Abelardo’s: Love in the time of COVID

You know that romantic comedy trope, where there are two friends and one friend is out there looking for love.  They look everywhere, but in the end, they realize they are in love with their friend, who was right under their nose all along?  Well, let me tell you a little story of my own, that shares more than a little with that old rom-com mainstay.  It starts with me moving to Kansas City.  I was so excited about the seemingly endless array of eateries that I set out immediately to eat at as many as I could.  I wanted to find the best of each type of food, as it seems all types were represented.  One thing I really wanted to find was a good Mexican restaurant.  I wanted something I could order on a whim, when the mood struck, so it had to be close by and could not be too expensive.  I wanted something authentic.  Not that I am an expert on the matter, but I know Taco Bell is not real Mexican food.  

I began scrolling through Google Maps each time I felt the itch for a good burrito.  I remember seeing Abelardo’s the first time I went looking, but for some reason, it did not stand out as what I was looking for.  It was a Mexican restaurant; it was close by, but for some reason I skipped over it.  I kept looking and what I found was a wonderful place just over the interstate, called Margarita’s.  One trip there and my whole family fell in love.  The food was great and inexpensive.  I thought I had found my true love.  Sure, it was a sit down restaurant, so was not a quick option.  And though the price was good, it was still hard to feed the family for under $60.  But, I looked past its rougher qualities, because the food hit the target and the place was 10 minutes away.  

Then, as it always seems to in a story about love and lust, something came to divide the new, young lovers.  In this story, it was COVID-19.  The pandemic exploded just when I thought I had found the one and it, along with so many others, shut down.  I was torn from my Margarita’s just as soon as I had found her.  But, I knew there had to be others out there, so I went back to Google Maps and I scrolled.  With the Pandemic raging and the shutdown in effect, it was all curbside pickup and delivery.  At this point, I do not remember seeing Abelardo’s on there, as if something in me had already decided they were not what I was looking for, so I just did not see them.  I did have a brief fling with a few good ones, though.  There was Burrito Bros and Rancho Grande.  They both offered good food at decent prices, but they were each missing something that I was looking for.  B Bros had great ingredients, but lacked variety.  Rancho Grande’s food was good but not great.  Though my time with Margarita’s had been short and it was not everything I had hoped for, I found myself longing for her again.  

It was at that time that something happened though.  I was scrolling through the list of “Mexican Restaurants Near Me” and something caught my eye; something that had been there all along: Abelardo’s.  I recognized it right away as one I had seen before, but I was shocked to see it was less than five minutes away.  It was as if it had been hiding from me; flying just below my radar for the past year.  I took a look at the menu and immediately the variety got me excited.  They had so many options for both burritos and tacos.  The prices seemed almost too good, which worried me about the quality, but I had to try it.  I felt exactly like one of those guys in the rom-com, when their friend gets made over and suddenly they see the person in a whole new light.  It’s all a bit shallow when you are talking about human beings, but I think I can forgive myself the superfluous mindset when it comes to restaurants.  

So, I loaded my family in the car, masks in hand of course (it is still a pandemic after all) and we drove to the restaurant.  I could not get over how quickly we arrived; like had not believed Google Maps when it said my destination was four minutes away.  I stood, staring at the menu, backed up from the counter and mask on and I could not narrow down my choice to any one thing on the menu.  The variety at Abelardo’s truly is staggering.  So, I lost my balance and ordered it all.  We ended up with about three times as much food as we could actually eat.

The first thing I noticed when I bit into my burrito was how fresh it tasted.  It was the exact opposite from what I was expecting, just judging by the prices, but the ingredients tasted completely fresh.  The tortillas are fresh, the guac is fresh, the herbs are fresh.  All of it taste like it came right from the market.  The second thing that stood out was how much flavor there was in the meat.  It was bursting with it.  If there is one negative, it is that the meat is a little dry, but they season it so perfectly that the flavor more than makes up for a little dryness.  It is some of the best tasting meat I have ever had at what is ostensibly a fast food restaurant.  Then, there is the third component to what I believe makes up the overall flavor profile of Abelardo’s food and that is the variety of the extras.  Beyond the cheese and the meat and the herbs and spices, your burrito might also include french fries or an egg or a whole chile relleno stuffed inside.  

Now, these are not the craziest things to find in a burrito.  It is not the first time I have had french fries turn up inside a tortilla, and a chile relleno just makes so much sense, I cannot imagine it has not been done before.  It is just that I have never seen so many different “out there” options in one place.  The most impressive part, though, is how it all comes together and tastes so good.  The french fries are in a burrito with shrimp and a truly kickin’ sauce that puts some heat in your belly and it is called the Spicy Diablo.  It is perhaps my favorite burrito of all time.  To top it off, you can smother it in enchilada or queso.  It is so much that one might want to evoke the old idiom, less is more, but with Abelardos, somehow each ingredient stands out, so that having more is more.  

Beyond the amazing food and mindbogglingly low price tag, though, there is more to Abelardos that made me go heels over head at first encounter.  Every single front of house worker is incredibly friendly.  They genuinely seem happy that you are there.  Even when I take ten minutes to figure out what I want.  Even when I forget for the third time that there is no tip space on the receipts so you have to bring cash to show your appreciation.  Which, if I have to point out one other, also minor flaw, with my new found love, it’s the missing tip space on the receipt.  I do not know what it takes to add one, but they should do it.  They deserve all the tips they can get.  

Another bonus at Abelardo’s is the beverage selection.  They do not serve alcohol, so this is not an official “The Beer Side” section (which I typically will have with each entry), but this Mexican eatery has some tasty beverage options outside of the typical.  They have a good selection of Jarrico and Mexican Coke in a bottle.  My favorite, though, is a nice big cup of Horchatta.  And the cups are huge.  

And so, this is the story of a man looking for love in all corners of the city, who finds it right beneath his very nose.  It’s not an original story by any means; Matthew Mcconaughey and Freddy Prinze Jr. have probably been in a dozen movies with this very premise.  It is my story, though, and I could not be happier that it has such a happy ending.  Abelardo’s; I am sorry it took me so long to see what was right in front of me all along (yeah, I’m ending this post with a cliche; deal with it).