I've never been to Chipolte but would love to try it. IS it like real mexican food or what?
LOL, not it's not real mexican. More like a tex-mex style. Chipolte is a bit more spicy in some of it's foods. Qdoba has a milder taste.
This is what it was at Qdoba (and similar to Chipolte)
Rice - white rice mixed with cilantro and lime juice
mex - orange spicy rice
Beans - black beans or pinto
mex - usually always pinto
Steak - nice fat juicy steak
mex - skirt steak cooked to a crisp then shredded
Cheese - mix of white cheddar/jack
mex - goat cheese, mexican cheese, or a dry powder cheese (looks like grated parm, but it's not)
Salsas are similar, but like the pico mix is much more milder than a mexican pico mix.
Tacos are also way different.
The tortillas taste different, and they're much smaller. Most places make fresh tortillas for the tacos and burritos.
Meats are marinated and cooked differently.
It's kind of funny. Here in Modesto, there's a hundred taco trucks. Kinda like the hot dog vendors on the streets of new york, they have taco trucks all over the place. Even at the flea market, there's like 50 trucks and they all do business.
You'll also find imported bottles of Mexican coke and pepsi, plus Jarrito is another popular drink.
Qdoba is like a white mans burrito. There's one just a few blocks from the college campus, and pretty much every one that walks in is white. While right across the street from the campus is a truck, where you'll find all the Mexican students. I'm still partial to my "white man's burrito". Plus the guys at the taco trucks think I'm nuts for ordering a burrito without beans, that's why I go on the safe side and order a quesadilla.