Throwdown: Papalote vs. Bobby Flay
I don't know how many of you have seen the Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay. The premise is pretty simple—Bobby Flay shows up at a restaurant unannounced and challenges the owners to a cook-off of a signature item from the menu—usually something iconic like barbequed ribs, or mac and cheese, or fish and chips. As SF Weekly reported back in December, Flay challenged the owners of Papalote to a burrito contest, but we felt the news deserved another mention since the episode will be broadcast on Wednesday, February 17.
According to co-owner Victor Escobedo, he and his brother Miguel were called by the Food Network to participate in a new show called "Brotherly Grub." And while they had a passing thought that it could be a Throwdown set-up, they quickly banished the thought. Here's a link to the Escobedo's (very long, very sweet) demo tape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VwnA1tkj4A. To make a long story short, it was Bobby Flay who arrived on the appointed day, challenging them to a Triple Threat burrito (chicken, steak and shrimp) burrito challenge. You'll have to watch to find out who won, but Miguel tells us that, when Bobby Flay tried the Papalote burrito, he immediately joined the ranks of San Franciscans who are obsessed with Papalote's special sauce. In Victor's words: "When it was Bobby Flay's turn to try our burrito he immediately exclaimed, "You know what your secret weapon is? YOUR SALSA!" He then proceeded to ask for a jar of our beloved salsa! Needless to say, my brother Miguel and I darn near almost had a heart attack. Can you imagine?!?!"
We can, and we also know who we're rooting for.
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