Another Mexican-theme chain restaurant a la Rio Grande Cafe. Just what we needed. That's what I thought. But we were shopping at Pentagon City and we were hungry and Chevy's had just opened across the street at Pentagon Centre, along with the Best Buy and the Price Club and the Borders and the Starbucks, and so we stopped in. Wow. This place is something. Same basic shtick: Beer-crate decor (though the waiters' Mr. Goodwrench outfits are a new twist), freshly made chips with freshly made salsa (mmmmm!), tortillas freshly made by a Rube Goldberg contraption on public display. Look at the menu, though, and there's a hint of new spice. I'll mention just a couple: *pork* fajitas (a variation on carnitas, but they're unpretentious enough to let us pretentious folks figure that out). Green-chile burros (you have to read the fine print, but that's what they are, and this dish, a staple back in Arizona but extremely rare here, is likely to bring in its share of expatriate Wildcats and Sun Devils). Fish tacos (stop laughing, those of you with the dirty minds). On the night we went, those fish tacos were being made with salmon. I hope to try this sometime (and the pork fajitas), but I couldn't pass up green chile. The Mexican beer selection is above average -- there's Carta Blanca and Pacifico for a variation, however slight, on the usual Tecate and Corona, and I believe they also have Negra Modelo and Dos Eqquis, for those who prefer a darker brew. You get a choice in the bean department: the old-standby frijoles refritos, refrieds with the added touch of bacon; the new-standby soupy whole-bean stuff, where the bacon isn't such a surprise; and black beans sans bacon for a vegetarian option. And the aforementioned flour tortillas are served with all entres -- not just the fajitas. The real shocker was the price. Dinner for two, including three beers total, came to about $26. A quick look at the itemized tab revealed the reason for this pleasant surprise: Our entrees (she had the crispy chicken tacos) were $6.95 and $7.95, not the around-10-bucks we'd grown used to. This isn't cheap, mind you, but it beats the competition. I don't know how far and wide this chain operates, or even if there's another one in the D.C. area besides the Pentagon Centre location, though I saw rave reviews from the San Francisco Examiner and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch framed on the wall. Anyway, we'll be back. Maybe for the second night in a row. -- Bill on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC