Jun. 14—Ooh, that smell. Can't you smell that smell?

It's kind of fitting that the song "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd came on as I am typing this column about the famed Burrito Lady in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights.

Because, yes, I can smell that smell — and it's burning hot green chile that is making me cough before I even get a bite in.

If you haven't heard the news, Consuelo Flores, owner of The Burrito Lady, plans to retire at the end of the year — likely bringing to an end the story of a local staple that has served up, if I had to guess, hundreds of thousands of burritos to customers since 1998.

Many years ago, my mother worked in the office of a company then called Premier Home Care. The company's office was in the area, and my mom frequented the eatery.

Fast forward to my teenage years when I began driving. Those are my earliest memories of The Burrito Lady, which I tried when I was seeking out the city's best breakfast burrito. I've gone to Burrito Lady many times since then — I'm 28 now — and have never had a bad meal there.

On Wednesday, I started my day by placing a phone call to The Burrito Lady. I ordered three burritos: The supreme burrito ($6), the chicharrones breakfast burrito ($7) and the steak and eggs breakfast burrito ($7.50).

Shortly after, I drove to the restaurant and picked up my order — $24.75 for all three after a tip. Flores' restaurant is unassuming, standing in a crumbling shopping center on the corner of Eubank and Lomas boulevards NE that used to house Desert Reef & Exotics, which, if you were a kid, was the next best thing to the ABQ BioPark Zoo.

Inside, The Burrito Lady feels more like grandma's house than a restaurant. Photos of youth football teams and old newspaper clips fill the space, and poster boards with a make-shift, Sharpie-written menu greet customers near the register.

Anyone who knows good, home-cooked food knows that's typically a good sign. The burritos Flores makes are no exception.

After I picked up my meal, knowing I had three burritos, I drove to my parents' house in Martineztown and unwrapped all three. Luckily, my dad was still there and just leaving for work, so I took a bite of the chicharron breakfast burrito and handed it over to him. The burrito featured potatoes, eggs, chicharrones and lots of green chile. The chicharrones were cooked the way any good New Mexican wants them: crunchy on the outside, soft and greasy inside.

I next took a bite of the steak and egg burrito, which featured pieces of steak, scrambled eggs and, again, lots of green chile. It was good. But I left the burrito for my sister, who was not at the house because she was working out at the gym (Destiny, I hope you ate the burrito).

Lastly, I ate the supreme burrito — one of my favorites in the Albuquerque area. Carne adovada, bacon, ham, potatoes, eggs and, one last time, lots of green chile fill this burrito. Did I mention the green chile is hot? Like, really hot?

Considering you've read through most of this, I think you have the impression that The Burrito Lady makes good — no, great — breakfast burritos. They are among my favorites in town, next to the recently closed Gloria's New Mexico Burritos & More and the often-recommended New Mexico Beef Jerky Company near Downtown. If you're looking for something outside of the city, try El Parasol, specifically the Española location at 603 Santa Cruz Road.

But back to The Burrito Lady. Flores also sells baked goods like cookies and cake at her restaurant, as well as a breakfast casserole and many other home-cooked meals.

Sadly, the end of The Burrito Lady is nearing if Flores doesn't find a buyer, as she told Journal retail reporter Kylie Garcia in a recent article. But I'm going to enjoy her food while it lasts.

"Simple Man" also played as I was writing. Somehow, it made sense. A song about holding on to what matters — and this burrito joint, to me, is one of those things.