Chipotle Grill offers fresh, green eating

The five items on Chipotle’s menu may be considered fast food in the timing sense of the term. The food does come out quickly. But in terms of the environment, nutrition and flavor, Chipotle is definitely a leader in the slow-food movement, preserving the cultural integrity of the cuisine and the food sources associated with it.

Chipotle isn’t just a new chain restaurant in the region – there’s only one other in the state in Newington – it’s also the first chain restaurant of its kind in terms of its mission to use only unprocessed, organic, seasonal food from sustainable sources, especially the family farm

The menu is referred to as “food with integrity,” and Chipotle claims to serve more naturally raised, hormone-free meat than any restaurant in the country.

The way this is accomplished is by offering a limited menu – Burritos, Fajita Burritos, Burrito Bowls, Tacos and Salad, all of which range in price from $6.25-$6.65, depending on the protein or vegetarian options you choose to put in them.

This is how it works. The food is self-service, cafeteria-style. You choose one of the five items on the menu and then select what that item, let’s say a burrito, will feature. Choices include grilled chicken ($6.25) or grilled steak ($6.65), both of which are marinated in a chipotle adobo; Carnitas ($6.65), naturally raised slow-braised and shredded pork; Barbacoa ($6.65), naturally raised, slow-braised shredded beef; and Vegetarian ($6.25), which includes homemade guacamole and black beans.

But picture those as the beginning of the dish to which you add your own choice of ingredients, including shredded romaine lettuce, five types of homemade salsa, guacamole, hand-grated jack and cheddar cheeses, sour cream, pinto beans, black beans and cilantro-lime rice.

So that deceivingly simple menu suddenly has the potential for hundreds of variations on a theme.

We tried a Steak Fajita Burrito, Soft Barbacoa Taco and a Chicken Burrito.

On the taco, we first had the salsas to consider and chose the milder, fresh tomato with onion, jalapeno and fresh cilantro. To that, we added hand-mashed guacamole with fresh Haas avocado, lime and more fresh cilantro, hormone-free sour cream and shredded cheese and romaine lettuce. There is no iceberg at Chipotle. It’s not nutritious or local enough.

This was one of the freshest, brightest-tasting tacos we’ve ever had. The garden freshness of the veggies and the salsa balanced with cool of the sour cream and guacamole, and the rich, savory beef was to die for.

The same could be said for the fajita, with the spicy marinated steak and the citrusy and slightly hot Tomatillo Green Chili Aalsa we chose along with sour cream and lettuce.

Finally, we paired the grilled chicken burrito with the earthy, slow-cooked (never fried) black beans flavored with cumin and garlic and our favorite ingredient ever – the steamed cilantro-lime white rice, which was so delicate and infused with fresh flavors, we could have easily eaten a bowl of it all by itself.

With our meal, we went for a bag of freshly made Chips and Guacamole, a deal and a flavor feat at $3.15.

For drinks, Chipotle has some fountain and bottled sodas and juices, Margaritas ($4.25) and a nice choice of bottled beers, including several from Mexico like our choice of Cerveza Pacifico Clara ($3.90), a Mexican pilsner.

Chipotle also has a nice children’s menu, which all include tortilla chips and a drink.

Junior can choose from a Small Cheese Quesadilla ($3.10) with a side of rice and beans. That’s about half the price of a kid’s meal at a fast-food hamburger place and probably twice as nutritious. Kids can also select a Small Meat and Cheese Quesadilla with rice and beans ($3.70); a Single Taco ($3.70), crispy or soft, with a side of rice; and a Taco Kit ($4.15), two tacos the kids get to “build” themselves.

But the food isn’t the only thing that has been given a lot of thought at Chipotle. All the stores use the same basic building materials – dark wood, exposed silver air ducts and chrome – but they’re all configured in a different way so that no two are alike.

Each restaurant also plays world music on “Chipotle Radio,” which you can listen to on its uber-hip Web site, and all the art work in all the restaurants are original Mayan-inspired pieces from Colorado artist Bryce Gueswel, who also designed the fashion-forward chairs for the restaurant.

Even Chipotle’s recycle stations look like sculptures.

This a very hip place that makes you feel like you’ve done something really good for yourself and the earth, simply by eating something delicious.