Chipotle - Page 2

Good ain't the word. While a lot of their other stuff is par for the course Tex-Mex, the carnitas are above even a lot of local authentic taquerias around here. They have all of the flavor and texture, but none of the fat.

Thanks Chow, for ruining the fun. Around here I have access to a Chipotle, a Moe's, a Qdoba, a Baggia Fresh (that's all I'll call it now), and a nice local place called Frisco Burritoes.

Chipotle- Good burritoes, the corn salsa is a nice touch, Chips are waaayy too salty, and there's no queso to dip them in
Moe's- I actually like their ground beef in a quesadilla a lot, and their salsa is very garlicky and good, plus it's the closest to my apartment.
Baggia Fresh - I'm not a fan, I think everything is absolutely drenched in lime and onions, and the first time I had it I was happy to be near a bathroom.
Qdoba- Not bad, again on the salty chips. Good queso dip and good barbacoa.
Frisco-I love the Frisco burrito, they have their own barbeque sauce that tastes awesome.
The town half an hour to my north has a nice authentic mexican restaurant that has great combo platters, but when I go there, I tend to get enchiladas rather than a burrito.

Word. Those of you who visit Chipotle and have NOT tried the carnitas as your meat of choice are MISSING OUT. It's their best offering (with the barbacoa coming in second), and I will call you a FOOL for ordering the chicken or steak.

In case you want to spoil any fun you may have going to Chipotle, here's the Chipotle Nutrition Facts Calculator. FEAR IT.

http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php...ion_calculator

Also, Moe's blows in comparison.

Freebirds World Burrito.

When I'm hungry, I send the kid out for Baggia Fresh (Jesus, what has Paulie Walnuts done). I enjoy the option of dumping an assload of cilantro onto my food.

We don't have Chipotle in Philly, but there's a copy of it called El Fuego that people are addicted to. Ass-piss, every time. And I'd prefer to spend a few more dollars on an actual Mexican restaraunt if I'm going to be eating that badly.

Oh, I know it and love it, but I don't get back to TX that often!
THE BEST.

I have two Freebirds tshirts.

Dammit.

Look at that sodium - you might as well mainline tomato juice.

God, I love Chipotle so much. It's 9am and this thread is making me hungry...But Chipotle doesn't open for another 2 hours.

THERE ya go. I had forgotten about Freebird's.

LA BAMBA WENT OUT OF BUSINESS????

We just had a Baja Fresh open in my area. Never heard of Chipoltes, but it must taste like warmed over dog shit if you're telling me Baja is better. I've never had blander mexican food.

It's on Halloween, at least in Minneapolis, and the locations get so lackadaisical that all you have to wear is a smidgen of aluminum foil. I made a crown which promptly made me look like a fuckhead. The young'ns wore even less (around their wrists or around the neck) but we all got free burritos goddammit.

And on voting day, you get a free burrito with your "I voted" sticker which they then confiscate upon purchase so that you don't just walk right back in.

I heard they do something for Valentine's Day too, but I can't remember what it was. Wearing red or pink or something. All of this depends upon participating locations I suppose.

But still, two days a year where you get free food is two days more than most places.

I think they still do that. At my brother's store you had to make an effort, though. Once a guy came in with some tinfoil wrapped around his wrist and said "look, I'm a burrito." He said "No, you're not." and made him pay.

Well, thanks to this thread, I just got back from Felipito's after having a craving for it like a pregnant woman. It's been a good two years or so since I have been there (I no longer live anywhere near one) and it was like Christmas morning when you were a kid. That nice, warm feeling of stuffing my face with something I know is much worse than a McDonald's value meal, but loving every minute of it.

I washed it all down with a large horchata. Later, I plan on cracking my porcelain toilet with the fire of a thousand suns.

Can you give me directions to that place for the next time I go to Vegas?

Chipotle is better than Baja Fresh in my book. BF is a little too greasy and boring. And their salsa tastes like a fucking ashtray. I think the recipe might be tomatoes and cigarette butts. At Chipotle I recommend the burrito bowl, I'm sorry bol, to avoid bites full of nothing but rice.

This brings up a quirk of mine-- When I get a burrito at Chipotle (or anywhere that prepares them in front of you like that), I have them mix everything up before they wrap it. Some Burrito Artists do this readily, while others look at me like I just asked them to wipe their ass with my tortilla, then reassemble it. It's not that strange an idea-- I would ideally like to have some meat, cheese, rice and salsa in every bite.

Anyway, I recommend this practice to others, and I don't see why it isn't the default, aside from the fact that it takes them an extra 10 seconds.

That is a really excellent idea El Gray. The burrito artists who look at you like they have a problem with it should be put in jail for five years.

Freebirds was one of my wife's cravings when she was pregnant. Yeah, we got a t-shirt during those 9 months.

We have a place here in New Orleans that does decent burritos:

http://www.juansflyingburrito.com/

Also, thanks to the influx of hispanic workers we have mobile taqueria stands everywhere. Sadly we still have nothing like a Freebirds.

The main cross streets are Tropicana Ave. and Maryland Parkway. Strangely enough, it is right next to a sit down Mexican restaurant called Macayo's, which isn't that great when it comes to authentic food. On a boiling hot Vegas day, there really is nothing like get a honkin' cup of horchata to cool you down.

Felipito's info & directions

thanks.

I have only been back once in the last 3 years, and there wasn't a Freebirds where I went. A friend is coming to visit and I think I shall demand that a Freebirds be brought on the flight. Even cold leftover Freebirds is better than anything in this state.

BEGINS AS: Crunchy tacos barbacoa, with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and red chili.

ENDS AS: Firey poo.

The burning is so worth it, though. It's just a bit disconcerting when I realize that it smells exactly the same coming out as it did going in.

Chipotle is goodness. I usually opt for a bowl, but from time to time get the soft tacos. Here's another fun tip for you salsa lovers out there: ask them to mix the corn salsa and the green salsa on your dish. It is close to a masterpiece of condiment delight.

Speaking of free deals, the Chipotle I went to near my school had a thing where if you showed your college ID you would get a free drink.

So, a Pollo Loco just opened up in my old hood, and the new kid on the Mexican-fast food block is quite tasty. The old guard need to watch out.

Wow, America has fucking shitloads of chain restaurants. It's amazing how you're all familiar with the dozens that get brought up. We only have the American classics (McD's, Wendys, KFC, Pizza Hut) in Canada.

I'm quite jealous of the apparaent burrito availability. There is literally one cheap taco joint in downtown Montreal, and it's only good after the bar. Toronto only has a couple of Taco bells that I know of, and that's it.

ATTENTION FELLOW MONTREALER,

There's a Taco Bell in Pierrefond. And apparently, it's the first of many upcoming of them.

But still, there's a lack of Tex-Mex crap in here.

There are several Moe's down this way too that are really good. I like a burrito that's bigger than a shoe box.

Really, I thought Pollo Loco blew. I am comparing that to some non franchised rotisserie chicken spots. But even franchise wise Chicken Out blows away Pollo loco in that department. I was really disappointed in Pollo Loco the time I went.

I always liked Pollo Loco (They're everywhere here) although they used to have this one item a "Chicken Salad" bowl that's no longer on the menu. But good roasted chicken and mashed potatoes.

Although the cole slaw sucks.

No Chipotle or Qdoba around these parts, though I am fairly certain they having franchises in Atlanta and I wouldn't be surprised if they were in Charlotte or Raleigh (the other closest big cities) either.

We have Moe's, which is good, though I prefer a local taqueria called Taco Dog (in addition to burritos, quesdillas, tacos and more, they also serve a variety of regionally-themed grilled hot dogs and homemade corn dogs, hence the name).

I love doing this as well, and one of the fun collateral perks is that as soon as other people in line hear you do it, they think it's the best idea ever and they want in. This happens without fail; once I do it, I'll hear the three or four people behind me ask them to mix it up. They give that nasty look to each one. Awesome.

HOLYFUCKING SHIT!!!! That's as bad as eating a double whataburger.

I have never seen how anyone could think they could eat a burrito so big it could star in it's own porno and think that since it's got lettuce and some salsa on it that it was good for you.

Good idea on the mixing up. I'll try it the next time I get a burrito.

The last time I went to hang out with billylove in Atlanta, we went to a local burrito chain, but I don't believe it was Chipotle and it certainly wasn't any of the other places mentioned above. Nevertheless, it was good, but a lot of these places are so similar to me in terms of burrito taste, it's hard to tell them apart.

Anyway, about 7 years ago, when I was still a college student and living in the Atlanta area (before Moe's was around), I found a place called Maui Tacos in the town nearest my college. It was quite good from what I remember, but since I don't eat burritos continuously and don't have multiple places to sample from, it's kind of hard to compare. I just looked them up and they'd closed all their locations in the Atlanta area and it seems they are mostly located in airports and on university campuses now.

Don't worry. In a few years when we're out of oil and water, and having to eat Soylent Green I can look back on these days and sigh happily.

Geez, I'm starting to feel like Edward G Robinson right about now.....

It wasn't Willy's?

Just for shits and giggles I went and looked this up.

Here are the stats that Chowyunfrag gave on the Chipotle burrito

Chipotle Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Burrito (1 fixin from each item)
Amount Per Serving: 1

Calories 1424
Calories from Fat 570
Total Fat 63g
Saturated Fat 20.5g
Cholesterol 166mg
Sodium 3339mg
Total Carbohydrate 149g
Dietary Fiber 17.5g
Sugars 7g
Protein 65g

and here are the stats on a beef grilled stuffed burrito from taco bell.

Calories 680
Total Fat 30g
Saturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 55mg
Sodium 2120mg
Total Carbohydrate 76g
Dietary Fiber 9g
Sugars 6g
Protein 27g


Wow.

The thing that's misleading about these nutrition facts is that a Chipotle burrito weighs as much as a newborn, but more realistically at least twice as much as a Taco Bell burrito.

Everytime I've had one, its actually been a chore to finish.

Taco bell's Grilled stuffed burrito is pretty hefty as well....But probably not as heavy as chipotle's.

After my health scare last week I have no intention on eating either.

Very good point. I admit that I've usually finished a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito when I've ordered one, but I probably didn't need to finish it to have a pretty filling, satisfying meal. I could probably eat about half (with a bottle of water) and be as full as I would have been had I eaten a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke, and far more full than I would have been had I eaten one of Taco Bell's comparatively dinky offerings.

Sure, these deluxe burrito places aren't great for you, but McDonald's and Taco Bell are more insidious because you don't get full as easily. It's the Krispy Kreme conundrum - one doughnut barely registers, so you think you want another until you realize that the nutritional information is roughly the same as that of a three-tiered wedding cake.

Another thing to remember is that the Chipotle calculating includes everything on the table. It's basically a worst case scenario (beans, meat, cheese, SC, guac, etc.) I don't know many folks who get all that stuff. You can scale back on the fixings and get a reasonably nutritious meal. Still high on sodium regardless, but you could do a hell of a lot worse.

Not according to that calculator someone posted earlier. Basically, you can get a 'not going to kill you' meal if you have rice, veggies and beans plopped in a 25% post-consumer waste bowl.

It's still goddamn delicious, especially the carnitas. It's just so damn juicy.

True. I was experimenting with the calculator El Gray linked to above and figured out that I can get a fairly satisfying Chipotle meal (any of the meats, any of the salsas, with rice, faquita veggies, and cheese in a bowl) that's less than half the calories than the stats that Chowyunfrag posted. Eliminating the tortilla takes off a lot, as does eliminating sour cream or cheese (or both, though that's not a sacrifice I'm willing to make).

And, again, no one says you have to finish your meal. I'd be pretty content with about 3/4s (maybe even half) of a 684-calorie (312 calories from fat) chicken burrito bol with fajita vegetables and cheese.

Or you can get tacos, which eliminates rice, beans, and fajita veggies, and puts you in the more reasonable 5, 6, or 700s right off the bat (depending on cheese, sour cream, and guacamole).

You don't get these kinds of options at McDonald's or Taco Bell, and the portions there are small enough that you're damn near guaranteed to finish and possibly even still be hungry in a couple hours. Plus, even on a bad day, Chipotle or Qdoba still tastes way better than Taco Bell.

Playing with the calculator more, here's a question I have - why the fuck do their tortillas have 9 grams of fat?

You wouldn't think it, but I believe that's about standard. I double-checked here. Flour tortillas are just generally pretty high in fat.

Corn tortillas (the un refried kind) are low in fat since they're just made of corn and water, but flour tortillas are made with mutherfuckin' lard. S'why I always request corn tortillas at the taqueria.

That's still a big leap. I was seeing 4.5 grams for burrito-size tortillas from other brands, and to double that just seems odd. More power to them if they're actually using lard, though.

Zeus, "S'why"...really? What was the other thing you said a few days ago that somebody said "really?" too?

Tortilla's have oil in them too. But I agree that the notion that Chipotle is unhealthy and especially that is unhealthy compared to Mcdonalds is really dumb. Especially if you get a bowl with chicken as your meat, and don't get sour cream. Then you can't go wrong, cheese is no big deal, the fat in avacados/guacamole is good fat and sure rice is simple sugars but fuck it's not a problem. Beans are healthy, the salsas are not unhealthy. It's just sour cream and the barbacoa has a decent amount of fat to the level of a burger probably. And of course the portions are big. People don't usually go to taco bell and order only one item, they order like 3 tacos and a burrito. I've never seen anyone order two chipotle burritos.

*whistles*

Huh?