Chilorio's Very Mexican

Fast, fresh & healthy Mexican food near Dadeland.


What we had:

I'm a slacker, and we have been eating here regularly on Monday nights for about a month. My DH usually goes for the burrito and I get the tacos. Because we have addictions.

How to order: First, select the dish you want (grilled burrito, 3 tacos, 2 tostadas, 1 quesadilla, 1 salad, 2 enchiladas or 1 tostada) and then the meat (Chilorio chicken, grilled chicken, Chilorio beef, steak, ground beef, grilled mixed veggies, shrimp or lobster), toppings and sides.

Meats

The meat is generally dry, but what do you want? It's been sitting in a pan, waiting on your order. This is fast food. At least it's not sitting in grease.

Chilorio chicken: Supposedly spicy shredded chicken. Neither of us find it spicy, but it isn't bad, either.

Grilled chicken: Chopped, grilled chicken.

Chilorio beef: Supposedly spicy shredded beef. This one isn't spicy either.

Steak: I think this is the best of the bunch. Generally less dry than the others (go fig), and nicely seasoned.

Ground beef: My DH likes this one; I haven't had it yet.

Pork: I swear they have pork, but it's not on the menu. The pork was dry, but it was pork, so I wasn't complaining.

Grilled veggies & seafood: Haven't tried these options, either. Seafood ups the price by around $3, and I'm usually way too starving by the time we get here to order veggies.

Toppings
Typical beans/rice/pico/cheese/lettuce toppings.

Tortillas
The tortillas are homemade. My favorite is the soft & pillowy wheat.

Sides
I love that they offer baked tortillas and non-refried mashed pinto beans as sides. The black beans are also very tasty.


Décor:

The little fire guy is cute, and I like the lime and red color scheme. They also have small upgrades like TVs, menu pics on an overhead monitor and a cell phone charging station.


Service:

I don't know if it's the acupuncture I get before I go, or old age setting in, but whomever is behind the counter is usually almost inaudible.


Overall impressions:

Not bad. A little bland, and not as good as Moe's, but we don't feel guilty about eating here, either. The prices are very reasonable. We usually get out for just under $20 for one burrito, three tacos and two fountain drinks. We must not be the only ones who don't feel guilty about feeding their need for Mexican here--Chilorio's was voted 2010 best guilt-free burrito by Miami New Times.

Check out their website for nutritional information.


Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

T-Mex Cantina

Tex-Mex bar in the downtown Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk. The menu has a variety of burritos (regular and loco size), tacos, nachos, burgers and other bar food and was written by a drunk Spanglish speaker. Chicken was referred to in one burrito as both chicken and pollo; not sure what they think the difference is... maybe pork? Pretty much all iterations come with a shrimp or fish option, but surprising little pork on the menu.


What we had:

I had the shredded chicken burrito and my DH had the ground beef burrito. Both were edible, but way too watery and boring to be called good. We ordered hot, and it wasn't at all spicy.


Décor:

Bras & beer signs on the ceiling.


Service:

Typical bar service.


Overall impressions:

We were starving, so no complaints about not dying of starvation, but it's not a place I would willingly visit again if even a little sober. Maybe if I turn into a Girl Gone Wild when I grow up. Or learn how to do a keg stand.


Rating:

2.5 out of 5 salamanders





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Fairchild Tropical Garden Cafe

The cafe at Fairchild Tropical Garden.


What we had:

I had the tropical turkey sandwich on a hoagie roll--nice quality turkey with dill Havarti, mixed greens and a mango sauce on a fresh-tasting roll. This sandwich far exceeded my expectations, providing nice light fortification without making me nauseous from the heat of the day.

My DH had the roast beef sandwich on a hoagie roll, which was equally as nice.


Décor:

Can't beat it--outside in the garden, near the tropics zone.


Service:

Disorganized, but tolerable.


Overall impressions:

A great little gem. We will definitely be going back.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders





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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Marhaba

Mediterranean cafe in Coral Gables, right outside the big Gameworks/Nike Town mall thing.


What we had:

Delightful hummus with fresh pitas--the plain were great; the fried were too greasy.

Kibbeh kabobs--we both got the lamb kibbeh kabobs. The meat was succulent, if a bit fatty; the rice (with angel hair pasta bits) was nice; and the few grilled peppers and tomatoes (2 each) were a nice treat.


Décor:

Ok. Not overdone by Mediterreanean standards.


Service:

So-so.


Overall impressions:

A little less healthy than I had wanted that day, but not terrible.


Rating:

3 out of 5 salamanders





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