Chipotle

Chipotle is back to being awesome again because of the burrito bowl. Long gone are the days of nuking burrito leftovers or eating a poorly assembled burrito (like beans on one side, meat on the other end). I can eat all the ingredients together! Plus no tortilla means more room in my stomach. No leftovers! Yeah!

Boy, there are some lousy customers here. Holding up the line by asking for extras on everything that the workers have a hard time fitting the lids on the burrito bowls. Props to the workers who put up with that because I couldn't!

Not even close to the fairly low standards set by other Chipotle Resturants.

I do enjoy Chipotle. The food is invariably fresh and flavorful, and the price is not bad for what you get. But what I REALLY appreciate is the ability to completely customize my meal. This is super-important if you have dietary restrictions (like me), or finicky tastes (like my dear husband). Even better, Chipotle has a super-user-friendly nutrition calculator on its website.

The staff at this particular location are generally friendly and competent. The seating area is a bit different in that it's got a few smaller tables and then one big long communal table in the middle. You can pull up a chair next to a stranger, nod "hello", and tuck into that juicy carnitas burrito. It's not very Minnesotan (we're a little too attached to our personal space, aren't we?), but maybe that's not the worst thing in the world.