Chiko's Bar & Grill

Visited Prairie Restorations in Scandia, and - since we had a coupon - decided to give nearby Chiko's a shot.
Glad we did. We got a great margarita, great food, and great service from Lisa.
I loved the burrito extra grande. I couldn't finish the tasty monster, and enjoyed leftovers the following day.
We visited Chiko's on a weekday mid-afternoon. A few bar patrons, only one other sit-down dining group. Pretty quiet.
We live in Shoreview, and there's tex-mex places closer to us that we patronize, so I can't see us being regulars.. Hope the Scandia locals patronize this place. Based on one visit, anyway, it seems like an establishment worth having in your neighborhood.

ARE WE THERE YET ???????    ARE  WE  THERE  YET  ??

Talk about out of the way !  I said, " Let's go out to TRAPPER"S in Scandia".  Oh wait,  now it's  DON JULIOS.    Oh wait,  now it is  CHIKOS.  OK...... I'll bite.

Same horseshoe bar,  same vaulted ceiling, same emptiness. A few locals sitting at the bar, pretty bartender, and wonderful smells coming from the kitchen.  OK.....let's eat.   50 ct  wing night. I'll take some,    pretty good.   Lots of Mexican entrees catch my eye,  but one really gets my attention.  

Chicken Chimiganga.     Because there is NO SEAFOOD Chimichanga!

So, I got the Chicken Chimi   and  man oh man.  Ginormous chunks of fire grilled chicken , plump and juicy, in a ginormous tortilla roll.  This could feed a family of 4.  I had to FORCE  myself to eat the WHOLE thing. If I weren't on good YELP behavior I might have licked the plate.

I wish this restaurant/building could make a go of it here in Scandia. Hopefully the weekends can make up for slow weekdays.  The floor staff seemed a little young and
in need a little more training and guidance. It is difficult to find seasoned servers in such a remote area. Unless it is hoppin  with money to be made, a place cannot attract good help. Without good help, if it DOES start hoppin, people will be disillusioned and not come back .   A  real  CATCH 22.

DID  WE  PASS IT ?   DID  WE  PASS IT  ?