Swish: beans (9); cheese (9); sauciness (9); ingredient mix (9); temperature (9); burstage abatement (9); size (8); spiciness (8)
Shrug: meat (7); tortilla (6); rice (6)
Clang: vegetables (4)
Intangibility bonus: 1 (of 2)

Not even a half dozen nine-mustache element ratings could muster enough torque to tow this burrito out of the Ditch of Deficient Intangibility. Was it the slim vegetabular pickings? The bland, occasionally undercooked brown rice? The overly gummy tortilla? Whatever the source of those non-plussed looks on the faces of our panel members, it helped ensure Aguila de Oro’s third consecutive sub-eight-mustache rating. A woeful shortage of pico de gallo, coupled with some nigh-invisible guacamole, sent that vegetables rating tumbling, and the grilled chicken, while fully capable, remained unspectacular and merely workmanlike throughout. On the positive side of the ledger, this burrito ate bigger than it looked at the outset, to the tune of 18 bites. Refried beans were exceptional, as was salsa roja deployment and taste. Basics such as hot temperatures and fairly shatterproof construction were covered with a nine-mustache blanket, as was the tricky notion of a seamless ingredient mix. Usually when a slab racks up this many sky-high ratings, its fate is money in the Bank of Mustache. Not this time. Something was absent.

Our 2005 visit to Aguila de Oro coincided with their first attempt at serving carnitas; we recognized this ground-floor opportunity and ponied up for the pork. Meat verdict: undeniably flavorful, but too fatty from piece to piece. This slab had its shot at the eight-mustache big time snuffed by a creeping preponderance of light brown rice, which adversely affected ratings for its passable ingredient mix and barely-there refried beans. Vegetable content also provided a point of concern, as we vainly hoped for greenery - pepper-pelted pico de gallo and cilantro were absent, while we would have appreciated more guacamole within the darkly grilled tortilla. But, enough grousing already. Grated cheese welded itself harmoniously to each bite, and Aguila de Oro’s perennially strong sauciness can always be counted on to moisten up even the driest rice-intensive bite. Most impressively, this modestly stumpy foodpiece’s unruly spiciness, consistently hot temperature, and impenetrable burstage abatement each rang up perfect ten-mustache ratings. It’s as if these elements were angry with the rice’s shoddy encroachment stunt.

An underperforming piece of work, with an overly segregated ingredient mix and some runny guacamole. Most egregiously of all, the dude chopped it in half without an inquiry. On the tastier side, nicely marinated steak and heady spice.

Apparently most of the vegetables didn’t feel like coming along for the ride: pico de gallo, cilantro, and guacamole were notably absent. At least chopped onion hopped aboard. Aguila de Oro’s hallmark sauciness persevered. Vegetable truancy notwithstanding, a fine effort.

Smartly constructed, then foolishly cut in two. Who knows why? All hot, all saucy, all the time. Pretty mighty spicy. Bitchin chopped onion. Unremarkable, yet workmanlike steak. And let’s hear it for that melted cheese trick again.

An intangibly delicious effort. Tremendously seasoned steak crowned a peerless ingredient ensemble.