29 responses so far ↓

• 1 ChrisM // Mar 2, 2005 at 9:23 am

  Dont head to La Cantina if you are looking to eat healthy that’s for sure Rachelle!

  Back here in NJ a reporter asked the president of Goya Foods why no reduced fat/salt products and he said “Let’s face it, if you cut down on the fat, you cut down on the flavor”.

  One year in the Windy City and still no visit (and trip report) to the Jerry Springer Show?!

• 2 rachelle // Mar 2, 2005 at 9:29 am

  that’s why goya is good! and no.. no springer for me!

• 3 tien // Mar 2, 2005 at 9:33 am

  goya oh boya.

  and i suspect that if you like real chinese food, pf changs will suck.

• 4 rachelle // Mar 2, 2005 at 9:41 am

  i know. i’m not crazy about big chain restaurants, but it was just one of those that i hear some people say is good so i wanted to try it. i had chipotle, cheesecake factory, california pizza kitchen and pf changs on the list. so knock off chipotle and i’d gone to cheesecake factory in milwaukee. when i moved here i’d never eaten at cpk and i started getting salads from there a lot. the bbq chicken salad is awesome. but it wasnt until about 2 weeks ago that i actually tried their pizza. chang’s though, i dont know. some people who really like americanized food love it.. and other tell me it’s overpriced and sucks.

• 5 Kevin // Mar 2, 2005 at 10:29 am

  if you want to go to a PF Changs-style restaurant, try Ben Pao. It’s similar, but better and the atom-bomb shrimp is outta-this-world.

  The problem I have with PF Changs is that when you order, say, orange chicken, you get the chicken and you get a side of rice. Kind of a ripoff when you’re paying $14 a plate.

• 6 joe s // Mar 2, 2005 at 10:34 am

  I liked the burrito I got the one time I went to a Chipotle but, wow, 1140 calories.

• 7 Nan // Mar 2, 2005 at 11:18 am

  I think Qdoba is much better than Chipotle. And PF Changs is one of my all time fav places to eat I think. As far as chains go. I love the lettuce wraps.

• 8 roderick // Mar 2, 2005 at 12:06 pm

  Qdoba opened up at UIUC my last year of grad school. Their meat is more flavorful and Chipotle’s, and burritos BIGGER (as if that’s a sign of better…). I must have eaten all of my week’s meals there once or twice.

  I grew up near Summit where the latinos are the majority, and have had some good stuff around there.

• 9 Billy // Mar 2, 2005 at 12:31 pm

  I used to eat at Chipotle all the time. Grilled chicken burrito with black beans, mild salsa, black beans, sour cream, and guacamole (yes, it’s ok if it costs $1 extra - they always ask you that). Anyway, that was when I weighed over 220. I since stopped eating at Chipole, Baja Fresh, et al, and started running 20 miles a week an lost 40 lbs in a year. Right now, the thought of Chipole makes me feel a little sick. I don’t miss it or being fat.

• 10 James // Mar 2, 2005 at 12:40 pm

  Skip the tortilla and get a “burrito bol”, and you’ll eliminate a surprising amount of the fat. And, since you got the vegetarian burrito, you got the guacamole too, which is also high in fat.

  I get the chicken fajita burrito bol every time I go there (which is a lot), and it’s delicious and not the least healthy thing I could be eating for lunch (that’s how I rationalize it anyway).

• 11 Nan // Mar 2, 2005 at 12:57 pm

  Thanks to this post I went to Qdoba for lunch. Now I need a nap.

• 12 rachelle // Mar 2, 2005 at 1:27 pm

  in the times article it said “Meanwhile, Chipotle faces competition from Qdoba, a copycat chain that offers more choices, like poblano pesto burritos, but less discipline in its execution, and Panera Bread, which serves fresh but mostly ill conceived sandwiches.”

• 13 joel // Mar 2, 2005 at 3:43 pm

  We might not have chipotle but we sure as hell have Anna’s Tacqueria and goddamnit, now, I have to get it on the way home for dinner. I guess I should *probably* look into the nutritional “value” of the burritos I usually get at Anna’s … it can’t be much better than that burrito at Chipotle.

  Also, Rachelle, have you been to “Hot Dougs” yet?

• 14 rachelle // Mar 2, 2005 at 3:45 pm

  haven’t been to hot doug’s yet. have you?

  btw, dallas was just saying last night that the reason he’s never been to chipotle is that he’d always go to anna’s for the carnitas. he was as addicted as you.

• 15 Joel // Mar 2, 2005 at 10:31 pm

  Haven’t been to Dougs but the other people I know who live in Chicago are regulars and they absolutely ADORE it. I’ve promised them that the first place I go, after getting back to Chicago, will be there. I’ve heard it’s good … but they’re terribly biased.

• 16 Richard // Mar 3, 2005 at 12:13 pm

  I would agree that Qudoba is better than Chipolte.

  We’ve only been to P.F. Changs (which was engineered by my employer, b.t.w.) once, but I thought it was pretty good. Although, I probably have never hade truly authentic Chineese food.

• 17 ChrisM // Mar 3, 2005 at 12:17 pm

  I think we can pick up a few $$$ on the Jerry Springer Show Rachelle. Blogger Girls Gone Wild!

• 18 Devyn // Mar 3, 2005 at 12:21 pm

  Nobody seems to have mentioned that Chipotle is owned by McDonalds. I personally don’t have a problem with that (I love Chopotle), but I find it interesting how much Chipotle downplays their connection with their parent.

• 19 dude // Mar 3, 2005 at 2:04 pm

  How does Chipotle “downplay their connection with their parent?” Repeatedly denying any involvement in press conferences and sworn testimony?

  We’re talking about burritos, right?

• 20 Sarah // Mar 5, 2005 at 7:43 am

  Those suckers have such a misleadingly giant amount of calories–I guess the size alone should make that obvious, but really, the ingredients in and of themselves don’t make it seem like they could all add up to a day’s worth of calorie alotment.

  It bugs me when foodies say bad stuff about Chipotle…its good for what it is, and I don’t think it has ever tried to claim in press conferences or sworn testimony that it is authentic Mexican food.

• 21 matt // Mar 6, 2005 at 5:50 pm

  Ugh… I’ve got a Chipotle and Panera right by me and I blame them for my extra poundage. Like mentioned, Chipotle’s burritos have insane calories/sodium/etc., and Panera’s Sierra Turkey sandwich (which seems semi-healthful) is also in the 1000+ calorie neighborhood.

  No wonder they’re so delicious!

• 22 Kelly // Mar 7, 2005 at 1:48 pm

  I prefer Burrito Beach. They are based in Chicago and have a less corporate feel than Chipotle. And the food is better with more variety. Different locations actually have different menu items that cater to the varying clientele. I sent an email to their website asking about nutritional info and an actual person responded back to me within 5 minutes! Here is a small excerpt from what she said:
  “the black beans are fat free, the
  salsa is fat free, the red rice is cooked with a little vegetable oil, the chicken (boneless skinless thigh) is grilled, the raw veggies are as you see them, the grilled veggies are cooked in very little vegetable oil and the
  Monterey Jack cheese is, well cheese…etc).”
  So, if you are watching calories (like me b/c I gained 10 lbs partly from eating too much Chipotle!!) Burrito Beach seems like a better way to go….

• 23 jeannette // Mar 7, 2005 at 2:26 pm

  omg - that is EVIL!! i never imagined there were so many calories or fat in those things. damn - i really like chipotle. another reason to start cooking your own food. you can control the taste AND fat content!

• 24 jeannette // Mar 7, 2005 at 2:30 pm

  btw - that chipotle fan site is too cute! you can find your burrito soulmate!! i want one!

• 25 Joe^2 // Mar 14, 2005 at 5:19 pm

  I had a Chipotle burrito for the first time last week and I have to say with distinct certainty that I like the burritos from Moe’s Southwest Grill much, much better. They’re also slightly smaller and healthier from what I can determine.

• 26 MJ // Aug 22, 2005 at 6:17 pm

  I love chipotle….love it..but after hearing I think I will cute down to have a bowl and skip the beans…more lettuce, ect. wow….so many calories.

• 27 Ragecg // Sep 4, 2005 at 1:51 pm

  The website for Chipotle says you can make “65,535 combinations” of a burrito or a bowl.

  The problem is, thier nutrition facts are nowhere to be found on thier website.

  Why is this? Well, for starters, they are owned by the McDonalds corporation.
  (Insert your own media-spun propaganda here)

  Whether that is good or bad, or just darn funny, is typical of what makes this country great.

  Now, I’m not saying I don’t like Mcdonalds! I loved them as much as the next guy who loved quick food at a super-cheap price. I just choose not to eat there anymore because thier food is not in my scope of what I deem as healthy food.

  The average healthy person in the US as defined by http://www.fitness.gov/fitness.html is one who does a minimum of 4+ hours of excersize a week.
  (Thats 40+ minutes a day sustained excersize for 6 days straight)
  And, eats an average daily total of around 2000 calories, or 14,000 calories per week.

  The average beginner athlete, or those on a specific or personal strength training and cardio program (like me) is someone who does moderate strength training for a minimum 20+ minutes a day and sustained medium-high intensity cardio for at least 30-40 minutes day, 6 days a week.
  And eats a daily total of around 620-900 calories of SPECIFIC healthy foods and around a 60/40/40 split of Protien, good carbs, and good fats for a weekly total of around 5440 calories.
  (Those on a hardcore weight training regiment eat around 1500-2000 calories a day.)

  I am in the second category, and I’ve been tracking my results in my blog here: http://www.ragecg.com/bushido/?page_id=17

  One would think that the second category of folks would gain TONS of fat, but in reality, the motabolic rate at which this group burns through calories of the proper type is FAR greater than the first group of people, obviously.

  It is correct in that 3500 calories make up one pound of body weight.

  Using these facts, and the famous http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator Chipotle Calorie Counter, here are the numbers straight up as to why folks who are part of the daily drive-thru culture are generaly more obese, and only getting worse:

  Take my buddy for example, he eats at chipotle 4 times a week, and Subway, LeeAnn Chin’s, BK or “Micky D’s” the rest of the week.
  Sadly, this is VERY common world-wide, as I used to do this myself every day for 15 years! My favorite days were when Subway did thier 2 footlongs for 8 bucks, as I’d put both a footlong Meatball and a footlong Seafood away in one sitting!
  http://www.chowbaby.com/fastfood/fast_food_nutrition.asp?ff_restid=1065
  Just the Subway alone is a whopping 2157 calories!

  …anyway, the first “average” american I spoke of above, when sticking to thier routine, will only burn an average of around 80-120 calories per workout, and around 180-240 calories a day total for a weekly total of around: 1540 calories.

  The second category of people (like me) burn an average of 120-230 calories per workout, and around 300-420 calories a day for a weekly total of 2870+ calories burned.

  With these numbers in mind, lets do the math for someone who eats like the “typical” drive-thru fan, like my buddy:

  Eating at Chipotle only 3 times a week, one basic stripped-down chicken burrito, and a basic Subway 6″ Turkey etc. the rest of the week will total an average of 7066 calories.
  And this is JUST lunch, only ONE meal a day, and the average american eats 3 meals a day like this.
  So, even if this person ate a SMALL meal for breakfast and dinner accounting for about 150-300 calories each per meal, the grand total brings us to a weekly calorie intake of about: 9866 calories.

  Using the max calories burned per day from the above averages:

  People in Category #1:
  Consume around 9866 calories a week, and only burn off 1470 of those calories totaling to an average weight GAIN of 8396 calories, or 2.4 pounds per week!

  People in Category #2:
  Consume around 5440 calories a week, and burn off 2870 of those calories totaling to an average weight GAIN of 2570 calories, or a little under 1/4 of a pound per week, which is most often converted to lean muscle instead of fat, thus increasing metabolic rate, thus…. well, you get the idea:)

  The folks in Category #2 have another advantage in that the foods we eat are designed and prepared for maximum energy, protien absorbtion, and good carbs and fats resulting in food that is WAY easier to burn off than foods full of trans fats, saturated fat and excess empty calories.

  …and NO, it is NOT that hard to eat healthier, and workout like this every day.
  Trust me, I used to be known by my friends as the one who ate for the apacolypse!
  “…Izzy’s gettin his apacolypse meal again. Said my friend Todd.”

  At first, I thought it would be so hard I would probably die of a heart attack due to the stress my body has not seen in over 15 years, but after doing it for 2 months straight so far, it only gets easier, and actually gets to be fun.

  My point to this whole rant is to show the impact one can have by making simple changes to one’s daily routine and lifestyle, and how this sort of culture can spiral out of control quickly.

  I had to make some MAJOR life changes to get in the grove that I’m in now, and without setting concrete goals, and sticking to them with proper motivation, I’d still be depressed and morbidly obese.

  The funny thing is, those folks who say “Well, I gotta buy all this gym equipment for thousands of dollars to do that!” WRONG! I went to Wal-Mart online and got a whole GOLDS GYM setup for only 107 bucks after shipping! Then I bought 2 weight sets for 20 bucks each, and I’m totaly set till I start my advanced weight training in Jan.

  Good luck to anyone attempting to change thier life, as it is not an easy thing to do.

  …Rage

• 28 ashley // Oct 18, 2005 at 5:37 pm

  hmm burritos are worth it…
  i love chipotle but 1140 wow! that’s my SAT score.

• 29 hello // Jan 30, 2007 at 11:37 pm

  I find it hillarious that ANYONE would think that Qdoba is better than Chipotle. It is clear as day that the meat at Qdoba is lower quality than Chipotle.

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