Prognosticators and trend-spotters are always looking for the next great thing.
And speaking of food, much ado has been made about two particular restaurant chains with apenchant for bowls.
For years, Chipotle has reigned as the king of customizable burrito bowls and salads.
Photos: Matt Kirouac. Design: Eat This, Not That!
But change is afoot.
I decided to investigate which assembly-line chain serves the best bowls.
At each restaurant, I ordered a salad bowl with grilled chicken and a grain bowl with grilled steak.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
The look:This was the least salad-looking salad I’ve ever seen.
The steak bowl, meanwhile, actually looks much more cohesive and vibrant.
The huge amount of grilled steak is what jumps out the most (they don’t skimp!
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
), along with what looks like an ice cream scoop of guacamole.
I asked for a “little” guacamole, but they apparently don’t abide by such portion sizes.
Everything just looks much fresher and more colorful, albeit indulgent and downright excessive.
Photo: Matt Kiroauc, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:The chicken was fantastic in the salad.
It was mildly spicy and smoky and perfectly grilled, with a flavor that lingers and pleasantly smolders.
I’d eat a whole bowl of just this chicken.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The steak bowl didn’t perform quite as well despite its promising looks.
The steak was decent, albeit somewhat chewy and tough at times.
I would have liked more spice or smokiness from the grill, but neither of those came through.
It was also at odds with the other flavors, like the guacamole.
At the end of the day, this was a bit of a hodgepodge that lacked cohesion among ingredients.
What Happened to Chipotle?
Cava
At first glance, Cava is a noted upgrade from Chipotle.
Where Cava loses points is on its pricing, which notched a few dollars above Chipotle.
But again, portions are still big, so it doesn’t feel overtly egregious, at least.
Overall, the environment and ordering process was smoother and more pleasant at Cava.
The portion is generous but not as hefty as Chipotle (for better or worse).
As for the steak bowl, things looked much better.
The taste:The salad, quite simply, tasted great.
Much better than it looked at first.
It harmonized far better with the rest of the ingredients instead of overpowering them.
The tzatziki was fantastic and matched quite nicely with the vinaigrette and the chicken, too.
The bowl wasn’t quite as successful, but it was tasty nonetheless.
In general, everything looked and tasted like real food clearly fresh and thoughtfully prepared.
The rice feels like the biggest afterthought here in terms of both the meager portion and bland taste.
Fortunately, the steak and the dressing do all that heavy lifting.
What surprised me the most was how tertiary the hummus seemed.
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