It isn’t often I head into Chipotle Grill, but it happens on occasion, and I think I’ve finally narrowed down my order of preference.
I’d dropped off Matt at a school function, and the new Fairfax Chipotle Grill on Picket Street was just … sitting … right … there, like a ring on a carousel for the plucking. So I plucked it.
A Large Burrito (burrito, not bowl), filled with grilled steak (grillled steak, not carnitas, nor chicken, nor barbacoa), pinto beans (not black beans), cilantro-lime rice (not plain rice), salsa verde and corn salsa (not hot sauces), shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and romaine lettuce, and there you have my current favorite flavor combination. I’m not sure exactly what this costs (though it is well-marked), but the bill, with a large Diet Coke and Fairfax City tax came out to $8.91. This is heavy, very salty – deceptively salty – food, that invariably makes me thirsty and bloated for several hours if not longer. I find myself spending a considerable amount of time at the water fountain. But I had this meal, with no chips, at around 3 in the afternoon, and wanted virtually nothing the rest of the night. Chipotle Grill’s burritos are generously portioned, fairly priced, and are most certainly a guilty pleasure of mine that I don’t mind succumbing to on occasion.
Perhaps *the* fast-casual model for all others to follow since all available flavors work together – the diner could throw a dart, and still come up with a winning flavor combination. Within its genre, Chipotle Grill is very well done. A case could be made for putting it in Italic in the Dining Guide, but, as tasty as it is, what it does well in consistency and flavor, it creates by using large amounts of calories, sodium, and fat. You could certainly do worse than Chipotle Grill.