Philly’s Starr Restaurants go virtually Mexican with Jackass Burrito at El Rey.
I recently had a long dosage MAGAZINE conversation with Stephen Starr about his tasty dive into the ghost kitchen concept at Serpico’s on South Street for Chicken Scratch and Pete’s Place, and at Jones, for Wing Wing Wing. The worldy restaurant entrepreneur told me that one of his more playful ideas was tied to his Mexican concept, El Rey. “I’m thinking I want to do something fun there. Something out of the box. But still appropriate for that location,” said Starr. What he came up with, as Friday turned into Golden Globe Sunday, was a fun, and funnily named Mexcian comfort food project. Jackass Burrito.
Available for pickup from El Rey at 2013 Chestnut Street or delivery from the usual suspects of Doordash, Caviar, Grubhub and Uber Eats on Monday through Thursday from 4:00 pm to 9 pm, Friday 4 pm to 10 pm, Saturday 12 pm to 10 pm and Sunday 12 pm – 9 pm, Jackass Burrito is a little less refined that the Peruvian poultry rotisserie fare of Chicken Scratch. And a little bit sloppier than the sports-tastic chicken wings of Wing Wing Wing. The latter introduced on Super Bowl Sunday.
Quickly running downtown to try them, all I can say is that one will need two hands, then one of somebody else’s hands, in which to appropriately handle a Jackass Burrito. This is the second Jackass Burrito. The first is located in New York City at Battery Park. It offers the foli-wrapped double meat-filled, at your request, Mission Style burrito. I made mine grilled chicken. There are several to select from. The crispy Baja Shrimp burrito. The ground beef stuffed Frito Pie which is awesome. The K-Town burrito filled with Korean beef and kimchi. And the All Day Breakfast burrito brimming over with scrambled eggs, multiple cheeses, bacon (seriously though, substitute that for chorizo) and tater tots crumbled into the mix.
All Jackassy burritos come with cilantro lime rice, black beans, salsa roja and pico de gallo, crema and guacamole. And they can be turned into a Jackass Bowl just by dropping the tortilla wrap, and placing the big ingredients into a bowl lined with cilantro lime rice, or a brown rice and farro mix, and crispy lettuce. The bowl may free up your hands from what they’re calling a “gluttonous, unpretentious” mess. But, it is no less sloppy, or ravishingly delicious.
Images: Alex Cahanap
About Post Author
