New burrito in town

It’s kind of amazing how the weather seemed to shift just as Daylight Saving Time kicked in. While my allergies are in a bit of a frenzy, the rest of me feels positively invigorated with the promises of spring. Apparently I’m not alone, either. Just in the past week or so, there’ve been several openings and closings worth mentioning. I’ll start with an opening.

The corner of Third and Main streets, the one emblazoned with the Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack sign long after that enterprise vacated the building, is home to a new eatery as of last Wednesday (March 8). Urban Fresh Fuel promises “handcrafted burritos & brews” and while I have yet to try the latter, I did pop in to try a burrito.

The process, much like that of MOD Pizza or, I don’t know, Subway, isn’t difficult. But when it comes to burritos, I’m used to choosing a meat, whether I’d like it supreme, and that’s about it. Urban Fresh Fuel introduces a whole new world of burrito options, from traditional flavors to barbecue and even Cajun.

I opted for the surf ’n’ turf—shrimp and steak, plus jack cheddar and grilled onions—on a white tortilla with mixed black and refried beans and Spanish rice. Add: sour cream. My burrito came out ginormous, easily big enough for two. And it had good flavor, with plenty of beef and shrimp throughout. A few bits of constructive criticism: Scale back on the rice. I’d rather have a slightly smaller burrito with better proportions than one that offers entire mouthfuls of just rice. And second, let the cheese melt. Chunks of cold cheese in the middle of all that goodness is just an opportunity missed. But those are small things that surely will be worked out in the coming weeks. In all, for day three, not bad at all. I’ll definitely be back!

Roused Just after the November election, I took a stroll through the Garden Walk Mall downtown and noticed a new thrift shop inside, Rouse & Revolt. I chatted for a little bit with the owners, who seemed very cool and driven, and browsed the racks. Now, not even six months later, the owners—Christina and Nicholle Haber—have stepped right up to Main Street. On March 11, they celebrated their grand opening in their new spot, still in the Garden Walk, but with big picture windows onto the street. Best of luck in your new digs!

Peace out! As Rouse & Revolt celebrates a move out, the folks over at Red Umbrella Consignment are saying farewell. The large shop at the corner of Main and Third streets just wasn’t getting enough shoppers, according to the store’s Facebook page. Too bad.

Attention, shoppers For those who shop at Safeway on Mangrove or East avenues, you may have seen the signs. Those grocery stores will no longer be open 24 hours, but instead will close from 2-5 a.m. There were some rumors flying that this was in response to a request from the city of Chico to in some way affect the homeless population around the stores. I checked with City Manager Mark Orme and he said there was no truth whatsoever to that rumor. So there you go.