Breaking Fast at the Road Runner Grill, beep beep

VIA SBINSIDER FOOD MAVEN, GLORIA WOLF| December 17th, 2023

3 stars out of 5, but depends on the dish-cost is medium high 

Old favorites and new treats greet you at the Road Runner Grill. There is no treat like breakfast at the RRG. Outside you have great views and inside you can enjoy the extensive makeover completed in November 2023. The menu has some of your old favorites like the Mt. Lemmon, and new creative items.

Our first breakfast experience started with the skirt steak hash. The breakfast item has herb-roasted potatoes, marinated skirt steak, sautéed mushrooms and onions, topped with cheddar-jack cheese and two eggs. This is standard breakfast food and our anonymous eater found it uninspiring. If you like your breakfast predictable, this will work for you.

Our second choice was the Barbacoa Breakfast Burrito, with barbacoa, scrambled eggs, black bean pico de gallo, fire-roasted bell peppers, cheddar-jack cheese topped with a green chili crema. You may be able to tell from the list of ingredients that this option has some pizzazz. This burrito, bursting with flavor, was large enough to split for those with smaller appetites.

Barbacoa is popular in local restaurants. It is a slow-cooked meat such as chuck roast, brisket, and sometimes even goat or lamb. The meat is cooked with traditional Mexican spices which include a fair share of dried peppers, including guajillo, serrano, and jalapeno. Barbacoa can be used as a filling, as it is in this burrito, or a topping to a salad or tostada. The slow-cooked barbacoa is tender, juicy, and flavorful. In the burrito at the road runner grill I also detected a hint of smokiness as though the meat had been smoked and then slow-cooked in a myriad of spices.

Barbacoa may have originated in the Caribbean and is popular in central Mexico.  The Indian word barbacoa eventually became the English word barbecue. While the words are similar, the cooking method is not. Barbacoa is a slow steaming process and can be accomplished at home in your slow-cooker.

The Grill is finding its way with a new menu and layout. SaddleBrooke residents should try breakfast several times and try different entree’s. 

Let us know what you think!