I found America's best burrito in Yuma, Arizona

Have you ever been to Yuma (for more than the restroom)?

After one unorthodox and surprisingly bewitching road trip, I can now say that I have. And here's my verdict: The black sheep border town of Arizona is actually a real-deal dining destination. During my latest trip I discovered local craft brews, a thriving historic downtown and according to the travel website Thrillist.com, one of the best burritos in the United States of America. 

Unsurprisingly, the recent list "33 Best Burritos In America" was dominated by big cities like Seattle ("You know a burrito means business when it requires a knife and fork."), Chicago ("It may be a teensy, BYOB, cash-only, Costa Rican spot, but Irazu knows its burritos."), and the Mission burrito abomination San Francisco ("Papalote is the kind of place that makes one-day-only fried chicken & mac 'n cheese burritos, which might automatically nominate it for sainthood.").

There are no Phoenix restaurants, there's nothing in Nogales, no El Guero Canelo and no St. Mary's Mexican Food. But strangely, there's a random place out in the Yuma desert called The Chile Pepper.

A screenshot from Thrillist.com's list of "The 33 Best Burritos in America."

Since The Chile Pepper is the only Arizona restaurant on the list — and we all know that Arizona has the best burritos in the country — it's reasonable to assume that this is officially the best burrito in America. (And maybe even the world.) Okay, I'll bite ... I'll drive four hours to Yuma and sleep in a motor hotel then turn around the next day. It is January after all ...

The Chile Pepper has been around since the '50s, but its current building in a sprawling shopping center on 24th Street looks kind of like a La Salsa restaurant. It's big and airy and new, with a long counter station and some basic decor including an old La Casa Gutierrez sign from the original restaurant. (The family also runs a second restaurant Mr. G's right off the freeway, with an identical look and menu.)

The key here is the tortillas. The Gutierrez family employs a team of 17 people to work in a nearby factory making fresh corn and flour tortillas every day, starting at 1:30 in the morning. Much of the work is done by hand, and when those disks of flour come out of the tortilla press all wrinkly and bubbly and warm, my goodness. 

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You won't find any hydrogenated soybean oil or guar gum in these: just water, flour, salt and lard. The family keeps it small and doesn't sell the tortillas in grocery stores. So if you want to try them, you have to go here. And honestly, I think it's worth it. They were some of the fluffiest, most flavorful flour tortillas I've ever had.  

Employee Susanna Barrera works nights at the tortilla factory next door to the Gutierrez family's second restaurant Mr. G's Mexican Food.

The Thrillist article singled out the bean burrito, which Chile Pepper sells in fat little chubs for $1.89. It's substantially smaller than your regular Nico's burrito, but it's still a pretty good deal. The beans? Tasty! Not the absolute best I've ever had, but they were silken and fatty and satisfying, with a perfect proportion of melted cheese.  

All in all, the burrito tasted like something my friend's mom would make at home, setting a bunch out on the table for us to wolf down before we played Barbies. But hey, that's why we live here, right? If you like fried chicken burritos, drive four miles and go to California! 

Cruising through Yuma and need another idea? Here's what I recommend ...  

• For beer geeks: Prison Hill Brewing Co. on Main Street has solid gastropub food in an industrial chic setting. I stuck to their house IPA The Good Alibi, but they also do an interesting Belgian blond ale called Jailbate Date, with fresh dates from nearby Dateland. They also smoke their own meats in-house, and sell some pretty pipin' chicken fingers. 278 S. Main Street, 928-276-4001
  
  
• Quick pickup: Right off the highway there's a little pizza place called Bernardo's Foothills that makes a stuffed steak stromboli big enough to feed three people. They also do cheesesteaks and Italian hoagie sandwiches. If you're going to takeout on the stromboli, make sure to call ahead 15 minutes. 11242 S. Foothills Blvd. Suite 15, 928-342-2034