Daily Archives: October 24, 2011

8 posts

Restaurant Review: Chipotle Mexican Grill

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I pulled into my reserved spot in the far-flung corner of the shopping center parking lot. The four-bay outparcel housed a Gamestop, two vacant storefronts, and the reason why I was here. My friends had raved about this hot new chic entrant to the Orlando dining scene, but I remained unconvinced. Mexican food was always hit or miss for me. I’d eaten plenty of $2 24oz tacos and even an $18 molé once (spoiler alert: it tasted just like $3 molé). Truly delicious Mexican fare at a reasonable price point seemed even more distant than Mexico is from where I stood in Central Florida. But there I was, at 1:00pm on a Friday afternoon, prepared to take a step into the unknown. Continue reading →

Flying? Phooey. Let’s Take a Long-Distance Train

I love long-distance train travel. When I was a kid, we took an overnight train trip every Easter, with roomettes. I’d lie awake and listen to the rattle of the train, see the dimly-lit little stations that we stopped at at 2am, 3am, one or two people got on or off then rattle rattle off we went again. You could see the far-off yard lights of isolated farms, close to the track but far from any major road. Breakfast in the dining car!

We went from the wilds of northern Ontario to Toronto, to see the big department stores’ fancy Easter windows. Stayed at a reasonable hotel, with a big lobby the way old-fashioned hotels have, big sofas, an enormous crystal chandelier overhead. Ate at restaurants, of which my small town had none. The Grill didn’t count, it was just a diner. Whatever the opposite of glorified is, it was that kind of diner. So real city restaurants were a revelation, and an education.

Continue reading →