After rummaging through our empty refrigerator last night in search of dinner, my husband and I came to the forced conclusion that it was time to make a trip to Publix. Concerned about the consequences of grocery shopping on an empty stomach, I suggested we eat dinner out and then go to the store. My husband made a face. Where do you want a go? Arrrg - we just made the decision to go to the store and now we're faced with yet another daunting dinner decision - what restaurant to go to first?
With only a few hundred dollars left in our bank account before the next pay day and a hefty grocery bill looming in our very near future, I decided to count the cash in my wallet. $27. Where can we get dinner for under $30 and still satisfy our White people's prejudice against fast food? Eric was about to change his mind on eating out in favor of going straight to Publix but as I am prone to whining and other childish behavior if not fed regularly, I was determined to get my way. How about Barberitos? His grimace turned into a half smile as he nodded his consent. He hadn't realized there was a Barberitos down here.
Now I know what you are probably thinking, wait isn't that fast food? And I know it's pretty much the same thing only you get a tortilla instead of a bun, chips instead of fries and salsa instead of ketchup, but as a White person I see the burrito chains as a step - albeit small one - above regular fast food. There are a few reasons for this. For one thing they serve beer at these places and having a beer/wine license moves you one step closer to being a real restaurant. Also, they have tofu as an option and I think we all know how much White people love tofu. In general, Barberitos tries to give at least the impression of being a healthy restaurant. They offer things like tofu, guacamole, spinach tortillas, spinach salads and a variety of vegetables to add to your burrito and this effort to be health conscious appeals to me (as my readers probably already know). So I ordered a skinny + burrito with guacamole instead of sour cream, tofu as my meat, rice, no beans (I'm sure beans are really healthy but I just don't like them) and cheese on a spinach tortilla.
For my husband and I to get two burritos, the charge was $15 and some change. The guy ringing us up forgot to ring in my husband's Coke so we saved a little there. I think $15 is a little more than you would spend on two combo meals at McDonald's (I wouldn't know, of course) but it seems pretty close. I think it's very smart of Barberitos to include the chips in the price of the burrito. So McDonalds' employees try really hard to sell you the french fries (just think of all the times you've heard "would you like fries with that?") because the fries have a higher profit margin than the cheeseburger. Whereas, Barberitos just gives you the chips for "free." You order a burrito and you don't know it but you've already bought the chips. Smart thinking Barberito big wigs.
As I attempted to dig into my fat burrito (don't believe the skinny crap they use as the name, this is a thick burrito), I immediately ripped the shell of it and rice and tofu went all over my plate. No matter, I used the chips to scoop up the food. The chips are a point of contention for my husband. While we appreciate that they are frying them on site rather than dumping them out of a Tostitos bag, they seem to be overdoing the oil a bit. I mean I love that they're salty and delicious but I enjoy some crunch to my chips and some of these chips were actually chewy. It was like eating corn jerky. Not really my thing.
While we were eating our dinner, Eric commented that the chicken was a little dry. I had feared this myself which is why I chose the tofu. Eric previously worked at the Qdoba in Athens and commented that they use dark chicken there which is juicier and more flavorful than the white meat from the chicken breast that Barberitos uses. Which reminds me - be on the look out for an upcoming comparison blog on the major burrito chains (Moe's, Barberitos, Chipotle, etc) from my co editor, Joe Friday.
In conclusion, despite the fact that the chips were chewy and the chicken was dry, Eric and I enjoyed our relatively low cost, relatively healthy dinner. I guess the quality of the food can best be summed in one word -mediocre. One thing Eric said in its favor is that after eating the meal we felt satisfied but not uncomfortably full and bloated. This was a good point as that describes exactly how I felt after eating my "salad" at Shane's Rib Shack for lunch earlier that day (more on that later). I look forward to seeing how Barberitos stacks up in Joe's comparison blog but I would say, for being the only chain burrito place in our area, it's not too bad.
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