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Chipotle Mexican Grill opens Thursday on Fourth

By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE and SHARON L. BOND
Published November 13, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - This city finally is getting its Chipotle Mexican Grill, a fast-growing chain of some 400 quick-serve Mexican restaurants that go beyond the typical fast food.

Tampa already has Chipotle, but St. Petersburg had to wait for the individual buildout the company does for each location. The place opens Thursday at 780 Fourth St. N.

Chipotle's is part of a national trend of spicing up the flavor at chains. Its menu is limited to tacos, burritos and burrito bowls (without the tortillas) plus salads. But because it makes each one to customer specifications, there is an "awful lot of flexibility and awful lot of variety," said Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold.

He said Chipotle each year is increasing its percentage of naturally raised meats. That means cows, chickens and pigs the company buys are on a vegetarian diet and do not get antibiotics or hormones.

"Florida is one of three markets in the country where we have all naturally raised meat," Arnold said. Lack of supply in some areas is what keeps the company from buying only naturally raised meat.

Though McDonald's owns 90 percent of the company, Chipotle tries to stick to its roots created by professional chef Steve Ells in 1993.

Though Ells was trained at the Culinary Institute of America, he based his restaurants on the taco masters in San Francisco's Mission District, where cheap, authentic food was a hit with chefs and foodies as much as homesick Mexicans.

ST. PETERSBURG - Aspirations Winery opened earlier this month just off Fourth Street N at 33rd Avenue and carries wine without sulfites.

"We have a very successful program in Tampa and decided it was time to expand," said Richard Cresswell, who is partners with Bob French in the business.

Aspirations occupies the space where Wine Warehouse was located at 408-B Fourth St. N. Wine Warehouse moved to another Fourth Street N location at 55th Avenue.

Cresswell said Aspirations carries 4,000 bottles of wine of 35 to 40 varieties and custom blends. The wine is made in Tampa from grapes bought through a cooperative that gets grapes from vineyards all over the world, he said.

Aspirations also is something of an art gallery featuring originals by local artists, Cresswell said.

[Last modified November 13, 2005, 03:00:43]