Nurturing my inner... deep-fried decadence

How could I have forgotten about this place! The Tortilla Factory in Herndon.  When was the last time I had been there?  Two years ago?!  Three years ago?!  The travesty!  What has kept me away?  Have I been so bewitched by an abundance of proficient and readily available chain restaurants that I was temporarily blinded?  Or perhaps because it's tucked away in a half-abandoned, skanky strip mall that I loathe to even drive past?  (Yeah, that's it.)  Well, don't be fooled by the rough and tumble, your-tires-may-be-stolen-right-off-your-car-while-you're-inside, exterior.  Personal safety aside, they have the best chimichanga I've ever eaten.

When I went there this most recent time, I was alone.  And I was not going to eat there, alone.  (Not without a can of pepper spray in my hand and my eye to the door.)  So I got take out.  (In daylight.)

For about $9.00, you get quite the heavy box of wonderful Mexican fare.  (Back your car around, if it still has tires that is, it's of substantial volume.)

Chimichanga or deep fried suitcase?
It surely was the size of some Samsonite.

Like a giant, well-crafted dumpling, the edges were folded so neatly.  And though this doughy purse had obviously been deep fried, it still appeared light and crispy.  Not greasy.  (How they do that?)

Attention to detail is apparent. Made
with love. (And lard.)

The over the top part though, is the guacamole cream sauce.  Oh. My. My.  It's killer!  You add that creamy, tangy, velvety topping to the crackly, chewy, meaty chimichanga and your voyage to cloud nine has begun.  Silky smooth refried beans with cheese and light, fluffy Spanish rice are the perfect sidekicks.

I did my best recreation of their plating when
I got it home. (And I like my plates better
than theirs.)

Enough of the artsy stuff.  It was time to cut open this fried pillow that encapsulated hearty, tender, moist, shredded chicken.  And let me tell you, it was jam packed with gobs of it!  (A whole coop!)  And I have to note, it must have something to do with a flash frying technique, but there was no drying out of anything.  The Tortilla Factory does this perfectly right.  I'm beholden to their expert craftsmanship.

Possibly had an entire chicken in there.

As much as I wanted to down the entire chimichanga in one sitting, my stomach capacity (and my perceived calorie count of the entire madre load being over an entire day's worth of calories) would not permit it.  I knew it would lose some of the crispy factor when I heated up the remaining half the next day, but that was a small price to pay for the immediate moment's bliss.  The half I did snarf down (like mad) was so ridiculously good that first day, that I could forgive the second day's shortcomings with nary a second thought.  No disappointment here.

It's a pity when important things like wonderful, wacky, holes-in-the-wall are forgotten in the rush of a busy life of cookie cutter convenience.  I'm going to add a reminder to my Outlook calendar to go back in a couple months, instead of forgetting again for a couple years!  (Yeah, my memory ain't what it used to be.  I'm not ashamed to employ technology as a helping hand!)