With spring quickly approaching, I think back to Oct. 5, when I got some big news. The love of my life was coming into town. Chipotle is heading to Peoria.
The Peoria Journal Star confirmed the rumors flying around, and I finally have a place to eat besides McDonald’s, Subway or Jimmy John’s. Finally after eating it several times when I’m back in Minnesota, I can continue my sick obsession by eating Chipotle during the school year.
Sure, it’ll be further away but at least I have the opportunity to eat better food. Without a grocery store near campus, I have to eat fast food any time I run out of food or am not in the mood to cook.
Now don’t be that guy that says Qdoba is just as good as Chipotle. That’s similar to saying Burger King has better fries than McDonald’s, it’s just wrong and somewhat silly. Chipotle has a better quality of ingredients, a better atmosphere and simply more taste. Yes, Qdoba has more options to choose from, but just because Subway gives you options does not make it better than Jimmy John’s.
Chipotle is the equivalent to Michelangelo’s works in the Sistine Chapel, Fibonacci’s mathematical sequence or Da Vinci’s Code. The beauty of it can’t be replicated by another Mexican fast food service.
The chicken has the perfect caramelized flavor and the steak is grilled to a juicy, medium-rare level that melts in your mouth. The cilantro-lime rice is seasoned nicely for a unique taste, and don’t even get me started on the guacamole. Hands down, it’s the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted that isn’t homemade.
Did I mention the freshness of the ingredients? When entering the restaurant, you can smell the chicken, steak, barbacoa and carnitas dancing on the grill. The atmosphere is perfect with the incredible service, enjoyable layout and just a comfortable feel where you always want to return.
How can I not be excited after Chipotle played a two-and-half minute television spot during the Grammy’s? The ad showed how Chipotle’s ingredients come from local farms, and isn’t the pink globs that turn into hamburgers at McDonald’s. The owner of Chipotle, Steve Ells, testified in front of Congress in 2009 in an attempt to eliminate the use of antibiotics in ranching.
Do you realize how nice it will be to eat a quality burrito and the perfect recipe of chips and guacamole? I actually considered heading to La Bamba last week when my emotions nearly got the best of me.
If you have never been to Chipotle, but instead head to Qdoba or La Bamba for your Mexican food, be prepared to eat heaven. It’s like upgrading from Disneyland or Disney World to Six Flags for an amusement park. Sure, Disney can get the job done and is somewhat enjoyable but it will never be on the same level as Six Flags.
Chick-fil-A is also coming to Peoria, which will be a nice addition and will fit in well along with Popeye’s. I can already smell the spicy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries.
Credit Peoria for finally realizing they needed better food options, and giving me a reason to be around the Willow Knolls area on a regular basis. If you haven’t tried either Chipotle or Chick-fil-A before, you can thank me later.
