Stephen Starr — the prized chef of Philadelphia and the man behind El Vez, Pastis, Buddakan, Le Coucou here — has started a new ghost kitchen concept out of El Vez on Vesey called Jackass Burrito. Yes, and it seems to roll right off the tongue, oddly. (When I was a kid my friend’s uncle had two dogs — Dammit and Shithead. No end of fun as a teenager to take those dogs for a walk.)

I would say this is a good addition to the takeout landscape. The menu is very small, which I find refreshing. They sell three things: burritos, burrito bowls and the accoutrement for the previous two items (four if you count Mexican coke and other sodas). There are six varieties of burritos, including a breakfast one and a rolled quesadilla for kids, each of which can be adjusted for proteins and bases — lettuce, rice, or brown rice and farro.

The combos are just a bit creative, enough so to make it feel like you are eating something kind of new. (Though I was immediately reminded of Benny’s on Greenwich Ave. when I saw the burrito.) And ordering is very simple on their site (vs. say Sticky’s, where you have to have the app, and even then it’s not easy). There is no chef attached to the project. I loved the Baja shrimp bowl over lettuce, though I asked them to hold the pickled jalapenos because I am a big baby. You’ll see my pics look a bit different than the pro pics after these were carried home, but close enough.

I am a sucker for good branding and it’s all gorgeous. That and the social media is clearly targeting the younger set, but hey, anyone among us can eat a burrito while wearing Chuck Taylor’s.

So of course a note on etymology: When Starr was thinking about the concept, he learned that burrito means “little donkey,” which can translate to jackass. And this is straight from the PR team: “It reminded him of when he was growing up and his aunt used to say to him ‘don’t be a jackass’ – and that memory brought on this warm and cozy feeling.”

Jackass Burrito
Order here or on all major delivery platforms
Sunday-Wednesday from 11:30a to 9p
Thursday to Saturday from 11:30a to 10p