Chipotle in Paris!

[ktkl09]

There's a Chipotle in Paris!!! Who wants to go?

[popcorn]

Count me in! Is it new?

There was a new Chipotle knock-off in Madrid that opened shortly before I left. It was actually quite good.

[Deleted]

I'm going tomorrow!!

[ktkl09]

I'm so jealous blue, let us know how amazing it is!

[crimsonandclover]

Oh man. Do you think they deliver to Germany? I'm going to have to load up here in the States until we go back.

[Wanderista]

I ate at the London restaurant twice this week. (Yes, I know I can get it at home but I wanted to support Chipotle because I always wished for it as a student). I can say that though a lot of people complain because it's more expensive (with the less favorable exchange rate) than in the US, it really tasted great and the service was wonderful. They do tend to make the portion smaller but I found it to be more than enough. Also, if I wanted them to "Americanize" it (by adding more of an ingredient), I just asked and the staff were great about doing that.

I think that some of the Americans who review it on sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor are too harsh. Um, almost everything that comes from the States to Europe is more expensive in Europe. They are buying fresh local ingredients in local currency, I'd be more worried if they were shipping the produce in from the States. The restaurant is in Europe, so, eh they're going to charge European prices. Also, it is excellent and people who say they can get a cheaper burrito down the road are missing the point. I've eaten lots of burritos in Europe and for the most part, they are mediocre at best. Who can say no to authentic American Mexican?

So the answer is, yes, go. It's good. Just do the American thing of saying, "Yes, more of this. No, none of that." Then you'll be fine.

[anna7602]

I will confess to never having had Chipotle. What's the fuss? School me!

Re: Paris- I'm pretty excited that there's a taco/burrito truck at the farmer's market on Boulevard Raspail on Tuesdays and Fridays now. It's run by a guy from California and seems pretty authentic (although I confess to never having lived in California).

My daughter is probably one-half burrito since that's all I craved during my first trimester of pregnancy. It's nice to have more burrito options in Paris now that we're discussing TTC again.

[dulcemariamar]

I have never been to a Chipotle and I dont think I have had Mexican food in years.

[popcorn]

Jun 3, 2012 4:28:38 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

I have never been to a Chipotle and I dont think I have had Mexican food in years.

My jaw literally just dropped. I am shocked!

I couldn't go years without Mexican food! There are some amazing little taco places near Sol and some very good Mexican restaurants in Madrid.

Do you not like Mexican food??? It's my favorite. Nom nom.

[potatopie]

any weird additions or omissions in the menu? I'm always curious as to how menus change depending on country.

[dulcemariamar]

I really liked Mexican food growing up. But what I ate probably wasnt authentic Mexican food. My DH hates anything spicy (actually he hates anything with flavor in it) so I stopped making it. I havent been craving it. I guess if you go so long without it then you dont miss it anymore.

[Deleted]

So we just got back from Chipotle and here is my official review:
Very good!! They changed the rice and have brown rice instead of the sticky white rice. The tortillas might be partially whole grain tortillas instead of just the white flour kind. The chicken has a slightly different flavor, but I believe that they are free range chickens raised in France.

The guacamole was super fresh. There is no pico de gallo, but they have a mild salsa. There is Dr. Pepper and the cheapest nastiest beer from Texas (Lone Star Beer). They also sell XX beer. The owner/manager is from Austin, TX. The employees are very friendly and the restaurant very clean with space upstairs and downstairs to eat. Overall, I was pleased!

[klingklang77]

I hope they open one in Germany soon!

[GilliC]

Jun 3, 2012 7:12:29 GMT -5 @myblue said:

the cheapest nastiest beer from Texas (Lone Star Beer).

Are you dissing the national beer of Texas?

I actually think Lone Star is fairly potable and way better than any of the big name American beers (Coors, Bud, etc).

[clickerish]

I feel like I should point out that Burritos are, in fact, not Mexican. Ahem. They are Tex-Mex. The only burritos you will buy in Mexico are from people who were smart enough to realise they could sell them to American tourists and make a profit.

Which is not to say I don't enjoy a good burrito. But if you were my students, you would lose points for this thread.

[Deleted]

Lone Star may be potable, but if we were going to make the effort to import Texan beers that we sell at astronomical prices, why not Shiner Bock or Buffalo Butt beer? Coors and Bud are also nasty, IMO.

[popcorn]

Jun 3, 2012 9:31:42 GMT -5 clickerish said:

I feel like I should point out that Burritos are, in fact, not Mexican. Ahem. They are Tex-Mex. The only burritos you will buy in Mexico are from people who were smart enough to realise they could sell them to American tourists and make a profit.

Which is not to say I don't enjoy a good burrito. But if you were my students, you would lose points for this thread.

I'm pretty sure most people already know this. But burritos are commonly served in Mexican restaurants all across the US so it gets lumped in.

It wouldn't be terrible if people did think they were Mexican because you can find them in every Mexican (not tex-mex) restaurant in America.

[popcorn]

Jun 3, 2012 7:07:59 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

I really liked Mexican food growing up. But what I ate probably wasnt authentic Mexican food. My DH hates anything spicy (actually he hates anything with flavor in it) so I stopped making it. I havent been craving it. I guess if you go so long without it then you dont miss it anymore.

What a bummer! You got a for-real Spaniard who despises spices I am guessing.

I could never say goodbye to spicy food. Nope nope. I agree though that once you go long enough without something you usually stop craving it.

Anyway, I'm sure you have some friends who like Mexican food so you should try out the (very legit) taco place downtown. It's so good. It's called Taqueria Mi Ciudad if you're ever interested. Wish I was still there and I could drag you there myself!

[Deleted]

Today at 4:31pm, clickerish wrote:
I feel like I should point out that Burritos are, in fact, not Mexican. Ahem. They are Tex-Mex.

Which is not to say I don't enjoy a good burrito. But if you were my students, you would lose points for this thread

Ahem. Who the eff cares? We all know that it is Tex-mex and nobody was confused about the meaning or was preparing for a trivia quiz on the origins of regional cuisine in the US

[elenetxu]

Lucky! Enjoy. I've never had Chipotle, but I'd like some Mexican food right now. We have an authentic Mexican restaurant down the way (it's like eating at someone's house) but it's VERY expensive. I think I'm going to make Mexican for lunch tomorrow Thankfully, DH likes it too.

[ktkl09]

I don't care if a burrito isn't Mexican. I never said it was, it's food that I LOVE from my home country that I don't find here. I don't really care if it's real Mexican or not.

[clickerish]

Jun 3, 2012 10:54:49 GMT -5 @myblue said:

Ahem. Who the eff cares? We all know that it is Tex-mex and nobody was confused about the meaning or was preparing for a trivia quiz on the origins of regional cuisine in the US

At the risk of starting a board war, which was not the point since my response was sort of tongue-in-cheek, nobody is saying you can't miss a burrito. It is, however, not Mexican. It's Mexican-American, which seems to me something relevant to people who are missing their home countries and don't often enjoy it when others pin labels on "their" things. It seems wrong to be annoyed with non-Americans for their misconceptions and misconstruing and not be careful ourselves.

That being said, the point wasn't to be an ass, which I thought was clear, but once again, the interwebs strike back.

[popcorn]

Jun 3, 2012 14:24:14 GMT -5 clickerish said:

Jun 3, 2012 10:54:49 GMT -5 @myblue said:

Ahem. Who the eff cares? We all know that it is Tex-mex and nobody was confused about the meaning or was preparing for a trivia quiz on the origins of regional cuisine in the US

At the risk of starting a board war, which was not the point since my response was sort of tongue-in-cheek, nobody is saying you can't miss a burrito. It is, however, not Mexican. It's Mexican-American, which seems to me something relevant to people who are missing their home countries and don't often enjoy it when others pin labels on "their" things. It seems wrong to be annoyed with non-Americans for their misconceptions and misconstruing and not be careful ourselves.

That being said, the point wasn't to be an ass, which I thought was clear, but once again, the interwebs strike back.

Only one person chimed in and mentioned anything about Mexican food in relation to Chipotle. And here we are not representing Americans to anyone except ourselves.

But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you weren't saying it because you think you're superior and want to be a know-it-all and tell you that that is how it came off even if you didn't intend it. Especially you're "ahem". I would try to put a bit more thought into how you say things like that because it really came off as a judgment of everyone in this thread and really, we just don't care if it's Mexican or not. We just love burritos! I'm guessing taco bowls aren't true Mexican either, but Chipotle is still awesomesauce.

We are really a nice board, but saying things just to correct people isn't something people really look well upon here. You didn't even say if you like Chipotle! (Do you? I hope so, it's yummy!)

[clogged]

I never knew burritoes weren't Mexican. So, what did they do with the tortillas then?

And yes that's a legit question.

I mean, they got tortillas, they got beans, they need to pack a lunch, how did they not figure this out? They can build pyramids but not figure out a field lunch that didn't require a shitton of dishes and utensils?

[clogged]

wiki says they are Mexican. I stand by wiki, so there.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrito

[anna7602]

I love clogged. But I am also going to give clickerish the benefit of the doubt because she seems like a generally nice and sound person based on other posts. I think it's hard to read tone in messages.

The whole what-nationality-is-what thing gets very amorphous States-side, as everyone on this board probably knows. I am not even one small percentage Mexican and my mom wanted to hire a mariachi band for our wedding because, well, the Cuban bongo-drum band was booked and this was the next best thing in her mind. (And she's Cuban, mind you.) I don't think she had ever had a taco in her life before arriving in the U.S., but will now proudly claim it as part of her Hispanic culinary heritage.

[bugabean]

Even if it was a joke, it's a weird one, since the only person to relate Mexican food with Chipotle said she'd never even been to Chipotle, and THEN stated all the Mexican food she's ever had was probably not actually Mexican food. So even jokingly taking 'points' from us is weird….

My half-Mexican grandmother made amazing burritos. You can do lots of other stuff with tortillas, though. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortilla#Use_in_Mexican_cuisine

[Wanderista]

Anna really nailed it by describing the origins of States-side Mexican food as amorphous. That's true for many popular cuisines and it is not only an American phenomenon. Many of the most popular foods in Western ethnic restaurants are semi-invented concepts that don't commonly exist in the native cuisine, though they might be considered native-inspired.

I love General Tso's chicken from American Chinese restaurants. Does it exist in China? Er, no. I'm not sure who General Tso was but I doubt he ate it. It's widely believed that the dish was invented by Chinese restauranteurs in NYC to appeal to a Western palette. Hey, it worked, that (and many other popular dishes) are among the most heavily ordered and they do help to introduce many people to a very general idea of Chinese food. If people then want to, they can go in search of the more authentic stuff.

Likewise, there's someone at an Indian restaurant in Scotland who claims to have invented chicken tikka masala for a Scottish customer who did not know what to order and who described what he wanted. I love chicken tikka masala and I often order it, but yeah, it is a nice gateway to other foods that are more authentic too.

The phenomenon goes in the other direction too as far as Mexico is concerned. I love Caesar salad. It sounds very Italian and is quite in the Italian style. It was invented by an Italian immigrant in Tijuana. It's essentially a Mexican dish and maybe someone can tell me if it shows up in Italy much, it is however very popular and most people probably think of it as Italian rather than Mexican.

So as far as the burrito goes, it may well never turn up in Mexico at all but it can still be a delicious experience in its own right. Heck, a large chunk of the US used to be Mexico, so the borders in that region are truly blurred as is the cultural influence. The tamale is a much more indigenous dish but it too rose to popularity when Mexican taco sellers crossed over into Texas to sell them at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century.

Basically, everybody has a fair point. Burritos may not be very authentic but can still be delicious. Proper Mexican cuisine is also another fascinating area for exploration. More high quality food of either type should make it out of the region and into more of Europe. (I have not been to Spain yet but I am glad to know that there is good stuff there).

So, er, everyone is right.

[clogged]

This thread made me make salsa and chips for lunch.

[ninjatofu]

Pineapple salsa?

Isn't that authentic Mexican? Who cares. It's awesome.