TACO BELL CANTINA STEAK BURRITO VIDEO REVIEW

Taco Bell is taking Bethesda favorite Chipotle head-on with its new Cantina Bell Steak Burrito. How does the newest creation of Chef Lorena García stack up to Chipotle? Watch my video review and find out.

BETHESDA CHIPOTLE CLOSED UNTIL DECEMBER 11

Chipotle in downtown Bethesda closed late Friday night for extensive kitchen renovations.  The restaurant will not reopen until 11 AM on December 11, 2012.

Many frustrated customers were arriving to find the doors locked.

If you are in that area, and want burritos for lunch during the closure, the easiest thing to do is to board the Bethesda Circulator on Woodmont Avenue.  Take it to Elm Street at Bethesda Row, walk west on Elm, and Boloco will be on your left.

Boloco has a similar menu, and you can just take another free Circulator trip back when you're done (or with your carry-out bag).

HUGE LINES FOR FREE BURRITOS AT CALIFORNIA TORTILLA BETHESDA GRAND OPENING (PHOTOS)

California Tortilla gave away a lot of burritos yesterday - I hope you got one.  The lines went on and on.  Are you in one of these photos?

They're spunky and they know it!
As day...

...turns into night

NEW BETHESDA CALIFORNIA TORTILLA TO OPEN OCTOBER 3 [PHOTOS]

ORIGINAL LOCATION

CLOSED LAST FRIDAY

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Cal Tort fans: "Keep your fingers crossed" for a Wednesday, October 3 Grand Opening of the new location at the corner of Cordell and Norfolk Avenues.

Last Friday, the legendary original Cal Tort closed its doors forever across Cordell.

Regular readers have already gotten an exclusive sneak preview of the new Cal Tort's slick interior here on the blog.

Remember the large sun that hangs from the ceiling inside?  Get this:  it lights up!

Now that's impressive.

SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEW BETHESDA CALIFORNIA TORTILLA (PHOTOS)

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

Here's an exclusive sneak preview of the interior of the new California Tortilla restaurant in downtown Bethesda:

This sun suspended from the ceiling is
the centerpiece of the room; check out
those high-quality chairs - with cushions!

An appropriately avocado green wall color

George Kovacs light fixtures - swanky!

NEW BETHESDA CALIFORNIA TORTILLA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Here are some pics of the future Cal Tort at the corner of Cordell and Norfolk Avenues in "Old Town" Bethesda:

New window cutouts

BOLOCO BETHESDA ROW SNEAK PREVIEW!

CELEBRATE GRAND OPENING

THURSDAY WITH

FREE BURRITOS!!!

The wait is just about over!  Boloco will officially open on Elm Street at Bethesda Row this Thursday, July 19.

And to celebrate, they'll be giving away FREE burritos!

I was invited to Boloco's Very Important Burrito Eaters party last night, and I made sure to bring back photos and video for you.

Most importantly, how is the food at Boloco?

Well, join me on the red carpet for a visit to our new neighborhood burrito restaurant.

Yes, there was an actual red carpet out front.  The Boloco twist was to replace the standard velvet ropes with burrito-wrapperesque foil.

Inside, I met Cait Simmons, who was handing out name badges, and whose name I recognized from the @boloco Twitter team.  Nicole Ravlin, a publicist for Boloco, gave me a tour of the restaurant.

The first thing you'll probably notice, is the painting of the Bethesda Metro Center on the right side wall of the dining area by Boston artist Sean Boyce.  As a big fan of the Metro Center buildings and plaza, I loved that.

On the far opposite wall are three, large flatscreen TVs.  The left one was displaying @bolocobethesda tweets.  I don't know if it will always be reserved for that purpose, but it would be cool if it was.  Then dining patrons could tweet live and it would show up on the screen.  A second screen was showing ESPN.  Screen 3 had Boloco TV.

I tested several burritos:  Classic Mexican, Teriyaki, Tikka Masala and The Summer.

Jimmy Carter Shake, Tikka Masala burrito, The Summer burrito (mini size)

In retrospect, the Tikka Masala (brown rice, Masala sauce and - in this case - chicken) and Classic Mexican were my favorites.  I usually tend to favor red meat in burritos, but in this case, I found I liked the chicken better than the beef.  The Classic Mexican doesn't disappoint the traditionalist, with just a hint of spicy heat.  Great Pinto beans.  The housemade mango salsa in The Summer burrito was fresh and ripe.  And the rice in all four was moist, and didn't suffer from the "Minute Rice Effect" you encounter at lesser burrito chains.

Burritos come in 3 sizes:  Original, Small, and Mini, the last one being great if you want to try different flavors without committing to a massive burrito.

You can also choose your wrapper (flour or whole wheat tortilla, or just a bowl) protein (chicken, white meat chicken, steak, carnitas, tofu or fajita veggies) and decide if you want to add Boloco's special guacamole.  Or build your own from dozens of options.

For beverages, they were actually handing out beer and wine at the party last night, but I was on a quest for the Jimmy Carter Shake.  I've been waiting to try this concoction of peanut butter, banana and "super premium" ice cream since I first examined the Boloco menu so many months ago.

Alas, the Jimmy Carter was not being sampled last night!  But wait.  Nicole disappeared into the kitchen.  A few minutes later, Jason Hutchinson, Executive Chef and co-founder of Boloco, emerged from the kitchen with a cup in hand.  "I hear you wanted a Jimmy Carter Shake," he said, and handed me a full-size cup (not just a little sample size) and straw.  In my hand, he explained, was the very first Jimmy Carter Shake to be whipped up at Boloco Bethesda.  Now that's world class.

And delicious.  Imagine the limited-edition Elvis Peanut Butter Cups, minus chocolate, added to a rich, vanilla milkshake.  5 stars - my new favorite beverage at Bethesda Row, and I think it will be yours, too.

While testing all of this, I also had a couple of interesting conversations with Allison of Boloco's marketing team, and Boloco CEO and co-founder John Pepper.

Yes, you read that right - the actual CEO was in the house, and talking with guests.  He emphasized the company's focus on advancing employees and treating them well, as if they were customers being served by the company.  To illustrate that, he pointed out a hidden back room you won't see when you visit the restaurant:  a break room for employees, that he asked architects to make nicer even than the main dining area.

Whether it's hormone-free meat or fresh, organic fillings, the larger goals of the company - to change lives and the world with globally-inspired burritos - is reflected throughout the customer experience.  As an example, check out what the side of my Jimmy Carter Shake cup said:

This cup grew up in Blair, Nebraska.  

It really did.  

It's made entirely of plants.  

It's 100% compostable.

You can't help but be impressed.  If you're just at Boloco for delicious burritos, you'll be satisfied.  But if bigger issues concern you as well, you too will be a satisfied customer.  Boloco is a nearly guilt-free dining experience at Bethesda Row, as you can know you are helping people, your health and the environment with every meal.

The focus on employees shines through in their interaction with customers. Without exception, every employee was friendly, courteous and going out of his or her way to ensure a better experience for customers.

And now it's your turn!

Stop by Thursday for FREE burritos!

And we've got a record to break, folks.

3300 burritos is the standing record for Boloco burrito giveaways at a single location.

I know we can beat that!

So get ready to goloco for Boloco Thursday, and bring your family and friends.  They also have a kids menu, and are open for breakfast with breakfast burritos.  Did I mention they have the amazing Coke Freestyle dispenser that lets you create over 100 drink flavors?

Here's an exclusive video to get you warmed up!

BOLOCO BETHESDA ROW INSTAGRAM CONTEST

OK, let's get a couple of things straight here:

You love using Instagram, right?

And you can't wait to try the world-famous, globally-inspired burritos at Boloco when it opens at Bethesda Row in 2 weeks?

So, what if I told you that by using Instagram, you could get a FREE Boloco burrito?

I'm not making this up!

Just stop by Boloco's soon-to-open location ASAP on Elm Street, and take a picture of yourself via Instagram in front of this sign:

Then tweet your photo on Twitter to @boloco, and add the hashtag #bolocobethesda to your tweet.

Et voila, you could win FREE burritos!

I'm still deciding which burrito to order first, but I already know what drink I'm ordering:  the Jimmy Carter peanut butter shake!

Stay loco, Boloco fans!

LOCO FOR

BOLOCO

AT

BETHESDA ROW!

Upscale Burrito Shop Grand Opening Update;

Boston's Favorite Burrito has a Surprise for

Foursquare Members

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Are you going loco waiting for possibly the nation's best burritos to arrive at Bethesda Row? You only have to wait about three more months.

The grand opening of Boston's favorite burrito chain, Boloco, was originally reported as being planned for June. Now it will open on Elm Street in July, according to Alicia DeMartini of the company's public relations firm.

Boloco has a special benefit for Foursquare users: Those who attain Mayor status at Boloco restaurants can receive a Mayor's Card (pictured above) that entitles the Mayor and his or her guests to special benefits. So get ready to check in; the location will be the former spot of Baja Fresh.

Boloco will be quite an upgrade over that chain, however. Customers at Boloco will have many more menu options.

You'll be able to "goloco," and custom order your burrito. Boloco's emphasis is on grass/vegetarian fed, humanely produced meats with no antibiotics or added growth hormones.

The company also has a history of generous benefits shared by all employees, and helping non-English speaking staff learn the language free, so they can earn promotion to higher positions.

OK, OK, what about the food?, you may be asking.

It's not your typical burrito. Although you can order traditional burritos, Boloco also offers selections like Bangkok Thai, Tikka Masala, Cajun, and Memphis BBQ. Not just "inspired burritos," but Globally Inspired Burritos.

I can't wait to try the Jimmy Carter Shake (I'm not making this up!) with peanut butter and banana flavors. Although I'm wondering why that's not called The Elvis?

There's also a Cookie Monster and a Cape Codder (sorry, no vodka in the latter). And a Soy Berry Shake for a healthier option.

Are you a Nutella maniac? You're going to love Boloco! They have a Nutella Snack Wrap and a Nutella Shake. Personally, the Boloco chocolate chip cookie is my dessert choice.

So I'll see you in line on Opening Day at Boloco at Bethesda Row! The temperature will be just right for a milkshake in July.