California Tortilla: California Screamin' Burrito Launch Party

This just might be the fastest turnaround time for a post of an event ever - don't get used to it, it just so happened that I was able to upload a bunch of photos last night when I got home, haha.  I also wanted to get this out before the official debut of the burrito on Monday.  What burrito?, you ask?  Keep on reading...

I'm usually all about planning ahead of time, but sometimes fun stuff can just appear out of nowhere.  Like yesterday, for example: I was just fiddling around on Twitter doing mostly celeb/free giveaway stalking (hey, at least I'm upfront about it) and I saw that California Tortilla was doing a promotion for their new California Screamin' Burrito. I e-mailed in a request as instructed, and voila, I was able to attend a free private launch party to be held that evening at the Courthouse CalTort.  WOO!  I've loved CalTort since I moved here in 2004, so I knew that no matter what the food would be yummy.   

It was a good-sized crowd, considering I had no idea what to expect. The event was also hosted by DC Tweetups and Twineups, which gets together on a somewhat regular basis (it seems) at different events/locations in DC. Everyone there (promoting and attending) was super nice and friendly.

Burritos, Chips, Guac, Salsa, and Queso, Oh My!

On to the food!  I was expecting samples to be available (like maybe the new burrito in taco-form or something, or cut up into pieces, I don't know) but I defintely got way more than I expected!  A buffet set up lined the left section of the CalTort by the window- huge burritos, chips, salsa, guacamole, hot queso, and drinks were there for the taking!  Sweeeeeeet.

 

California Screamin' Burrito: Innards

And here's my California Screamin' Burrito, in all its massive glory.  The card that described the burrito is not with me unfortunately, but from what I can remember it's: Signature Blackened Chicken, Peppers, Onions, California Screamin' Sauce, Queso, and Mexican Rice.  I guess I should mention that when I go to CalTort, no matter what I get, I will always bring 1-2 bottles of hot sauce to the table with me to add to my dish.  The fact that I didn't do that with this dish probably speaks to how much I enjoyed the spice level of it.  Obviously this has a kick to it, but not overwhelmingly so, probably because of the queso.  And it's definitely filling- I ate 1/2 of it and was completely stuffed.  I thoroughly enjoyed this burrito, it had a great flavor and I will absolutely order it once it's on the menu next week.  One thing I may change is to ask for queso on the side - I like cheese but I don't always like everything coated in it.  When I get this again for real, I might try dipping the burrito in the queso and see how that works out for me.    

 

This Swag Bag's got Swagger

As if the free burritofest wasn't enough, we were also given superfabulous swag bags to take home!  We got a tote bag, t-shirt, hat, various coupons, and the best part: A FULL BOTTLE OF CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN' HOT SAUCE.  Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.  Super duper excited, in case you couldn't tell. 

All in all, a totally unexpected but fun night at CalTort!  I look forward to trying the California Screamin' Burrito once it's officially available, and I'm also looking forward to checking out more Tweetups in the future :o)  Thank you to everyone involved in putting this great event together!