One of my other gigs is being restaurant critic
for the Culver City News. When I helped man their
table at the business fair in July, I tried some
of the guacamole and chips at the Chipotle booth
and went nuts for them!
Because I oft-times don’t think of frequenting
chain eateries, figuring that I can eat at them
any time, I miss out on some places that my friends
already love. This is one of them. I’m so
happy that we have one right here in Beverly Hills!
So, I paid Chipotle a visit to try more than just
the guacamole.
But I couldn’t believe that I needed help
ordering! I felt like such a blonde! In case you’re
a Chipotle virgin as I am, this is why I needed
help--they have only a few items, but you tell
them which ingredients you want, so it’s
customized to your liking. Perfect for a picky
eater like me. But not so great for someone who
can’t make decisions, which is also me.
Until you get the hang of it, that is.
I ordered to-go, to bring home and share with
Mr. X. And we loved everything, even the humongous
sodas. (FYI--You can fax, email, or call your
order in, and it’ll be all ready for you.
And boy, do they ever know how to pack! Mine was
still perfect way over a half hour later!)
The guac was still the best. I was glad to see
that my memory had served correctly. I was just
mixing and matching ingredients, not very artfully,
but it all worked out great. I didn’t even
realize what a “bowl” was--I thought
it meant eating from a bowl, rather than from
a plate. It actually means all the ingredients
without the tortilla. (I’m sure you all
knew that already.) That turned out to be an excellent
choice for someone such as myself who’s
trying to lessen the intake of dough-y products.
I started on one to share, but couldn’t
give it up. It was carnitas (shredded, seasoned
pork), on rice and beans. I didn’t know
to order anything else on it (I do now!), so I
wound-up topping it with salad, (corn, lettuce,
cheese, and salsa) and it was heavenly! I seriously
couldn’t stop scarfing it!
Even the usually anything-but-salmon-eschewing
Mr. X went wild for the food here. He gobbled
the massive vegetarian burrito. He especially
loved the corn. Everything tasted so fresh, which
they pride themselves on. We even let our precious
Clarence try a bit of the steak, and now it’s
toy poodle-approved.
There really wasn’t a weakness in the bunch.
So, as long as you get past ordering-at-Chipotle
101, you’ll be all set in the deliciousness
category.
Chipotle 244 South Beverly Drive 310-273-8265
www.chipotle.com
CITRUS AT SOCIAL
This is just a quick mention as I didn’t
yet do the official review. But, last January,
I was at Social (the old Hollywood Athletic Club,
for those of you who are just a tad behind all
the club name changes) for yet another awards
show gifting suite.
The food they were serving at it was so good
that I had to know who the caterer was, of course!
Turns out, it was all done on-premises, so then
I asked for the manager, to pay my compliments.
(Who am I all of a sudden--my own mother???) It
turned-out to be Chris Palean, whom I knew slightly
from both of our days at Asia de Cuba (me--eating,
him--working.)
He told me that soon they were opening Michel
Richard’s Citrus in the same building. I
hadn’t had time to go in until recently,
when Chris coaxed me away from all my intense
sports-watching for an early dinner.
I didn’t have my reviewing posse with
me, but I loved just about everything. We were
talking too much (well, one of us was--guess which
one?) for me to pay enough attention to the food,
so I’ll go back and do a real review soon.
But I just want to let you all know that it’s
up and running and gorgeous, with lovely service,
and for once, the right volume of background music!
What a pleasure!
Citrus at Social 6525 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood 323-337-9797
www.citrusatsocial.com
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