The Other Critics

Inside The ‘Chipotle-esque’ Xoco

Rick Bayless’s long-antcipated Xoco opens next week, but last night they held a preview for family and friends. The space is “less festive than Frontera Grill next door,” the Trib’s Kevin Pang and Monica Eng report, “but there’s a certain Chipotle-ness to the modern design, and we mean this in the best sense — just sunnier and prettier.” The traffic flow seems slightly unconventional: patrons are seated in the dining area, and then have to get up to order at the counter along with others waiting to place takeout orders. The Trib team reserve judgment on the food (though they seem to be reserving judgment in a very “we like this a lot way”), assuming rightly that Bayless and crew will hammer out some kinks between yesterday and September 8, but predict epic lines once the place opens to the public. [The Stew]

Previously: What To Eat At Xoco, Opening September 8

Inside The ‘Chipotle-esque’ Xoco