New Eats: Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

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I hate to break it to everyone, but this week's review is far less exciting than the Cowford experience from last week. Zach and I headed to Cheddar's for an impromptu dinner last week and were sorely disappointed. I get it...every new restaurant has its learning curves. We were expecting average, slow service, but our unfortunate experience went far beyond that. Food For the record, we ordered totally normal food and I did no prior research on Cheddar's specialties. Honestly, the food isn't even worth discussing. It was somehow a combination of cold and overcooked with average flavors (at best). The spinach and artichoke dip appetizer was the best part of our entire meal but still completely average when compared to other restaurants. Service Our poor server. He couldn't have been over 16 years old and was waiting on close to 15 tables. With sweat drenching his shirt and an overwhelmed demeanor, we only got to see our server about once every 20 minutes.
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New Eats: Chuy's Restaurant Review

You'll rarely catch me at a chain restaurant, but I had to make an exception for all of the new spots at the St. Johns Town Center! From Brazilian steakhouses to Tex-Mex, there are about to be dozens of new dining choices. My first stop of the new crop was Chuy's Tex-Mex. After a 45-minute wait on a Wednesday night (pretty impressive, I'd say) and a couple margaritas later, we finally got seated.


I could've very easily been at a Chili's and wouldn't really notice a difference in decor or food quality. Although, Chuy's features a couple perks worth noting:

Perk #1 - Open Chips and Salsa Bar

 While you're waiting for your table or grabbing a drink at the bar, Chuy's encourages you to help yourself to endless chips, salsa and nacho toppings. This girl was SUPER excited about this snack to hold me over during our 45-minute wait.

 Perk #2 - Homemade Tortillas

 This is probably the biggest selling point for eating at Chuy's. There's a little window right when you walk in the front door that shows women making fresh, fluffy homemade tortillas. Man, can you taste the difference! I ordered fajitas and the fresh tortillas stole the show.







So, would I go back? With such a great selection of Mexican restaurants around Jacksonville, Chuy's would not be one of my first choices when I'm in the mood for tacos or a fajita.

At the end of the day, Taco Lu still has my heart.

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