Pleeze, no cheeze: episode 237
This is an image from the customer-service rating form. We didn’t turn it in. It was the second one received; the first one had already been completed, by somebody else.
I love Chuy’s, I love the food there, and the waitstaff does amazing work in very close quarters and under adverse conditions. The margarita was ordered straight up; then came the questions in succession: frozen? (answer “no”) on the rocks? (answer “no”). Mercifully, the Mexican margarita question was not asked. The plate came slathered with cheese; the beans were not charro; and there’s more to be said, but I won’t say it.
I did think it was funny that the pico de gallo arrived without the pico; in other words, it was complete in every way, but for chiles: fresh diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice. This is no doubt one of the sequelae of the salmonella scare and only what I expected; delicious as it was in its incomplete state, however, it would be good if the omission were to mentioned when an order is placed.
Chuy’s, as always, is a bargain for the quantity and quality of food. My piquant green chile sauce was wonderful. A chile relleno here remains among the best in town. I didn’t take advantage of the current photo booth today, but always love watching those who do. The adept little kids working the toy grabber for plush creatures are always fun to see, also. If Chuy’s has a any time of the day or night when it’s not just as busy as it can be, I’ve never been fortunate enough to happen upon it. Despite forlorn hopes, the rush was as heavy as ever, as we found when we dropped by hungry from non-stop laughing at Singh is Kinng. I’ll always be one of those making up the throngs at Chuy’s, watching and being watched.
I’ve never understood the fascination with Chuy’s. The food is ok for TexMex. Usually way too much cheese, but that’s most TexMex, I suppose. I don’t dig the atmosphere either: crowded, loud, and just plain rushed. The only time I enjoy Chuy’s is when I go to one of their locations with an outside area (like the 183 location – not sure if there are others). I’ve been eating there for 12 years now, but only when it’s somebody else’s turn to pick the place.
Really, the original Chuy’s from its very first days is the only one that I know at all, other than my one visit to the one on North Lamar after attending a performance of Circo Hermanos Vazquez across the street, and I didn’t think that it measured up to "the" Chuy’s, which has never really been all that much about food, anyhow, although most people develop a favorite, but has always known its margaritas, nachos, and those items that evoke New Mexico. It has always brought me my food, per request, without cheese or other annoying dairy accompaniments. Until this weekend. Most of the food is thought of by most of the patrons I know more as accompaniments to liquid refreshment than in any other way. The hub-cap room has always been where familiar faces are most likely to be seen. My experience was my fault for even considering Chuy’s on a weekend; it’s more itself on weekdays during those hours when people with a day job are skipping out on it and those without one are just passing some time away. The acoustics are indeed horrendous.