Posted by Greg Clow in mexican, restaurant review on April 24, 2007 at 7:48 am

Chimichanga
335 Yonge Street
416-977-1616
lunch or dinner for two with juice/pop & tax: $20

The last time I can recall seeing a chimichanga on a restaurant menu was at Chi-Chis, the awful Mexican family dining chain that went bust a few years ago. I remember going to the Toronto location as a university student and ordering one, not really knowing what it was, and receiving a deep-fried burrito-type thing that was soggy, greasy and generally disgusting.

With that memory in mind, I was a bit concerned when I heard that a Mexican take-out joint called Chimichanga had opened on Yonge Street just north of Dundas. But when I walked by around lunchtime one day and saw that the restaurant's namesake grease-bomb was not to be found on the menu, my confidence level was raised somewhat, and I decided to give them a shot.

Atmosphere-wise, there's not a lot to say about the place. It's basically a take-out counter with a couple of stools by the window. So I got my order to go and headed back to my office a couple of blocks away so I could surf the web work while I ate my lunch.

My choice for this first visit was the Tres Tacos combo ($6.50), which included three tacos, rice and beans, and a handful of tortilla chips. I went with the soft shell option, ordered one of each of the three veggie fillings (spicy tofu, roasted veggie & chili queso), and added a side of guacamole ($0.50). The shells were fresh (albeit store bought), while the chips were made in-house and were crisp and delicious with just a faint greasiness. The guac was excellent, very fresh and tasty, as was the accompanying chipotle salsa, although it was more on the medium side of the menu-promised "medium-hot".

As for the fillings, the spicy tofu was the best of the lot, with chewy chunks of tofu that were almost chicken-like in consistency, with a subtle spice that was complimented by the cheese, lettuce and sour cream toppings. The chili queso was also tofu-based, and was quite similar to the spicy tofu, but moister with a slight cheesy tang. The grilled veggie featured zucchini, bell pepper and onions in a mildly spiced sauce that was on the bland side, but improved somewhat with a shot of the salsa. All in all, it was a decent enough lunch, but could've used a bit more of a kick to really hit the spot.

A few weeks later, the wife and I were sitting at home with a craving for Mexican but no inclination to leave our taqueria-less neighbourhood. So we hit one of the local food delivery websites and were happy to find that Chimichanga had recently been added to the list of options for our neighbourhood. We were extra happy to find that they had Pacific white fish on the list of fillings, something I had somehow overlooked on my first visit. We'd both developed an addiction to fish tacos during a trip to Southern California a few years ago, and had been searching in vain for a local spot to get them when we needed a fix. We placed an order for a trio of hopefully tasty fish tacos ($8.00) as well as a roasted veggie burrito ($6.99) and an order of chips and guac ($2.50), and then we waited with barely contained anticipation.

Unfortunately, our glee was short-lived, as we received a phone call from the restaurant soon after our order was placed informing us that they were out of fish, as well as the whole wheat tortilla we'd requested for the burrito. They made a few hurried suggestions to replace the fish, and I said that we'd be fine with any combination of one meat and two vegetarian tacos. To make up for the price difference, they said they'd throw in some extra chips and guac. Sounded like a good compromise. Or so we thought.

The food arrived in a reasonable time, and was a bit cold, but otherwise OK for delivery. The tacos were one meat (chicken) & two veg as requested, although both of the vegetarian ones featured the same roasted veggies that were in the burrito. The veggies were even blander than the first time I'd tried them, and even the addition of salsa couldn't bring any excitement to the flavour. The chicken faired a bit better, as it was moist and had a bit more of a kick, but still didn't wow me.

As for the burrito, it proved to be the biggest disappointment of the meal. It appeared to have been wrapped in the foil before it was grilled, causing much of the wrapper to stick to the tortilla shell, particularly on the side where the shell was burnt. Ironically, though, this burnt part was the best bit, as it gave a bit of smokiness to an otherwise bland and flavour-free burrito. The veggies were just as lifeless here as in the taco, and the rice was overcooked and mushy. The beans offered a hint of flavour that was missing from all of the other elements, but there was barely a mouthful of them, and the promised cheese seemed to be missing entirely.

And actually, I lied - the burrito wasn't the biggest disappointment of the meal. That distinction has to be reserved for the chips, which were still handmade and crispy, but which were over-salted to the point of being completely inedible. A real shame, as the guacamole was just as good as it was with my earlier lunch.

I intend on trying Chimichanga at least once more, if only to see if their fish tacos are up to the standard of those I had in California. But that would involve them actually having the fish available, as well as learning how to use other spices besides salt. And frankly, both of those may be too much to hope for.