life & style // 16

theotherpress.ca

The Intrepid Gastronomer: Mall food, at its best!

» A review of Chipotle Mexican Grill

K.P. Davis
Contributor

merica loves Chipotle, and

I’ve never been quite sure
why. It is one of the stops that my
travelling companions have to
make whenever we travel down to
Seattle, but I have always viewed
it as more of a Mexican Subway
than any sort of must-have stop
on an extremely short road trip.
When they opened their first
location on Howe street several
of my friends immediately lost
their minds, and that reaction
was compounded when the
second location opened in British
Columbia’s biggest mall. I have
eaten there before—both in
Seattle and Vancouver—recently I

and really see what all the fuss is
about.

I walked in and was greeted
with sandstone and brown,
harking to the dry deserts of
northern Mexico and California,
which stood in sharp contrast to
the harsh and industrial seating
throughout. Everything was done
up in warm, worn wood and cold

: textured steel. I wish I could have !
: inspected some of the furniture:
: more closely, but most seats had
: been filled.

The place was busy. The

: lineup was tothe door but even:
: then I didn’t have to wait too long :
: before it was my turn to order.

A sign above the taco bar

reminded me that everything

: I was about to consume was

: ethical and real, while the

: server who filled my burrito was
: conversational and outgoing

: as they come. I was shocked

: to discover that one of the

: American Chipotle traditions

: had transferred north of the

: border—I could grab a beer with
: my taco! I ordered a Corona and

: tucked in.
decided to put on my “foodie” hat :

Nothing about the meal was

: offensive or overly flavourful.

: Subtle hints of lime, sour cream

: and starch ruled the day, with the
: guacamole adding a fresh hit to

: everything. Tabasco sauce was

: everywhere, so if you desired a

: little heat or smoke you could

: find it easily. The medium salsa (a
: delicious salsa verde) was by far

: the best flavour I came across.

 

The tacos that I had were

: as to be expected—salty and

: crisp with just enough integrity

: for two bites. I was surprised by

: the burrito. As someone who

: has eaten a lot of wraps I was

: expecting everything to fall apart
: into a gooey mess before I had

: finished, but the burrito held on
: to the last bite.

The meat was delicious. The

: pulled pork and shredded beef —:
: were moist, but not overly cooked :
: as to turn soupy. The flavour

: was subtle and took to the hot

: sauces very well. The chicken was
: delicious if a little over-cooked,

: with the seared edges getting a

: little too hard for my liking and

: some of the thinner parts being

: almost inedible.

When it comes to mall food,

Photo via forbes.com

Chipotle stands out among the

other offerings at Metrotown. The

} price point is acceptable, though
: high compared to some of its

: competitors, but it is definitely

: worth the hype.

Chipotle Mexican Grill can

: be found at Metrotown or 818
: Howe Street, Vancouver.

 

Meatless Monday: Peanut butter stir fry

» A healthy evolution for your favourite
childhood sandwich spread

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

M lifeandstyle
@theotherpress.ca

 

Ev vegetarian knows (or
at least should know) that

peanut butter is your best friend.

When it comes to making sure
you consume adequate amounts
of protein and calories, peanut
butter is a key element of any
vegetarian or vegan diet. It
allows all the protein and calorie
advantages of eating nuts ina
more concentrated amount. But
of course reliving playground
memories by making yourself
PB&J sandwiches will only

be nostalgic for so long—

after a while all that peanut
butter might get a bit stale. In
order to keep your diet fresh,
without sacrificing all the
nutritional advantages that
peanut butter may offer, it’s
important to find new and

fun ways of incorporating it
into your culinary repertoire.
Asian-inspired cuisine is always

especially friendly towards these :
: peanut butter? Swap it out

: for cashew or almond butter.

: Carrots not your cup of tea?

: Bring in some bok choy instead!
: It’s all up to you!

kinds of ventures, I find.

Heat 1 tbsp. of canola oil
ina skillet or wok. While you
wait for the oil to heat, combine
peanut butter, water, soy sauce,

: rice vinegar, ginger, garlic,

: and cayenne in a blender or

: food processor (break out the

: Magic Bullet!) and run it until

: everything is smooth and there
: are no chunks,

In the skillet/wok, sauté

: the onions until they are
: translucent. This should take
: about 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, bell

: peppers, and broccoli, and cook
: for another 5 minutes, stirring

: constantly. Test for doneness

: by tasting one of the carrots. It

: should be tender. Since carrots
: are the densest of the veggies

: you'll be using, if they are done,
: the rest of the veggies will be as
: well,

Stir in the peanut sauce and

: a touch of sriracha for a little

: extra kick. Mix well, until all the
: veggies are evenly coated, and

: then serve over rice. Top with

: the green onions and a drizzle of
: hot sauce or peanuts.

The best part about this

: recipe is it’s adaptable. Stir fry
: isa great option for friends of
: picky eaters, or picky eaters

themselves! Have issues with

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

a

Ingredients

2, cups cooked rice

¥% cup red onion (minced)
2 carrots (chopped)

1 bell pepper, any colour
(chopped)

1 head of broccoli (chopped)
’% cup peanut butter

’% cup water

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1% tbsp. grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic (minced)
4 tsp. of cayenne

1 tsp. green onions

1 tsp. sriracha sauce (optional)

Photo via rosieschwartz.com