Photo // Mira Costello

CHEERS. Preface staffers Rafael Tortolero and Mira Costello prepare for their first bite of elotickle.

By: Mira Costello and Rafael Tortolero

Editor-in-Chief, Multimedia Specialist

Usually, the news tips that find my inbox are pretty mundane. So, needless to say, the subject line “Elotickle!!!” definitely piqued my interest. (And yes, there were pictures.)

An elotickle (which I’m still not totally sure how to pronounce – which syllable am I stressing?) is…an elote pickle. For the sorry souls who haven’t had elote, also called Mexican street corn, it’s a grilled corn cob covered in creamy spread and topped with cotija cheese, chili powder and sometimes lime juice. As you can guess, we’re dealing with a pickle cob instead: half a large dill pickle covered with all the elote fixings.

This new creation is unique to Burri King, a restaurant just a stone’s throw east of campus on Mishawaka Avenue. After talking to Andres Botello, the Burri King employee who made our elotickles, we learned that the recipe was pitched to him by Bruce Reith, the local resident who sent in the tip (humbly, he took no credit for the creation when he suggested the story idea). 

Burri King has a substantial menu with plenty of ice cream, desserts, Mexican entrees and other unique creations like their “Dorielote,” which is sort of like a walking taco. But Doritos instead of Fritos. And elote toppings instead of taco toppings. You get the gist.

While we only ordered elotickles, we did have complimentary chips and salsa, and we received some pico de gallo by (happy) accident, which was all really good. 

So, how was it?!

Rafael says:

I overall really enjoyed the elotickle. I think the pickle’s texture made it a bit hard to eat on a stick since it kept slipping and it was hard to bite. Flavorwise, it’s what you’d expect, as a huge pickle fan I had never tried anything similar before. I think it’s a cool invention and an interesting way of mixing cultures. I’d recommend everybody to try it at least once, especially if you really like pickles and Mexican food. I do recommend you get a drink with it because I drank the entirety of my water bottle as soon as I got in my car.  The atmosphere of the place felt very casual and I was enjoying the music choices a lot. The staff was friendly and the rest of the food choices seemed very appealing. I think I’d like to try the elotickle again under different conditions, maybe as a midnight snack on a Friday night while watching a movie. 

Elotickle rating: 7.5/10

Mira says:

I’m not proud to admit how many times I bit the stick while trying to eat it, but that might just be user error. The pickle itself could have been a bit crunchier, but I think the briny flavor worked really well with the heat of the chili powder. If you have a low spice tolerance, this probably isn’t for you, but I enjoyed it and thought the creaminess of the cheese and spread helped cut the spice just enough. I don’t think I’d get an elotickle again, but I’m definitely glad I tried it, and I think diversifying the uses of elote toppings is an important humanitarian cause. I do want to go back to try the Dorielote and a mangonada. And maybe some ice cream for good measure.

Elotickle rating: 6/10

Note: The Preface did not receive any financial or other incentives to write this review, and the content was not sponsored or reviewed by anyone outside of The Preface.