On the boarder at "Chuy's"!

October 26, 2010 Posted by foodscoop in The Food Scoop

I went to “Chuy’s” when they first opened. This is one of the newest restaurants in Birmingham which is located at the Summit, next to “Flip Burger”. It’s been open for almost three months. “Chuy’s” is a Mexican restaurant chain that started 28 years ago, and originates in Austin, Texas; they have locations throughout Texas, Tennessee, and the one location in Birmingham.The menu offers recipes from South Texas, New Mexico, and Mexican border towns. The food from “Chuy’s” is somewhat Tex-Mex and Mexican American, it’s not really authentic Mexican dishes, in my opinion. They pride themselves on bringing you the best, the freshest, and the healthiest Mexican food on the entire planet. For example, cooks are constantly hand-rolling tortillas (you can see this being done, while you’re waiting or eating), salsa fresca is made every hour with fresh tomatoes, and the green chilies are hand picked from Hatch, New Mexico, by the kitchen managers. Even their drinks are fresh! Those famous “Chuy’s” margaritas are all made with fresh squeezed lime juice.

“Chuy’s” is known for many things, but one thing they are known for, are their “Signature Sauces”. The sauces include Tex-Mex, Ranchero, Hatch Green Chile, Green Chile, Tomatillo, Deluxe Tomatillo, and Creamy Jalapeño. Each sauce is colorful and flavorful, and most of the time you can choose one with your meal. Lastly, “Chuy’s” also does a lot of work in the community, including collecting toys for needy children. Go “Chuy’s”!

Now let me tell you about my “Chuy’s” experience!

Upon walking in the front door, we were completely amazed at the festive decor, festive colors, and classic memorabilia that filled the restaurant; it was fun and funky!

We put our name on the waiting list, and were told that the wait would be approximately two hours . Instead of getting discouraged, we decided to tough it out and wait. So we made the best of it and got a table on the patio. The patio was reserved only for those waiting on a table, you could not order food from the menu while waiting. So while we were on the patio, we ordered drinks and got nachos with a variety of dips.

My drink was awesome, I had the Strawberry Margarita and it came in a large glass; I basically was sipping on it for the whole two hour wait, lol!

Next, we had to get up and get the nachos from inside. The nachos are served out of the trunk of a car, literally. There is space for three bins of nachos in the trunk, along with space for two big bowls of different salsa.

We took the nachos back to the table and started talking, drinking, and eating. Our waitress was nice enough to bring us one of the signature sauces, the Creamy Jalapeno flavor, and I really enjoyed dipping my nachos in it. In my opinion, this sauce was better than the queso we ordered, and the two types of salsa from the bar.

The location of “Chuy’s” offers a prime view of the Highway 280 corridor and it is amazing. I really enjoyed seeing this view while being on the patio. There were plenty of people on the patio, but it is big enough to where you don’t feel crowded. While waiting I saw some people that I knew and they came to talk to us, so that helped to pass the time.

Before we knew it, it was 10:15 pm and our table was available, it was time to eat. We were full off of the nachos, but we ate anyway because we just had to see what the food was like. In the room where our table was, the ceiling was filled with a variety of hub-caps.

Our waiter came to take our drink orders and our food orders, because we had plenty of time to look at the menu. While we waited on the food, the waiter insisted that we get more nachos, and we had to say no because we were “nachoed” out, lol!

I ordered the “Steak Burrito” which is a handmade, 12′ flour tortilla stuffed with sliced grilled steak & cheese. Served with green chile rice ( I didn’t get the spicy Hatch Green Chile sauce, that would’ve been served on top of the burrito; and I didn’t get the charro beans either. I’m not a big fan of either one of these items). This dish was excellent, and of course, I didn’t eat it all because I was already full and it was getting late. But I still enjoyed it because the steak had a wonderful grilled flavor. The green chile rice was really spicy, so I couldn’t really eat that much; but it was still good. My dish also came with a signature sauce, so I got the Tex-Mex; it tastes like a bowl of chili. I ended up pouring it on top of my burrito, this was an excellent choice!

My mom got the “Deluxe Chicken Enchillada” and she said that her food tasted just ok. Corey got the “Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom Enchillada” and he had only positive things to say about this dish. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures! But check these dishes out on “Chuy’s” website.

Finally, we finished eating and paid our bill by 11:30pm. What a fun night we had, it was filled with food, drinks, and good conversation. Even though we had to wait, it was one of the best waits ever because of the nachos, drinks, company, and the view. Ya’ll go to “Chuy’s”, the food is good and the atmosphere is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

“Chuy’s” you rock!!!!!!!!!

http://www.chuys.com/

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