Chili's Grill & Bar

I am not so food snobby to avoid Chili's, so we stopped at this one for a quick dinner last night.  I expected - and got - reasonable food and service, but I was appalled at how dirty everything was. From the table (which the server wiped down in front of us - but then left wet), to the sticky, crusty menus (I had to go wash my hands after placing my order), to the window that looked like the back seat window of a Subaru with 2 dogs, to the food stuck on the spoon with my soup ... I was mildly nauseated throughout the meal.  It's a fairly easy thing to keep a clean restaurant - maybe all those hosts and runners could do some washing and wiping during their down time? We definitely won't go back here.

I'm not sure why, just like Soulja Boy and Vanilla Ice, Chili's Bar & Grill gets such a bad rap.  After all, they single-handily brought the Margarita to the forefront of the American Bar scene, back when the Cosmo was all the rage.

Yes, now you remember. 1994 and it all started with "The Presidente." The margarita that comes delivered to you in a translucent blue plastic cocktail shaker, which never quite seals itself enough to shake without dripping margarita all over the place.

Admit it, you go...and you go with friends, family (and dare I say it) co-workers.
There, felt just like therapy, didn't it. Say it with me, "Yes, I go to Chili's and I like it."

What do I enjoy about Chili's Bar & Grill? It's a chain. (Yes, that five-letter word everyone treats as a four-letter word).

And with a chain, you get consistency. You'll enjoy the same staff, the same dishes and consistently great specials.

You see, when I can't decide what I want, where to go or have last week's bad dinning experience still resonating in my mind, I want to go somewhere I know that will be consistent. Chili's is my go to place.

Cold beer, fresh margaritas (try the "Rita Trio" next time) and great solid recipes, sounds like a solid approach to a fun night out to me.

Used to eat at this Chili's all the time, until both service and food quality began to slip. Six months ago, after 15 minutes of waiting for a waiter to arrive, we got up and left.  Last week, we decided to give them another chance. The service is still bad, the prices are the same even though they've cut portions and removed items that used to be included with the meal so that you have to pay for an "extra".  Not going back ever again...