By Dennis Chu on July 1, 2011 • ( Leave a comment )

CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL

Address: 186 State Route 35, Eatontown, NJ 07724

Oh Chiptole, how you hold a place in my heart.

I remember my first time going to Chipotle was in New York City in 2005, and just absolutely loving every aspect of it. My one friend had initially said that he heard the portions were small, so we decided to each get two burritos during lunchtime. Yep, that was a huge mistake (both literally and figuratively). I was so stuffed after the first burrito that I could barely even look at the second burrito. Since then, I have learned never to underestimate the amount of food that Chipotle gives you. I was really delighted when I found out that there was one right on campus at Purdue, and even more thrilled when during my first winter break back from school, I saw there was another one opening up at the mall by my house.

The thing that I love about Chipotle is that I always know what to expect when I’m there: great tasting food, really fresh ingredients, and expeditious service. Both the Chipotle at school and at home consistently deliver to these expectations and that’s what keeps driving me back for more. After hearing various things from friends about what you can do to customize your meal at Chipotle, I’ve come up with my perfect meal, rich with both flavor and a huge portion. Just follow these steps:

Order any burrito bowl coupled with any kind of meat. I usually go with the chicken.
Ask for three soft shell tortillas on the side. They’ll give these to you for free.
Load up with your salsas and your toppings. I’m a fan of the “mild + hot salsa” combination, added with some sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.
Ask for some salad dressing on the side. Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette dressing is truly killer, and they’ll throw this in for free as well.
Pay (obviously).
Take a bottle of the Chipotle Tabasco sauce over to the table. Shake a bit of it over your burrito bowl. Add in the honey vinaigrette dressing and mix it up. Then, put it onto your soft shell tortillas and enjoy three tacos plus your extra filling in your burrito bowl!

Every time I walk out of that place eating that meal, I am as stuffed as a bear. And it was only $7! That’s crazy!

Here are my rankings for this Chipotle location:

Food: 5 / 5
Ingredients always look and taste fresh. There are just a ton of combinations that you can go for.

Atmosphere: 5 / 5
Clean tables and a really spacious dining space.

Service: 5 / 5
From the time it takes me to order my food to the time it takes me to hand over my money, it’s usually less than a minute and a half. That’s pretty darn fast, and the employees are really nice too.

Price: 4.5 / 5
This past time I went in, I noticed that the prices had gone up by just a bit, but I still am impressed with the amount of food I can get. Great bang for your buck.

Overall: 19.5 / 20 (98%)