Dec 7, 2004

As Illegal Pete was in the Big City, it was clear he was a Chipotle off the ol' block.

After my previous post (which everyone should read since i spent a buttload of my paid time at work working on it) i felt that i should take a step back and do something fun like a top 5 list. If you know anything about burritos, then you'll know from the title that this post is about burritos. With so many burrito places around competing for the collective love of the great city of FORT COLLINS!!!, it's hard to know what to believe, and where you should go to get your burrito fix, so let me give you my top five burrito eateries.

5. Qdoba - Well, Qdoba is lucky there's little more than 5 burrito places in town, otherwise i'd kick it's ass clear off the list. Their ingredients are cold, luke-warm at best, their ingredients are dry and their architecture is bland and uninspired.

4. Illegal Pete's - We don't have an Illegal Pete's in FoCo, but i've been to both of the ones in Boulder and i was unimpressed for all the street cred that it had. I don't know what it was, but Pete's burritos just didn't fit. I couldn't pinpoint any huge problem, except for the fact that everything just didn't come together as one to make a good burrito. In addition, the staff was unaccommodating, and they had unclearly labeled their water, leaving me with a cup of carbonated water. Well, screw that shit. One good thing is that they have a large variety of options, so maybe i just haven't gotten the thing that fits me best.

3. Chipotle - I didn't like Chipotle the first few times i went in there, as i tend to find cilantro in rice to ruin a burrito, but after a ew times, i either got enough stuff in the burrito to where i couldn't taste the cilantro, or i had them mix it up so it was less distinguishable. I like Chipotle because they have a good soft shell taco option in addition to their burritos, and they give college kids a free drink everytime. The atmosphere is also very friendly, and fun. And the statue at the entrance is pretty freakin awesome.

2. La Luz - I first tried La Luz from a recommendation from a friend, while i was in the middle of my obsessive stage with my number one burrito place in town, but went in with an open mind. First off, their menu is extensive, and offer many good combinations for a reasonably low price. They also have sopapillas, or however the hell you spell that, which are always good, and have good breakfast burritos for dirt cheap. The restaurant is locally owned and supports a lot of local artists by even putting up some of their art for sale within the restaurant, and the kooky wall tiles that line some of the walls offer little bits of pointless zen knowledge for the day.

1. Big City - Last year, a riot almost broke out when a writer for our high school newspaper gave Big City a bad review. It was terrible. Big City is a very beloved landmark in this city, and when that kid dissed it, kids were threatening to kick his ass if he didn't take back his remarks. He didn't, and he didn't get his ass kicked, and everything soon blew over. I love Big City though. One of the kids main complaints was that it wasn't a real mexican burrito, but that's exactly what i love about it. It offers options that make your burrito completely your own, and often times it isn't the same old stuff with rice and beans and hot sauce. My favorite burrito there is potato with chicken bay leaf in a jalapeno cheddar tortilla with cheese, ranch and sour cream. It's heaven, but largely breaks the standards that were set down for burritos by the mexican grandparents around the world. Also, the kid's article complained about how messy and greasy everything looked in the kitchen, since it is easily in view from where you order. That may be, but they pass the health code inspections, and aren't afraid to show their true self, where as most restaurants hide their kitchen from the customers. The staff at Big City is also helpful, and will make jokes, and try to get to know you, especially if you're a regular there. They also have an excellent breakfast burrito, but most of all, all of their ingredients are made to perfect, exacting standards everytime, leading to the fact that I HAVE NEVER HAD A BAD BURRITO THERE. It's as simple as that.

So there it is, and don't just go by what i say. Get out there and try them, and form your own opinion.

Huzzah!

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