Pincho Factory

     I confess... I am a burger snob. Over the years, I have outgrown the fast food versions. For a while, Wendy's could satisfy the craving, but then Five Guys dethroned Wendy's. That reign lasted a very short time when Shula Burger appeared. Now, my burgers only come from Bar & Grill eateries, Fuddruckers (because they serve bison burgers), or specialty restaurants.

     A while back, on the Today show, I saw a cooking segment with a guest chef who dared to replace the hamburger bun with 'tostones', latin-style plaintain fritters. I was intrigued. This would be my new quest for the upcoming weekend.

    Pincho Factory is a minuscule place in a strip mall with predominantly black and white décor and a lot of traffic. Their specialty is skewers, or 'pinchos'. You can have single pinchos, you can make them into a full entree with a rice bowl, a salad bowl, or swaddled in a thick pita wrap. You can make them into a vegetable dish, you can have them Buffalo-style, a la Caesar, or go Greek. They know their pinchos, no question.

     John teetered on the verge of ordering a pincho, but in the end his love of burgers won out. He ordered the classic 'Pincho Burger', served on potato bread and with all the traditional embellishments plus potato sticks (missing from John's) and their "secret pink sauce".

     I customized my 'Toston Burger' by adding bacon and switching the Jack cheese with my beloved blue cheese, which probably nullified any flavor their cilantro sauce may have offered.

     Both items were flavorful but neither was exceptional. The tostones didn't add or subtract from the total burger experience. One thing we found really disappointing was the size. They were just a smidgen bigger than a slider.

     As I often do, I've left the best for last. We shared a small but very generous order of sweet potato puffs, an ethereal delight so sublime that they melted in your mouth like cotton candy. And, in case you had any doubt that they were made in heaven, they're served with apple butter on the side for that extra burst of sweetness. It's the kind of thing that puts a smile on your face whether you like it or not.

     I don't know that I would go back for the burgers, but I'm captivated by the pincho craze so, if I'm in the area, I will investigate... and have more sweet potato puffs.

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