Baja Fresh vs. Chipotle

Wow! Chipotle, you almost got me! I got a recommendation on twitter from Chipotle to try the steak burrito with rice, beans, hot salsa, corn salsa and cheese, and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. They don't mess around over there...

I've been hearing a lot of talk about Chipotle lately, but between the assembly line approach to the food prep and the old ties to McDonald's, I haven't been able to take them that seriously. Today though, I gained some respect for this establishment.

Simply put, the burrito was great! It had the flavor it needed and it was nicely balanced. I actually went for a carnitas taco too, and I was impressed. On top of that, I tasted the guac my friend ordered, and it was outstanding. So Chipotle, props to you for making good food. It's true what people say - you're better than La Salsa, Qdoba and Sharky's.

Still though, I'm not sure Chipotle is quite on the Baja level. I went there for dinner and had the Nacho Burrito with steak. The big difference was the steak that came right off the grill. It hadn't been chopped up before I entered the restaurant and it wasn't sitting behind a glass wall waiting to be scooped up. Also, it's tough to match the Queso Fundido. The salsa at Baja are amazing too, and at Chipotle there's not even a salsa bar. Oh, and let's not forget about the fact that you have to buy your chips at Chipotle. Seriously, you guys are better than that...

But one thing's for sure: I'll be coming back for more. Chipotle deserves the love their getting, and now they're even getting some from me.

One more comparison left - the final one is Rubio's!

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Baja Fresh vs. Sharky's

Another day, another comparison. Today the Fajita Burrito at Sharky's was up against the Ultimo Burrito at Baja Fresh. Many people are unfamiliar with Sharky's because they only have 21 locations and almost all of them are in SoCal, but they're quite popular in the LA area...

As a true Baja boy, I'm not sure I can ever fully embrace a Baja competitor, but I must say I appreciate the freshness of Sharky's. Quality ingredients always make for a good starting point. But where's the flavor? Had it not been for the salsa I kept throwing on my Fajita Burrito, this would have been an outrageously bland experience. On top of that, I really walked away feeling like the folks at Sharky's are a bit stingy with the meat. The rice-to-meat ratio definitely wasn't right.

Also, who thought squash would be good in a burrito? I realize I'm getting some veggies when I order something with "fajita" in the name, but shouldn't peppers and onions be enough?

Coming "home" to Baja for dinner in the evening saved the day once again. The Ultimo Burrito - which I typically order with carnitas and quac instead of sour cream - was simply delicious. It may have been a bit heavier than the flavorless squash-rice thing I had earlier in the day, but the buzz certainly made it up for it. Another one bites the dust...

Next up is Chipotle!

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Baja Fresh vs. Qdoba

The Queso Burrito sounded tasty - and it was. But something wasn't quite right at Qdoba. I don't know if it was the lack of a salsa bar or the fact that I had to pay to get chips, but the experience just wasn't on the Baja Fresh level...

Freshness is definitely an issue when you do the assembly line style burrito making, and to me the food loses some of its appeal in that situation. "We make it fresh for you." Yeah, but you've had all this stuff - including the meat - sitting out here forever... Still though, the food was pretty good. Even the salsa was tasty.

But the not-so-great service and the cold atmosphere - stainless steal tables, seriously? - didn't make this a great lunch. There's obviously a limit to have great the atmosphere can be at a quick serve restaurant, but Qdoba just seemed completely stripped for any soul. And when comparing that to the outstanding service at Baja Fresh for dinner, it became clear that this wasn't even a fair comparison.

The Queso Burrito is supposedly one of the most popular items at Qdoba so I tried to match that with a customized version of the Nacho Burrito at Baja Fresh. Even though the flavor of the lunch version was solid, Baja's steak and queso fundido knocked it out. It's that simple - Qdoba didn't really have a shot, and I don't think I'll be going back there any time soon.

Next up is Sharky's...

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Baja Fresh vs. La Salsa

This is the week - five days of intense comparisons! Realizing that some of the other quick serve Mexican restaurants have fans too, I wanted to put them all to the test to see how they really stack up against my beloved Baja Fresh.

So this week I'm doing lunch at one place and then a comparable dinner at Baja Fresh the same day to compare full meals without any sleep or other non-sense in between. First up was La Salsa...

I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about going to a Baja competitor, but as soon as I entered the restaurant, I immediately felt welcomed by a surprisingly pleasant La Salsa atmosphere. The staff was friendly too (solid service for sure) and I ordered the recommended Mexico City Tacos - one with steak, one with chicken and one with carnitas.

Comparing this to dinner at Baja later proved to be a bit tricky, but I was able to order three Original Baja Tacos with the same three meat types and just add cheese. At La Salsa, they actually serve those tacos with what on the huge poster looks like some kind of cheese-coated tortillas, but that pre-melted cheese thing turned out to be a dramatic disappointment. So on the cheese alone, Baja definitely had a leg up on La Salsa. Another disappointment at La Salsa was the chicken, but the carnitas taco was amazing. Baja matched it though, and with better chicken and more flavorful steak, they won all-around in terms of food quality.

But the biggest La Salsa disappointment was a part of their name - their darn salsa! How do you brag about eight different kinds of salsa when they all suck? Ok, that's not true - let me back up. Their avocado salsa is surprisingly tasty and their habanero salsa is decent, but the rest are just weak and sad. And on the pet peeve side, what's up with those tiny salsa ramekins?

Guys, I could really go on and on here, but the conclusion is simply that Baja Fresh was better than La Salsa - today and probably everyday. Baja was tastier and it also gave me more of that buzz (although admittedly the La Salsa lunch that was still in my system could have added to the Baja buzz in this case)...

Next up is Qdoba!

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