Chipotle Mexican Grill
176 Providence Hwy
Dedham, MA 02026
(781) 329-2332
Dedham, MA 02026
(781) 329-2332
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Restaurants, Mexican Restaurant
URL:
www.chipotle.com
Green Tags: all natural meats, naturally-raised meat (not hormones or anti-biotics),recycling, vegan /vegetarian options
Good Tags: beer, burrito, cheap, inexpensive, quick, salsa, small patio, tasty burritos, vegan /vegetarian options
I had never eaten at a Chipotle in my life until recently. Since a lot of people I know are obsessed with Chipotle, I was pretty excited to try it, but then when I finally did, I was disappointed.
It's honestly not that good. The selection is limited and uninspired. I highly prefer Qdoba. Chipotle's vegetarian burrito is rather heavy on the onions, and I HATE onions. So, no thanks.
I'm with Red Alert - Chipotle holds its own better than you'd expect.
Boston's got plenty of good b'rito joints, but if you're ever unfortunate enough (as I sometimes am) to be on the ol Providence Highway in Dedham, and you need some grub - the Chipotle's about as good as your going to do.
And they do have some good initiatives that make them greener than your average fast food joint - which they are after all. Not only do they have recycling and the aforementioned 'all natural' meats, but they also offer way better 'down the foodchain' options like bean and veggie burritos. So you can feel pretty OK-ish about the food choices too.
My only real problem with Chipotle is that as a chain, they seem to turn their burrito artisans over more frequently than the smaller joints - so the burrito makin' trainin' aint there....the result is often a poorly distributed filling situation. And there's nothing I despise more than an unevenly filled burrito...all beans on one side, meat down the bottom, cheese and salsa party at the top...who wants that?
So watch the technician as he/she makes the wrap to thwart any filling imbalances...
I know it's totally uncool to admit you are in love with a chain restaurant, but having been the kind of person who was chosen last for the whatever-team in high school, I've never been too concerned with being cool. I've always been more interested in telling it like it is. This is precisely is why I can freely admit the following, straight-faced and without hesitation: I am obsessed with Chipotle (though I think calling it "Chipotle Mexican Grill" is taking it a little too far). Hey, at least they're not owned by McDonald's anymore, right?
The food at Chipotle is quite good, the price is right ($5.65), and the portions scream Made In America. I am a huge fan of the Vegetarian burrito (organic black beans, cilantro-lime rice, green peppers, and red onions), topped with fresh pico de gallo, roasted chili-corn salsa, romaine lettuce, guacamole (vegan-safe!), homemade Tomatillo Green- or Red-Chili Salsa, and loads of Tabasco's Chipotle hot sauce. They will seriously give you all the salsas you want and won't even look at you funny. I sort of love them for that.
There is something about the chips that is delightful, too. A hint of lime flavoring and sea salt, perhaps? Whatever it is, the chips are definitely worth the low cost. And it fills my need to eat all the guacamole I possibly can in one sitting for only $2.50.
I can't say I'm thrilled about the fact that Chipotle serves naturally-raised meat, because this really says nothing of the condition the animals are forced to "live" in, which I'm sure is deplorable, but it's certainly better than nothing. At least this restaurant isn't poisoning their customers with hormones and anti-biotics! This step in the right direction points to a willingness to think a little bit green, and for this I'm just a touch thankful.
Oh, and be sure to read the propaganda on your drink cup.
Restaurants
Big Picture
When you go out to a restaurant for your food, it's easy to assume that restaurateurs care about the food they are giving you – where it comes from, what’s been added to it, and how far it had to travel to get to you. But what's going on behind the scenes? It’s time to explore the art of dining out and being green – not so easy in Boston, but getting easier. The more questions we ask, the more we will inspire change.
Factoids n' Stuff
- Your average cheeseburger accounts for approximately 6.3 - 6.8 lbs of carbon emissions. (Jamais Cascio, "The Cheeseburger Footprint" January 2007)
- Reusing a glass jar 5 times at home can save about half of the energy a commercial packager consumes to make 5 disposable containers. (Pimentel, David, and Marcia Pimentel. Energy use in food processing for nutrition and development, accessed September 1, 2006.)
- In 2005, American farmers used more than 22 million tons of chemical fertilizers, turning agriculture into a leading source of water pollution in the U.S. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,"U.S. Fertilizer Use and Price. September 25, 2006, accessed October 13, 2006.)
- Approximately 80% of U.S. ammonia emissions come from livestock manure on factory farms. (Doorn, Michael R.J., et al. Review of Emissions Factors and Methodologies to Estimate Ammonia Emissions from Animal Waste Handling, Research Triangle Park (NC): Environmental Protection Agency, 2002: ii.)
- Herbicide tolerant GE (genetically engineered) crops have created weed resistance, causing pesticide use to increase by 70 million lbs between 1997 and 2003. (SustainableTable.org)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, found in Teflon (a chemical used to make nonstick pots and pans) and paper plates, has been found to cause cancer in animals. Once released into the environment, PFOA does not break down and remains there indefinitely. (Environmental Working Group "Is There an Extra Ingredient in Nonstick Pans?" July 2005)
What Goes In?
Where does the food come from? What kinds of chemicals or drugs are already in the food? Are there steroids, antibiotics, or hormones in the meat? Is the food fresh or did it come from a can? How is the food prepared? What kinds of pots and pans are being used?
What Comes Out?
Does the food taste good? Are the portions too big? How much food is wasted? What do they do with that wasted food? Throw it away? How is the food being served – are they served on plastic, paper, or real dishes? Do they use paper or linens for tablecloths, napkins, and place mats? Do they recycle? Are they encouraging you to recycle?
How's it Run?
Do the employees seem happy and healthy? Do they take the time to explain what you are getting – i.e., do they know where the food comes from and are they happy to tell you about it? Do they have a genuine care for quality rather than quantity? What is their dishwashing process? How do they clean the restaurant? What do they use to wipe down the tables/bar? How do they wash their linens?
What They Care About
Do they understand the interest in organic and local foods and do they know why that’s important? Have they researched local suppliers and do they think about meeting the farmers or fishermen who provide them with food? Are they thinking of ways to offer more natural choices, or do they just care about making a buck?
What to Ask
- What’s been added to my food?
- Where does my food come from?
- Is this food local, organic, or both?
- Does this meat come from a factory farm, or was it naturally raised?
- How far did my food have to travel to get to my mouth?
- How was my food prepared?
- What do you do with the leftover food? Do you compost it?
- What kinds of chemicals do you use to wash dishes and clean the restaurant?
- What are you doing to help the negative impact that the mainstream food supply currently has on the environment?
- Do you know what your carbon footprint is (given all the different foods you are providing) and what are you doing to offset your carbon footprint?
- What are you doing to conserve the energy, water, and resources your restaurant uses?
What to Do
- Buy local – find out what on the menu is local and choose that!
- Choose organic items from the menu.
- Eat a little less animal protein, and get high quality naturally raised meat – you saw the stats above – you CAN make a difference.
- Ask a lot of questions – you’ll know what’s up by how your questions are answered and it’s the only way to make the restaurant aware that their customers are paying attention.
- Take your own bag or container for leftovers – pretty self explanatory but this makes a huge difference.
- Split your meal – most restaurants provide us with out of control serving sizes – split more and waste less!
- Get an appetizer instead of an entrée – saves you money and the serving sizes are smaller so there is less wasted.
- Look for restaurants that use cast iron or stainless steel pots and pans.
