3705 S. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
(714) 754-7380
www.chipotle.com

Hey folks, I’m sure you have all heard of Chipotle Mexican Grill or at least driven by it…well if you haven’t…I think it’s about time you get off your deserted island, dark cave, crushed under a rock, etc…pick whatever euphemism you would like Anywho, it’s a chain restaurant that is known for their massive burritos, which can be customized any way you like. NOW…is it better than a mom and pop shop?

Of course not haha. However, the reason why I brought up Chipotle is because it is (at least to me) a better alternative to other local chain restaurants that you might think about, say McDonalds, or Taco Bell when you are in a hurry, but also want some decent food. It’s definitely a notch up, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a replacement if you are looking for a really good place to dine and enjoy your food.

The reason why I even decided to review Chipotle is because while I was up in northern California, I had the chance to try Iguanas Burritozilla, and it reminded me a lot of Chipotle. Well…now that I’ve eaten at Chipotle again after a two year hiatus, I can tell you for sure Iguanas is a notch up. The reason why I wouldn’t give Chipotle the nod or the same handshake is because of the way they marinate their meat, its far inferior to Iguanas’ meat. Igunas seems as if they took their time to make their meat and offer you good, flavorful, perfectly seasoned meat. Chipotle’s carnitas, steak, chicken, barbacoa all taste over seasoned and way too dry to me….the driest of all the meats would have to be the steak, don’t bother with it. If you want some flavor, just get the barbacoa, at least it’s simmered in a broth.

This doesn’t mean Chipotle is not a good place to enjoy food by any stretch. Give it a try if you are craving fast food, because this definitely can satisfy that feeling. Just beware that even though their burritos are big, so are their prices. I don’t mind the cost of the individual burrito itself, which is about a $5.95 average ( a little on the high end), but to charge $1.65 for guacamole is ridiculous. A couple of my friends do agree as well that $1.65 for mashed up avocado is just plain stealing (it’s basically just mashed up avocado because I don’t really taste any other seasonings in it). Just a word of advice though, get the gucamole and sour cream on the side or else be ready for a big mess while you are eating

Qdoba Steak, Black Bean, Rice & lettuce burrito simple yet effective….i could eat this shit every day.

Ontem fomos até o Si Señor de Pinheiros. Para quem não conhece, esse é um restaurante mexicano (alguns deles era o antigo El Kabong – ainda iremos postar a respeito deste).Tem uma variedade de comidas mexicanas, desde tacos, burritos, até batatas com chilli ou coisas inusitadas do tipo “temaki de guacamole“. Para quem nunca comeu comida mexicana, essa é uma boa pedida, e bom também para iniciantes em pimenta! =)

Fomos lá atrás do Sweet Chilli Pepper, o famoso sorvete com pimenta. Mas acabamos por pedir antes para aperitivo, o La Bamba. Que decepção!

A primeira vez que comi o La Bamba foi no El Kabong! de Moema – que se eu não me engano também virou Si Señor!. O La Bamba é uma porção de variados aperitivos: onion rings, batatas com cheddar e bacon, pedaços de frango e jalapeño poppers. Em Moema, a porção veio muito parecida com o a foto que estava no cardápio, mas essa de Pinheiros… nossa, veio tão pouquinho, tão ralinho, tava beeeeem pobre. Bem, tudo bem, viemos atrás do sorvete com pimenta mesmo… vamos lá…

Pedimos um drink chamado LONG ISLAND ICE TEA. Vem bastante coisa, coca-cola, rum, whisky, e não sei mais o que… De Moema, o drink é excelente, caprichado e docinho… De Pinheiros não é ruim, mas eles colocaram pouca bebida alcóolica e ficou meio amargo… Não é mal, mas se você quiser tomar o verdadeiro LONG ISLAND ICE TEA, peça no Si Señor de Moema.

Finalmente, pedimos o sorvete (Sweet Chilli Pepper), e pedimos para CAPRICHAREM na pimenta – experiências anteriores mostraram que temos que fazer esse pedido – e quando veio o sorvete… CADÊ a pimenta??? CAPRICHAR na pimenta para eles foi o mesmo que TIREM TODA A PIMENTA DO SORVETE. Okay, reclamamos, e eles trouxeram outro com pimenta. Não o bastante como da primeira vez que fomos (na época ainda El Kabong de Moema), mas foi bom.

Por último, finalizando, um amigo nosso quis pagar em VR, e eles disseram que só aceitam na hora do almoço. Bem, que diferença faz? Acho ridícula essas burocracias de que VR só pode ser gasto no almoço e durante o expediente, mas infelizente, estamos em um país em que as coisas funcionam assim. Vamos passar todos cartão de crédito então… eheheheh =)

Em suma, não é um restaurante ruim, mas se você puder optar, vá no Si Señor de Moema. A última vez que fomos deve fazer uns três ou quatro meses, mas acredito (espero!) que eles não tenham mudado a qualidade que tinha quando era El Kabong!. Ainda estaremos por lá, e vamos analisar e postar aqui para vocês.

Informações do restaurante: www.sisenor.com.br

Postado por: YuMi.

Itrema – The mexican grill

UPDATE 2x: Joe from Chipotle wrote me back, how cool! Thanks, Joe!

Becky,

Thank you for writing us, and we are actually looking into a Twitter association for the future, so we appreciate your suggestion. As for Facebook applications, and the like, we’re considering those too, although most are extremely annoying and unwelcome to many folks. We’ll keep working on it though, and we appreciate your interest in helping us out!

Sincerely,

Joe Stupp
Chipotle

UPDATE (9/10): Yeah, no one from Chiptole ever wrote me back… Knew it was too good to be true. Still hurts a tiny bit.

Hey Chipotle, if you need some counsel around how to mobilize (rather than ignore) your product evangelists in the social media space, drop me a note. Think it could be a powerful strategy for you guys!!

Just wrote my favorite Mexican grill folks a customer feedback note. The form says they’ll write back personally… I find it tough to believe they can manage that with the volume of loyal eaters around, like me! Anyway, found this cool image on their site of my hometown, St. Louis.

The Chipotle Has Landed

Funny thing, the giant burrito is literally a block away from FH’s office. (I wish there was a Chipotle in downtown STL… mmmm.)

Pour ceux qui ont déjà prévu un départ aux Etats-Unis dans l’Utah, l’Arizona ou le Nevada, je vous propose un petit arrêt sympa au Cafe Rio.

Sur le site vous trouverez différents menus plus typiques les uns que les autres avec la possibilité de commander en ligne et de voir les réactions de clients!

C’est plus vrai que nature!

Hay Caramba!