Cancun Drubs Farolito, La Taq May Take It All in FiveThirtyEight's Burrito Bracket

Remember that whole burrito equivalent of March Madness that Nate Silver and FiveThirtyEight announced they'd be doing a couple months back? Well, the eating party has finally made its way to the Bay Area, with stops at bracketeers La Taqueria, El Farolito, Taqueria Cancun, and HRD Coffee Shop. Placed up against spots in San Bernardino, Costa Mesa, and L.A., La Taq blew away the competition: burrito judge Anna Maria Barry-Jester praised its "sweet, smoky, rich" carnitas and construction "of near technical perfection...I might wish the tortilla was griddled. I might say the meat could be a little juicier. But the blend of liquid and textures in this burrito was so fantastic that I couldn't dare ask for changes without fearing the consequences." La Taq is now in the sweet 16, and with the highest score so far of any competitor (98 out of 100), it's poised to take the entire championship. We can only imagine Burritoeater's horror.

Meanwhile, further down Mission, a battle was brewing, as #1 seed El Farolito faced off against Taqueria Cancun. But for Barry-Jester, Cancun was too compelling: "The tortilla was beautifully griddled, flaking off on the outer layers. It all came together in a deliciously solid bundle with a personality big enough to rival that of its nighttime clientele." Farolito is ultimately undone by its lack of ingredient distribution. "Good it is. Maybe even great. But not good enough to beat Taqueria Cancún." With a score of 94/100, Cancun is now in third place, behind La Taq and Al & Bea's Mexican Food in L.A., which notched a 96. Farolito, with an 88, and HRD, with an 84, are definitely in the top half of the burritos sampled, but there's no question that Cancun pulled off a serious upset. Up next for Cancun and La Taq: round two, in which they'll face off against competitors from around the country. We have no doubt they'll be sending many of them packing.

· La Taqueria's Burrito Face-Off [FiveThirtyEight]
· Cancun, Farolito, and HRD's Face-Off [FiveThirtyEight]
· Nate Silver Launches Burrito Bracket, Farolito Ranked #1 [~ ESF ~]