A Rare Alchemy

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: December 2023 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

I’ve rhapsodized before in these pages about how lucky I am to review the panoply of restaurants across this Plateau.

My gratitude is not predicated on the cost of the meal, it’s built upon an appreciation for the transcendent opportunity to enjoy the dining experience, whether with Tricia in an intimate setting or with a boisterous table of friends. That’s a rare alchemy of wonderful food prepared with care; warm, attentive service; and the frisson of an irresistible atmosphere and beautiful setting.

Believe me, I know how fortunate I am.

Which brings us to Highlands Burrito, perched cozily atop the Hill on Fourth Street.

This is a place for everyone on the Plateau, and it checks all the boxes for what I cherish about the Plateau Dining Experience – Menu, Service, and Ambience.

For the Menu Part of the Equation, Highlands Burrito offers a range of burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and taco salads.

It’s set up like your standard Subway – you place your order in advance, choose your protein, your fillers (rice, black beans, refried beans), and toppings that are rolled into the creation.

Each burrito is crafted by a trio of smiling chefs.

And each burrito is the Tex-Mex equivalent of a British Ploughman’s Lunch. They’re enormous, incredibly filling, and budget friendly.

Tricia and I ordered Blackened Fish and Ground Beef versions, and our friend Sarah was gratified to discover a Veggie option.

Even though I mentioned that these choices were enormous, my dedication to the thoroughness of my reviews led me to add a generous helping of guacamole to the order.

Now I don’t know your religious leanings, and I’m usually tight-lipped about my expressions of faith, but let me just say, “Sweet Jesus, that’s some incredible Guac!”

You could taste the sunshine and the freshness, and it was a quick transport to some tropical hideaway.

And, since this was a lunch order that would carry over into the evening, I also ordered Pico de Gallo and Tortilla Chips. I’m snacking on these as I’m writing this. (Again, taking us back to my evocation of the Ploughman’s Lunch.)

For the Service Part of this experience, let’s go back to the trio of women at the counter. Well, they were gracious and attentive in all the ways that are important, and they met the demands of a lunchtime crowd with good cheer.

(How good was that cheer, Luke? Well, they took my order, built by my decades’ old high school Spanish instruction, with aplomb and gentle smiles. And mind you, those two years of lessons were delivered by the late Coach Richard “Coach Ka-Bloom!” Blume, who could be diverted from our studies by carefully timed questions about his latest Red Devils football strategy or his halcyon days of semi-pro baseball – every day for two years!)

It’s to their credit that those wonderful counter ladies never lost their smiles, and only asked “Que?” three times.

As for Ambience, the place is warm and clean and perfect for winter dining. When we visited in late October, it was still possible to take your meal out to their little patio and enjoy your selection under the warm, slanty autumn sun. Bistro dining in the heart of Highlands!
But there’s more to local ambience than that – and it’s here where Highlands Burrito proves its weight in diamonds and rubies, or chips and queso.

Because its menu is so affordable, and its helpings so generous, everyone shows up here for a bite – the tradespeople with their takeout orders, employees from Old Edwards Inn, working Joes and Jills like me and Tricia, and families with kids who’ve decided to spend a couple of days in Highlands.

It’s an endlessly fascinating mélange of people and it’s one of those things that makes this Plateau such a delight. I was afraid that Covid was going to permanently dent this exquisite balance but nope, there it is, in its lively glory.

Highlands Burrito is located at 226 South 4th Street. You can order in English or Spanish, and the employees are gracious enough not to roll their eyes if you try to order in Spanish.