Crazy Homies is a tiny spot that most certainly benefits from its' larger downstairs dining room. Upstairs is cramped with one table in the front and lots of little tables arranged along the wall with small, uncomfortable looking stools facing the banquettes. We had gone during the winter breaks and had gone early so there were very few people in (we were the second table when we arrived) but it's easy to see how the place could fill up fast and get a bit crazy... The music is fun (Violent Femmes, Blondie, etc.) though the decor is really heavy handed on the Day of the Dead tchotchkes. The service, while efficient, was neither friendly nor rude - it just was - though one expects that the staff might have a tendency to take themselves a bit more seriously than is warranted.
Mr. Ex-Pat and I were massively hungry so when the waitress came over, we immediately both asked for margaritas and an order of monterey jack quesadillas to start. What I thought was a nice touch was that you are given a choice of either flour or corn tortillas (we chose the flour) and when they came, they were cut into quarters and arranged on a board with three delicious salsas - a chipotle (that was simply awesome), a salsa verde and a pico de gallo. The quesadillas were good, if basic, and were slightly burnt (which made Mr. EP and I happy). The margaritas however were another story. The drink prices are insane for what you get. The Classic Margarita was 7.50GBP and while heavy on Cuervo Gold (which I find equal to Clan Schwartz tequila - if such a thing exists) and ice, it was topped with pre-made mix from either a bottle or the gun. It was a huge disappointment. After all, it's not as though it's impossible to buy fresh limes in this country... Mr. EP was a bit more cynical when he suggested that perhaps Crazy Homies thinks they can get away with serving such a concoction because they underestimate their clientele. At first I scoffed at the notion until two, older English women walked in and visibly (though not entirely literally) patted themselves on their backs for ordering such exotic fare as "tahkos". The point was further driven home when I went downstairs to use the (only) w/c and one of the women stopped me and said, "Excuse me, do you get this kind of food?"
Since the point of this adventure was to have the first burrito we'd had in almost two years, Mr. EP ordered the Tender Spiced Chicken Burro and I had the Melting Pork Picadillo Burro. We also decided to give the drinks menu a second chance and Mr. EP had the Paloma Plata which had lime, grapefruit soda & tequila (8GBP) and I had the Mexcal Mule which had ginger beer, tequila and lime (7.50GBP). The drinks were slightly better than the margaritas but only just.
When the burros finally came - and I only say 'finally' because we were really looking forward to them - they didn't disappoint. They came in a clay dish surrounded by iceberg lettuce and pickled jalapeno peppers. The burritos (or burros) themselves were about six inches long and 3.5 inches thick and topped with a dollop of guacamole. My burrito was a brick of jack cheese, pinto beans, cilantro, salsa and truly, melting pulled pork. The pork, seriously, was amazing. Super tender and perfectly seasoned and not a scary bit in sight (you know those strange gristly bits or errant veins that ruin the whole experience?). Mr. EP insisted on giving me a bite of his (but I think it was because of the yummy noises I was making he wanted a reciprocal bite) and I was surprised at how subtly flavored his was. The chicken wasn't spiced the way I thought it might be. In fact, it was downright delicate - possibly because of his choice of black beans? Either way, it was delicious though I think that as usual, I will stay true to my 'creature of habit' status and keep on with the pork. The only changes I think I'll make are: 1. avoiding the cocktails and going straight for a a michelada and 2. trying the Barrio Chorizo Quesadilla.
Crazy Homies was well worth it and well worth going back to. Not including the 12.5% service charge, our total came to 54.50GBP.
(It should be noted that Crazy Homies, Lucky Seven, The Cow, & Tom's are all Tom Conran restaurants).
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