chipotle

after submitting my second proposal draft into my advisor’s office, and sitting through hours of committee meetings, all i wanted to do was relax. so i texted kel right in the middle of a meeting (yes, i’m horrible, but god help me for not screaming when everyone else is on their damn computer and/or crackberry and/or phone ALL the time) to arrange a last-minute red mango date. (and FYI that i’ve decided pinkberry and red mango are decidedly more fun when in the company of friends who totally appreciate the experience.)

as soon as i left my last meeting though, i realized that i was STARVING. which meant that food of some kind was necessary either before or after red mango. seeing as how kel had mentally prepared herself for red mango all morning, we decided to have that first. (totally delicious as always, though i chose to get a smaller size with fewer toppings, just so i could fit in real food afterwards. i know, what self-control. *IIPE*)

upon kel’s brilliant suggestion, we sauntered over to chipotle, which JUST opened last week. (and which had had a huge line for free burritos that went all the way around the corner. um yeah, i enjoyed lunch w/katie *much* better. um yeah, and i just realized that i *totally* forgot to write that review. ok ok, i’m on it. janet, you’re right. it’s ridiculous trying to keep on top of all these entries!)

ok, so FYI that i loooooooooooooooooooooooooove chipotle. ever since i had it in chicago, nothing’s been the same. and when i found out it was coming to westwood (and to broxton no less!), i was ECSTATIC. and i’ve been impatiently waiting for it to open ever since. as for why i love chipotle, i must admit that the food quality is just REALLY good for fast food. and i generally never eat fast food. and i generally don’t love mexican either. so for a fast food mexican place to get my two thumbs-up, you pretty much have to be THE BOMB. and that’s precisely what chipotle is.

the menu is simple and there aren’t many options. which, for a fast food place, is perfect. b/c the idea is to move people through as quickly as possible. the more options you have, the longer the wait. so the best approach is to make a few key items really really well. and that’s precisely what chipotle does. the place runs like an assembly line (which i’ve always found quite brilliant – thanks mr. ford!) and everyone has their specific tasks. and while newbies (like moi) can slow things down a bit, the process is pretty efficient as soon as the customer figures out what’s going on. (and no, it’s not that hard, but still overwhelming when you’re surrounded by hordes of hungry people!)

i decided to follow kel and see how she ordered, so that i could be properly schooled. unfortunately, she was the WRONG one to follow. (yes, kel, you know i had to blog about this!) b/c when my lovely friend was asked what she wanted in her burrito, she proceeded to reach over the plastic guard and point down w/her spoon. OMG. you should’ve seen the look on the dude’s face. i’m sure the gears were churning away. oh my lord, the health codes violated by THAT move. (no worries though, he proceeded to promptly tell her to keep her spoon – and her limbs – away from the food. and i’m sure he’ll be looking out for any possible delinquents going forward. so watch yourselves!) i must admit that it was the funniest thing ever! oh, especially when she tried to do it a SECOND time! talk about daring. (oh, kel, you know we love you.)

needless to say, i was somewhat distracted by all this pointing madness. but i managed to get myself a salad w/carnitas (OMG so good), black beans, roasted chili-corn, lots of cheese, and the indispensable guac. kel got the chicken burrito, and we pretty much both inhaled our lunches after plopping ourselves into some chairs outside.

when i was standing on line, i realized that their burrito must be quite iconic, because it was on all their gift cards! personally, i’m not a big fan of tortillas, so i generally don’t order anything that has them. however, i had a bite of kel’s and it was quite good. compared to the ones at rubio’s, they’re actually small in length, though they certainly make up for it in girth. (take that however you will.)

as i’m scanning their website, i’m actually quite impressed. seeing as how the internet has blown up over the past decade, it really takes a lot to keep me interested. and i must say that the website’s quite funny and quirky. (just make sure you have the sound on!)

considering how high the rents are in westwood, the big chains are probably the only ones that can keep up and stay in business. which works to chipotle’s advantage. more importantly though is the fact that the westwood location is actually called chipotle – UCLA BRUINS on the website. which hopefully means that chipotle should be here to stay! YAY!

build a chipotle and they will come...

chipotle – UCLA bruins
10777 broxton avenue
los angeles, ca 90024
310.824.4180

http://www.chipotle.com/#