hernández’s mother Ana Saldaña. They hand roll them and run them through a machine every morning. Packages of the freshly made flour tortillas sit on the counter of the cute modern room, decorated with petroglyphs and National Geographic-style photos of Chihuahua’s natural wonders when I get almost every burrito on When I ate the menu, I realized that the fillings played a subordinate role even in this epic performance. They’re all delicious, whether it’s made from soft chicharron, shredded beef in Chile Verde, or one of the vegan options like Picadillo with vegan ground beef. They’re solid, but the tortillas remain the star of the show no matter what filling you choose.Review: I’m obsessed with the Cambodian dishes at this tiny, chef-run restaurant What You Can Order at TestalYou won’t find a carne asada on the menu . Instead, you’ll find stews like vegetarian rajas, a soothing mix of chopped poblano peppers in rich cream. The poblanos are cooked until the vegetable crispness has disappeared and they are smooth and pliable. Potatoes come in several fillings, such as the Deshebrada with shredded beef in green chilli sauce and the Chilli Colorado – chunky pork in a heady red chilli sauce that is softened by the spud squares. Beans were actually my favorites because whoever loves not a luscious, re-fried bean burrito, especially when the thin burrito shape allows for a more filling tortilla with every bite. The Chili Colorado Pork Burrito in Testal on Grand Avenue. You can order any of the fillings in a homemade gordita, which is here is prepared with a flour tortilla instead of the typical corn. The tortilla pockets are thinner and more crispy than the burritos and also very tasty. I ordered my gordita with one of the restaurant’s many vegan options, Picadillo made from ground beef and Impossible brand potatoes. Almost as tasty as the burritos, albeit in a different shape. The restaurant also offers tortilla-less bowls filled with the soft beans and one of the toppings. I tried one with a vegan Chile-Colorado made from Impossible pork and potatoes. It didn’t have the same juiciness as real pork, but otherwise it was hard to tell the difference. It was good, but Testal doesn’t want to miss the tortilla so stick to the burritos and gorditas. The Critic’s Notebook: Perfectly Fried Tacos at a Hot Dog Stand: 3 Best Bites I’ve Eaten in Phoenix A Chihuahuan Drink to Wash Down The Mangoneada Cocktail with Sotol and Mango Puree in Testal, Testal’s little bar focuses on cocktails that Made with Chihuahua’s iconic Sotol distillate, which is similar to a tequila or mezcal but made from another succulent plant called a desert spoon. The agave-like plant has dozens of very thin, spiky leaves protruding from the center and is wildly harvested rather than cultivated. His schnapps was the star in a boozy mangoneada, made from mango puree and nectar, which is seasoned with fruity chamoy sauce and tajin chili powder. Granted, it’s hard to tell whether you’re drinking sotol or a silver tequila in a brew like this, but the smokiness of the liquor comes through, and my favorite drink on the menu is a non-alcoholic agua fresca with chia seeds. It’s called Iskiate and is a staple drink of the indigenous Rarámuri who live in Chihuahua’s stunning Copper Canyon and are known for their exceptional long-distance running skills. The natural energy drink gives them the strength to run long marathons and is mentioned in the 2009 book “Born to Run” about the trunk liquid and turned into springy little pieces. The tangy drink cut off the richness of these northern Mexican burritos, which offer a delicious, regional flavor of Chihuahua in the land of Sonoran cuisine. Testal Mexican Kitchen Where: 1325 NW Grand Ave., Suite # 1, Phoenix. Opening times: Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Open until 1 a.m. for special events. Price: Burritos and Gorditas $ 4- $ 5.50; Bowls $ 5.50 to $ 10; Cocktails $ 10- $ 13. Details: 602-384-9993, testalphx.square.site.Reach reporter Andi Berlin at amberlin@azcentral.com or 602-444-8533. Follow her on Facebook @andiberlin, Instagram @andiberlin or Twitter @andiberlin. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chihuahua Burritos in Phoenix: What to Order from Testal

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