Rock on

Mark Henriksen just can’t stay away from a good thing. The originator of Slick Rock Burrito sold his South Hill shop to manager Jeff Maupin a couple of years ago; last year, manager Tim Lannigan and partner Patti Tully (of Baby Bar fame) took over the downtown shop and changed the name to Neato Burrito.

Now the once-and-future burrito entrepreneur has opened his third Slick Rock Burrito enterprise, this time on Northwest Boulevard near Audubon Park (in the former Cielo Bakery location), where the majority of businesses are locally owned. “It kinda has that feel to it among the business owners,” says Henriksen. “They’re very supportive of each other, and I like that.”

He also likes doing the planning, ordering and cooking, and he knows his menu literally inside and out. The Website HappyCow.net rates Slick Rock as a vegan-friendly option, he says with pride. “Nothing has a meat or dairy product that isn’t specifically obvious,” he says. “The fajita veggies don’t have any meat or dairy, and none of the marinades do either.”

And yet, sadly, there is no tofu option on the menu. “We don’t have room for more ingredients,” he says. Granted, there is a full lineup of other choices, and in the spirit of full disclosure I am neither vegan nor veterinarian; I just really like tofu.

“When people think ‘burrito’ they think Mexican restaurant, but we’ve never positioned ourselves as Mexican,” Henriksen says. “We like to incorporate the flavors of the Southwest with roasted peppers and fresh-made salsas, and using chipotle peppers and marinades.”

My Thai chicken burrito ($6.50) was listed as a “specialty burrito” — as opposed to the “build-your-own” variety — and it was a tasty two-handed meal by itself. Starting with a spinach tortilla warmed in a steamer, Henriksen heaps on generous amounts of lime-cilantro rice, black beans, marinated chicken breast, shredded cheese, crunchy cabbage, sour cream and Thai peanut sauce for a spicy punch. The chicken was tasty but felt rather superfluous amid all the other good stuff.

Next time, I will probably opt for the Veggie Thai ($6) — maybe I’ll give that vegetarian thing a try. — M.C. PAUL

Slick Rock Burrito, 1908 W. Northwest Blvd., is open Mon-Fri 11 am-7:30 pm, Sat noon-6 pm. Call 327-0720.