Chipotle Mexican Grill By Jim White Hot as a pepper-as in chipotle (chi-POHT-lay)-Denver based Chipotle Mexican Grill hits town. A chipotle chile is actually a jalapeño pepper in disguise-dried and smoked with a sweet, almost chocolaty flavor. A designer chile, if you will, and the namesake for a hot restaurant property. How hot? Through founder Steve Ells’ entrepreneurial efforts the gourmet burrito and taco spot grew to nine outlets in the Mile High City. And then, a funny thing happened on the way to the cash register. McDonald’s took an interest in the concept. Ka-ching! That’s the sound of “walkin’ around money”. The big-bucks burger chain grabbed a reported ten to fifteen per cent stake, giving Ells the capital he needed to grow the operation. Did somebody say expand? Chipotle has added Minneapolis, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City, Phoenix and now, Dallas to its roster. Undoubtedly, more will follow. There’s talk of franchising. What’s the deal? A simple concept: burritos and tacos; chips, salsa and a few drinks. That’s it. Ells hasn’t changed the menu since he opened the first store in 1993. Why should he? I’m told that in Denver people line up outside before the place opens and some regulars return three times a week. Ells is a classically trained chef-Culinary Institute of America. He insists that only the freshest ingredients be used. Servings are huge and prices are cheap-about 5 bucks. Basically, you decide if you’re having a giant burrito, soft tacos or crispy tacos. Then, choose between steak, chicken, vegetarian or carnitas-literally “little meats”, browned small cuts of pork. Choose the fillings you want: rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, salsa. They’ll make ‘em just the way you want. You have to get the knack of ratios. I let my burrito get way overloaded with rice. Salsas range from mild, medium to hot and are accurately labeled. The result? Pretty tasty, but not astounding. The place is high-tech-galvanized steel throughout-and can be very noisy. Take out is recommended when it’s crowded if you want to hear yourself think. Chipotle Mexican Grill 2705 McKinney Avenue at Boll (214) 871-3100   Send me an Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.