chipotle grill

I was cross-border day-tripping to Watertown, NY when I spotted the heavenly sign. Chipotle, Mexican Grill. That-a-way left to the promised land. This is where the magic happens. Each ingredient is laid out in front of you so you can customize your perfect meal. For me, it’s the Burrito Bowl. It’s a burrito, in a bowl and filled with dreams, so the slogan goes. Served in a bowl, built on a foundation of brown rice and black beans, topped with zesty adobo-marinated steak, bathed in fresh tomato salsa, adorned with creamy guacamole, and garnished with crisp romaine lettuce and aged white cheddar and jack cheese. This perfect meal is hearty, filling, zesty, refreshing, savoury, fresh and comforting. It will make you obsess for more. And it was the best thing I ate this month.

Is it sad that one of my favourite places to eat in Toronto is Chipotle Mexican Grill? I mean, T.O. is home to a bevy of gourmet restaurants and we choose to eat at a fast casual dinning spot. We actually plan out our outings around this place. It helps that Chipotle is on Yonge and Eglinton which is near pretty much everything. Oh, as an aside, if you need sweet cheap kitchen stuff, check out Kitchen Stuff Plus on Yonge street, just a few blocks down from Chipotle.

Here’s how Chipotle works. You choose between burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads. Then you customize with your choice of meats or you go veggie like I did. Then come the fillers. Guacamole, salsa, cheese, beans, corn, fajita vegetables, lettuce and cilantro-lime rice. That rice is sick and one of the things that sets this place apart from Adobo or Qdoba. My veggie burrito was the size of a small poodle. Their slogan is “It’s not just a burrito. Its a foil-wrapped, hand-crafted, local farm supporting, food culture changing cylinder of deliciousness.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. If you’re in Toronto, go now. If you’re in Ottawa like me, petition. Cause I need to feed my addiction.