Chimichangas, Enchiladas, and Chonitas, oh my.

Drove to London to visit my parents today, and the weather was excellent for a road trip — that is if you like sun and snow at the same time. It was surprisingly cold for such a sunny day, but luckily, the snow didn’t last very long, and when I got home it was all melted away. Now it just needs to get warmer.
Went to Under the Volcano for dinner too. It’s definitely my favourite Mexican restaurant, not like there are very many of them around here. I spent much of the evening trying to explain the differences between the chimichanga, the enchilada, and the flautas to my parents. My dad finally liked the idea of the chimichanga, and my mom decided on the enchilada. When they arrived, mom took the chimichanga for herself. Then she only ate half of it and made my dad take it back. Hehe. They’re so cute sometimes….
Under the Volcano makes some of the best salsa though. They blacken the vegetables first, and add a good amount of cilantro and celery seed and pepper. Very nice recipe. If you eat meat, the cayenne beef chonitas are the best (but they are quite hot — eat a whole one, and the servers come by and congratulate you). For vegetarians, they make every dish without meat. Even the caesar salad is made without anchovy paste.
So what are these things? Confused by Mexican (or pseudo-Mexican) cooking? Here’s what it says in the Under the Volcano menu:

• Chimichanga – Tortilla wrapped around meat and cheese, then deep-fried.
  
• Enchilada – Rolled, filled tortilla covered in chili sauce and baked.
  
• Flautas – “Flute-like” tortillas wrapped around meat, and covered in melted cheese.
  
• Chonitas – Like a Mexican “panzerotti” – meat, cheese and vegetables encased in a deep-fried crust