Enriched Enchiladas at El Centro – Boston

By enriched, I mean with steroids. Anabolic steroids, not the anti-inflammatory kind. Anabolic steroids in the form of asparagus. Those tender Enchiladas were brimming with asparagus, sometimes brimming with corn and green pepper, depending on the night and the chef’s mood. The asparagus was perfectly crisp but cooked, the soggy was baked out of the enchilada, but even the edges of the tortilla stayed unwrinkled and moist. The red sauce is solid, I’ve heard the green sauce is better, and when it comes to enchiladas, the chef’s mood is always good.

The Arepa appetizer surprisingly paralleled the introductory week of my medicine rotation. The arepa was, like most patients’ physical exam findings, unremarkable. And under the mountains of wet lettuce, the crisp arepa’s corn flavor was as difficult to discern as a 1/6 diamond-shaped systolic murmur. It was like most patient histories; vague and difficult to obtain, but you’ll find a hidden crispy bite of buried cornmeal if you dig deep enough. Whether or not it’s worth the effort foreshadows the med student/foodie you’re destined to be.

As difficult as a patient work-up can prove to me, patients rarely tell an outright lie, which is more than I can say for the Chimichanga. A chimichanga is supposed to be a deep-fried burrito. As far as I’m concerned, they gave me the wrong order judging by the sad slab of meat rolled in a tortilla and slapped on a plate. I’m actually offended that I was required to pay for a chimichanga and was forced to choke down bread and flavorless meat which wasn’t even salted. There was literally nothing else in the chimichanga, and the outside was covered in soggy lettuce. The water from the lettuce made the bottom of the tortilla resemble trench foot, and the only reason I can hypothesize for the copious slimy white and green ribbons is that they were intended to lubricate the sharp shards of steak.

Sadly for El Centro, this lack-luster chimichanga cost them 2 whole stars. Between the arepa and the chimichanga-water, it seems like El Centro specializes in veggie enchiladas and soggy lettuce. I’d return for the enchiladas, one of few vegetarian-friendly dishes south of the North End, but I will probably get to sleep on overnight call before I order another chimichanga.