Sloppy's Burritos To Bring Sustainable and Locally Sourced "Flash-Grilled" Burritos to Hillcrest

March 1, 2013

Sloppy’s Burritos is opening in Hillcrest this month.  This quick-serve, healthy restaurant, features a simple, yet highly customizable menu of burritos, salads and bowls made with organic, locally sourced ingredients. The 1,100-square-foot restaurant takes an innovative “flash-grilling” approach and has a strong emphasis on sustainability and simplicity. Sloppy’s Burritos will open Saturday, March 2, 2013 and is centrally located in Hillcrest at 3884 Fourth Avenue and features modern Southern California décor with indoor and patio seating for 32.

 Sloppy’s Burritos is designed on the premise that healthy food should be simple, affordable and good for the planet. The simplicity starts with ordering - guests choose a burrito, bowl or salad, and create their entrée with free-range chicken, grass-fed steak, farm-raised pork or organic non-GMO tofu. Guests can then add any mix-ins from a wide range of fresh, organic and/or locally sourced ingredients. Most options are vegan-friendly and nearly all are gluten-free. All items are offered at $7.25 and include Sloppy’s signature guacamole and any other ingredients. Guests can also create a “skinny” version of any entrée for just $4.95.

Guests can customize their meal with a broad array of healthy choices including five types of low-fat tortillas (whole wheat, spinach, garlic green onion, jalapeno cilantro or flour), organic white or brown rice, organic black or pinto beans, organic lettuce, organic guacamole, non-rBST sour cream and Monterey Jack cheeses, and a light cilantro vinaigrette dressing. Homemade salsas include mild Pico de Gallo, roasted tomato, roast tomatillo or spicy Chipotle, and feature organic tomatoes. Guests can also choose non-GMO and organic blue corn chips with their choice of salsa or homemade guacamole or in a “party bowl” to go.

“This menu was created from our home kitchen, using ingredients from local farmers and growers. We tested every available method of cooking the proteins to be fresh and healthy, and finally settled on flash-grilling,” said Co-Founders Matt Belkin (Sloppy) and Sylvia Szudelski. “Most importantly, we wanted to work with family-run companies that pride themselves on sustainability practices.”

Sloppy’s Burritos is introducing a new approach to burrito artistry with its signature “flash-grilling” process. Proteins are “flash-grilled” at 450 degrees in 90 seconds or less upon ordering, a technique adapted from Japanese cooking methods. This delivers the freshest and most savory burritos possible, eliminating the bland taste so common in traditional burritos. In another break from the norm, Sloppy’s Burritos steams its tortillas when guests order a burrito, giving the wrap pliability and activating the flavor of the tortilla.

Sloppy’s Burritos offers a fun, if not eclectic, series of off-menu items including the Threesome, an entrée featuring 3 choices of protein, grilled together; Sloppy’s Style, an entree in which the rice and protein are cooked together on the griddle; and Chicken Little, a breakfast burrito offered on weekends featuring organic, locally sourced eggs.

Sloppy’s Burritos serves burritos in recyclable gold foil, and all salads and bowls are served in plant-based compostable bowls.

Most ingredients are sourced locally and organically from family-run farms throughout San Diego County and California. The avocados are from North County’s Paradise Valley Ranch and are matured in a natural ripening environment. Rice is from Lundberg Family Farms, which supplies organic and eco-farmed rice that has been grown and processed with careful concern for the environment. Chips are from Cabo Chips, a family-run company that practices environmentally-friendly practices and packaging. The highest-quality organic meats are from Newport Meat Company, including Jidori chicken, all-natural pork from Salmon Creek Farms, and grass-fed beef. Hand-crafted sodas are from Boylan and local producer Batch Craft Soda, featuring pure cane sugar.

Sloppy’s Burritos will open Saturday, March 2nd, and is located at 3884 Fourth Avenue in Hillcrest. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.sloppysburritos.com or find Sloppy’s Burritos on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SloppysBurritos.