Martha’s Pick:

Muchachos
1258 S 13th St (Little Bohemia)
Fare: Mexican BBQ fusion
Cost: $30 for one appetizer and two meals
Reservations: Not needed

Greetings, Eaters and Readers!

Before I can tell you about my Muchachos experience, first I must talk to you about a little known Johnny Depp cinematic work called ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ When that movie came out in 2003, I felt like I couldn’t get away from the buzz. Everyone raved about it. I felt like I was stuck on the POTC hype machine for no less than an entire year.

Mind you – this was before smart TVs and streaming apps. Netflix was not a streaming service – it was a DVD by mail service.  Having missed the movie in the theaters, I knew I was going to have to wait for it to be available via Netflix before I would watch it. Finally, after months and months of anticipation and the droning-on of friends and family – I ordered and watched Pirates. And I could not have been more underwhelmed. 

Maybe I had missed out on the theatre experience, but I remember how high my expectations were when I pushed play – and I remember how annoyed I was when I pushed eject. Annoyed that I spent months waiting to watch something that just didn’t deliver – for me, anyways.

And while that nugget of my personal history might make some Depp fans mad – I tell you for one primary reason: ever since then, for nearly 20 years, whenever I experience something that has been built up and carries high expectations and anticipation – and then it falls flat – I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Which leads me to Muchachos – the reason you’re here….still…I hope?

In some ways, my Muchacos experience never stood a chance when I compare it to the hope and anticipation I had built up in my mind. For over a year, I had followed their journey from food truck to brick and mortar location in Lincoln and the hype that seemed to surround their fun fusion takes on popular Mexican and BBQ staples. I even remember them being the official burrito of the Cornhusker offensive line – or something like that and being featured on a Game Day television show on some football Saturday. So when they announced they were taking a leap from Lincoln and opening their 2nd location right down the road from me in Little Bohemia – I could hardly contain myself. I put Jaclyn alert that she did NOT have my expressed permission to visit Muchachos without me or before we could go for the blog. I don’t think I’ve ever flexed such a bold request but she understood immediately. So as soon as it was my turn to pick for the blog – we were off, high expectations and anticipation in tow.

Located on 13th Street, Muchacho’s joins a growing list of trendy shops and restaurants that are moving in and revitalizing the Little Bohemia part of town. Archetype Coffee, Fizzy’s, Tiny House Bar and Beercade 2 all call Little Bohemia home and build a neighborhood that gives patrons plenty of options on any given evening. We ventured in on a Tuesday during the CWS and wondered what that national event would mean for business. The server behind the main counter/bar confirmed that they were a bit far for the huge crowds, but they definitely still saw a bump in business. The games were playing on the TVs and I noticed some team shirts on the patrons that filed in while we ate. The line was steady but not chaotic – which is to be expected on a Tuesday evening.

Muchachos operates via an order counter and seat-yourself model. A large, bright, easy-to-ready menu is on the wall – but I had known what I wanted to order since I first heard about them: the Hatch Mac Burrito. The hatch Mac is a highly featured item on the Muchachos menu and the burrito wraps it up in a large, griddled tortilla with your choice of any of the smoked meats: chicken, brisket or pork. I usually default to chicken but then quickly experience meat FOMO. This time, in an effort to avoid such feelings, I got the burrito with the pork and a side of their chips and queso.

Hatch Mac Burrito ($13) — Hatch mac and smoked pork

Jaclyn and I sidled up to the bar and waited for our numbers to be called to pick our orders up from the kitchen window. We didn’t have to wait long. My burrito looked like every picture I had seen in recent months: chalk full of delicious-looking Mac and cheese and smoke pork peeking out on the side – I couldn’t wait for my first bite. The large burrito was difficult to hold and contain in my hands – a good problem in theory, but one that causes heck for the overall experience. I pushed through the first few bites while everything still holds the general shape of a burrito. And if I’m honest – the first few bites were underwhelming. Nothing was HOT temperature wise. And sadly, I remember the flavors being equally as tepid. I wanted more zest, more zing, more Hatch.

I’ve seen countless other people rave about this Muchacho creation – and I’m sure most of them did have a good experience. I couldn’t help but question if I was enjoying the freshest of mac and cheese and meat – or if my burrito innards were partly leftover from the previous day. And I don’t say that in a judgmental way – I’m perfectly fine with restaurants properly storing and reusing as to not waste. But I would still expect the freshest delivery possible – both in temperature and flavor. And this wasn’t it.

Any remaining flavor hope I had was channeled into the chips and queso – and again, bluntly – these missed the mark even more than the burrito did. The queso had an odd texture that I couldn’t figure out, was also lukewarm and didn’t have the welcome spice I usually love in a queso. I tried to drizzle a little of the cheese on the burrito to see if it could bring it all together or elevate the experience – but it couldn’t. I didn’t even finish the small container of queso – and leaving cheese on the table usually haunts me. Do with that what you will.

Rice Bowl ($10) — Rice, beans, smoked pork

Staying true to her dairy-free kick (weirdo), Jaclyn got a rice bowl without the queso. Although, after my disappointment with the should-be cheesy goodness, she wasn’t missing much.

The smoked pork certainly had good flavor, but the rest was just, well, rice and beans. She enjoyed it well enough, adding the green sauce to a few bites, but it’s really nothing to get very excited about. If she had any recommendations, she would have liked to see vegetables as an add-on.

Final Bites

Looking back, I can see how it was all, perhaps, set up to be underwhelming. Muchacho’s had an unfair hill to climb to live up to my expectations. Beyond our womp-womp experience here in Omaha, I do leave the door open to experiencing the OG Muchacho’s in Lincoln – and probably another trip back to Little Bohemia – to see if the experience can’t average itself out.

There’s still so much to be hopeful for: Mexican-BBQ fusion items that intrigue the tastebuds, huge burritos, 15,000 social media fans, and a near 5-star rating across multiple review sites. The first visit to Muchacho’s may not have lived up to the hype, but the same way I kept giving Captain Jack Sparrow and his cohorts second and third chances – I’m eager to see if the sequels provide any redemption.

Cheers!
The Good Bite Gals

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Open-faced Hatch Mac Burrito image credit: Yelp