Now that the colder weather is here and hockey and football games are running rampant across our TV screens, easy, hearty meals are always welcome. Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has several locations in Toronto, offers tasty burritos, tacos and burrito bowls, which can be tailor-made to your liking. I sampled the burritos and chips and guacamole at the Chipotle Mexican Grill at Shops at Don Mills recently.
The Chipotle Mexican Grill at Shops at Don Mills is located at the front of the mall, right beside Starbucks. Parking at the front of Shops at Don Mills is always a chore, so you may want to park at the mall’s parking garage closer to the back of the mall. Chipotle Mexican Grill is a very casual restaurant, but the location at Shops at Don Mills was very clean. I did not have to wait to be served, even though it was noon on a Saturday, and the serving staff were very friendly.
My dining partner and I both decided to order burritos. I chose black beans, cheese, vegetables, salsa, rice and guacamole for my burrito. My dining partner opted for a similar burrito, but chose to forego the rice and added lettuce. Other burrito options include steak, chicken, sofrita (tofu), carnitas (shredded pork), barbacoa (pork), pinto beans and sour cream.
First of all, the burritos at Chipotle Mexican Grill are huge. They cost $8.95 as a base price, which includes three ingredients, with add-on ingredients costing more.
We both agreed that the burritos were delicious, but they are extremely filling. I could eat only a half of the burrito and ended up saving the other half for dinner. The flavours were great, especially the salsa and guacamole; my only complaint was that the vegetables in the burrito included green peppers and onions and I found there were too many green peppers in my burrito, making it a bit too hot for me. My dining partner enjoyed her burrito, but decided that she would opt for the burrito bowl next time since without the tortilla shell, it would be less filling.
We ordered one order of chips and guacamole, since we had heard great things about Chipotle Mexican Grill’s guacamole. And yes, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s guacamole is fantastic. I love how smooth it was and not bland like some home-made guacamole dishes I have tasted. The guacamole is $2.25 and the chips are $1.20.
Chipotle Mexican Grill provided me with a few of their recipes and asked if I wanted to try and replicate them at home.
SALSA:
- 6 vine ripened tomatoes (diced)
- ½ red onion (finely chopped)
- 2 jalapenos (finely chopped)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chop tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and cilantro
- Combine all ingredients and season to taste
- Allow salsa to marinate for 30 minutes to let flavors combine
The salsa I made based on the recipe turned out well. I chose not to add jalapenos since I didn’t want the salsa to be too hot.
GUACAMOLE:
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 jalapeno, including seeds (finely chopped)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
- Toss and coat with lime juice.
- Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
- Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Taste the guacamole and adjust seasoning if necessary.
I could not seem to be my guacamole to taste as good as the one at Chipotle Mexican Grill even though I used their recipe. Oh well, one more reason to return to Chipotle Mexican Grill!
Disclosure: I received complimentary coupons to redeem at Chipotle Mexican Grill in order to write this review.
