Chico's Mexican Grill

The other day I was again craving mexican food. So, I decided to drive to a nearby restaurant with my friend, to check out Chico's Mexican Grill.

Located in a rather bland strip mall on the corner of Statesville and Gilead, Chico's is very easy to get to. Once I made my way past the Food Lion in the same mall, I grabbed a parking space, and we made our way in.

I was suprised by the atmosphere at this restaurant. It's sorta cute. The tables at the booths are covered with colorful tile, and in the middle of the restaurant there is a sort of a wooden pergola covering a row of booths. It has no function other than to add atmosphere, and I liked it quite a bit.

We were quickly taken to our seats, and upon seating were promptly brought chips and salsa. To be honest, the salsa was nothing special -- it was very similar to what I get at the store. But nevertheless, I promptly started munching. Our waitress arrived quickly and took our drink orders. And then I started looking over the menu.

On the back of the menu were the lunch specials, and there were many of them. I settled on the special with the tostada, taco, and enchilada. After a short wait, our food arrived, and I dug in. I started with the enchilada. Which, really, wasn't an enchilada. It was simply a flour tortilla filled with beef and topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. It wasn't the standard enchilada that is baked in the sauce. To be honest, I found the beef to be lacking in flavor, so I started applying salsa, to the enchilada. It helped.

Then I hit the tostada. It was good, but not great. It was a simple tostada with beans, cheese, lettuce and tomato. It just wasn't enough to keep my tongue happy so I proceeded to the crispy beef taco. Again, I found it to be lacking flavor. The beef just didn't have enough flavor for me. I'm used to mexican food having a distinctive flavor, and this just lacked most flavor. In my opinion, they needed to add some more cumin, oregano, and onion to the beef.

Aside from the beef, the taco was good. The lettuce and tomatoes seemed to be fresh, and the crispy taco shell wasn't soggy. But since the meat tends to add so much flavor, I was just disappointed by the overall experience.

But it should be noted that the atmosphere and service were great. Our drinks were regularly refilled, and the service was fast and friendly.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Including tip, lunch was less than $10)

Conclusion: Chico's has a lot of promise -- but I just couldn't get over the lack of flavor of the beef. But I did enjoy my time there, so I will be heading back, and trying another dish and meat. Hopefully next time the meal will be a bit better.

Restaurant Info:
Chico's Mexican Grill
North Statesville Rd.
Suite B2
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-992-2755
http://www.chicosmexgrill.com