A "Fat Boy Restaurant Review" © - Chipotle
The family and I went out for dinner last night at the new Chipotle Mexican Grill up the street from our house, our first time at this mexican chain restaurant (spun off from McDonalds - the purveyor of all that is wrong in fine dining).
It had two strikes against it before I walked in:
1. It’s not Armadillo Grill. This is my favorite Tex/Mex place in the world, and the restaurant that our family frequents most regularly. It’s inexpensive and feeds the family very well. The Queso is the best I’ve ever eaten. Unfortunately, there isn’t one near our house. It’s near work, and near our church, but if we’re at home, the options are limited.
2. It’s part of a huge chain, albeit one that proclaims it’s freshness and lack of chemicals - IT’S ORGANIC! WOOOO! Any chain, by its very nature, is not going to be as good as the local “mom & pop” or small local chain. That may be a personal bias, but I have never found an exception to this rule.
It did have one thing going for it prior to our arrival.
It’s not Moe’s. We would eat here when the Tex Mex addiction needed a fix, and we weren’t downtown or in Wake Forest.
Never again.
Our first impression was when we weren’t screamed at when we walked in the door “WELCOME TO CHIPOTLE”. Good thing.
The menu is limited. Very limited. Worrisome thing, but we’ll see.
There’s no queso? Uh oh.
We got burritos, the wife and I steak, oldest son, chicken. Surprisingly, they were very good. It’s all about the options - similar to Moe’s - you tell them how you want it (burrito, tacos, etc.) and what you want on it. That’s pretty much it. You buy chips as a side with your choice of 4 salsas or guacamole. The guacamole was very good.
The bottom line is this. It was good. It’s certainly no Armadillo Grill, but it is better than Moe’s, if for no other reason than they don’t well at you as you walk in. I think the meat used as filling may be better than the ‘Dillo’s, but the total package at the Armadillo Grill, with the phenomenal queso and chips, will keep me loyal to my favorite. For a quick fix, convenient to home, Chipotle will do just fine.
It’s interesting that you mention the queso - I’ve heard several complaints that “queso” is the one ingredient missing from the chipotle menu. Myself when I go to qdoba it’s only because I really want to have a “queso chicken” burrito which has melted cheese in addition to the shredded variety.
Since chipotle has added a few ingredients to their menu over the years (e.g. the salad lettuce and salad dressing) I often wonder if “queso fundido” will ever be one of them.
http://whilst.blogspot.com/2006/08/last-night-i-wanted-quick-easy-and_21.html
http://whilst.blogspot.com/2006/08/chipotle-nutrition-facts-serving-size.html
Sorry it is two posts. I lurved Chipotle…but damn if I need to spend my entire day’s allotment of calories and fat there. Watch out! And def stay away from the Whole Foods burritoes.
From my friend at http://www.whiningschoolboy.blogspot.com:
We at at Moe’s last night in Garner, and the yell was half-hearted at best. You know the employees hate it. I think it’s due the same fate as the old Blockbuster customer assault from years (decades? yikes.) ago, which is to say the life-support plug will one day be pulled.
My folks were just visiting, and they, literally (and pathetically), NEVER cook a meal for themselves anymore. They eat out every day, which is tedious when you’re stuck with them for a while, not to mention hell on everyone’s sodium levels. So Friday I put together a home-cooked chicken cacciatore dish for us all, as a form of quiet rebellion. My dad eats anything, so no problem for him; however, my mom stared at her plate as if an alien was on it. Guess I should have included a loaded baked potato on the side.
Not that I’m bitter.