Chuy’s

• Presentation & Creativity: 14/20
• Portion Size & Nutritional Value: 7/10
• Ingredient Compatibility: 9/10
• Flavor, Taste, Texture, & Doneness: 30/40
• Service: 7/10
• Restaurant Appearance: 4/5
• Cost vs. Value: 4/5

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REVIEW

Was Mexican food the right idea before cramming myself into the sardine box known as a movie theater for The Dark Knight Rises on opening weekend? Well, maybe not. However, the decision to make Chuy’s the restaurant of choice was a sound one.

I’ve passed the restaurant on the road multiple times thinking it to be some generic Tex-Mex restaurant. All the signs of a chain restaurant were prevalent. Upon entering, I began inspecting the interior. There are old photos lining the walls and a couple fake palm trees. A bit cliché, but the restaurant was visually appealing and clean.

After looking over the menu, I was impressed the menu did not take after the six-page menus of many other Tex-Mex restaurants. Instead, it was short, yet varied, and included some menu items unique to Chuy’s.

Our waitress, Mallory, brought us chips and salsa and began taking our order. I ordered the Steak Burrito with Green Chile Rice and Charro Beans. My fiancé ordered the Fajita Chicken Soft Tacos with Mexican Rice and Charro Beans.

While waiting for our dishes to be prepared, we began snacking on the chips and salsa. The salsa had a lot of flavor and packed in the heat. It was a tad runny, however.

After a while, a server brought our dishes out to us. My burrito had a lot of flavor and the steak was tender, albeit a tad dry, and had a smoky taste. The accompanying Hatch green chile sauce, which tasted of pablano, surpassed the salsa in Scoville units. The green chili rice did nothing to lower the heat of the dish, but were cooked and flavored well. The Charro beans, with a mild sweetness to them, were a tad off from the rest of the dish but cooked well nonetheless. My fiancé’s chicken tacos, like my steak, were a bit on the dry side. Her Mexican rice had similar flavors as mine minus the kick.

I was quite impressed with my experience at Chuy’s. The waitress struggled a bit keeping up with the pace of the restaurant, but overall did a good job. The food was excellent. I just wish I hadn’t been in such a hurry to find good seats at the theater or I may have insisted on trying a dessert.