Abuelos in Chesapeake

Reason Why We Visited:

We were running errands in Chesapeake and we were hungry. In the mood for Mexican but unwilling to drive out to Virginia Beach or Norfolk to visit our normal Mexican joints, we opted for the newly built Abuelo's located in front of Greenbrier mall. Kate had been there before right when it opened with friends and had mentioned that it was "ok" when she visited.

The Wait:

Not that bad for a Saturday night. It was busy and there were quite a few families and large parties waiting to be seated. However, we only waited in the lobby for about twenty minutes before being seated.

Atmosphere:
Jon and Kate commented together how the usual "mom and pop" Mexican restaurant has an authentic feel to it, from the entrance down to the tables and decor. This restaurant struggled with its identity. It strove to be upper class and fancy which somewhat detracts from the typical "home style" Mexican feel that the average patron has come to recognize. The murals and paintings seemed canned as if they were cheap and mass produced copies of the real Mexican experience. It was all very pretty and clean, but lacked in the originality and homeyness of a true Mexican restaurant.

Service:

Our waitress was excellent. Very prompt and explained the menu and specials well. She was even indulgent in granting Kate's daughter, Isabelle's whiny request for a "drink like Mommy's." She was not over eager but genuine in wanting to facilitate a good and delicious experience.

Drinks:

Jon was disappointed when the waitress told him they were out of the Mojito ingredients (oddly enough the featured beverage emblazoned boldly on the front of their drinks menu). He opted instead for the Sangria Swirl that looked refreshing in the picture and in real life. Katie had a strawberry daiquiri and Isabelle, a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

Food:

We started out with an appetizer of tortilla chips and guacamole (usually offered free at most Mexican restaurants) however, all dips and salsas were charged as extra at this establishment. Being used to home-made or at least tastes like home-made chips (Tortilla West in Ghent being the best at this) we were dissapointed by the stale and unsubstantial taste of the grocery store brand chips. The guacamole was also less then spectacular, not fresh or home-made tasting either. Jon ordered the "Enchiladas de Cozumel" and Kate ordered the "Shrimp Mojo de Ajo", both House Specialities in the Seafood section. The description for Jon's dish was "Three delicious crepes filled with fresh guacamole, covered in a rich white wine sauce with a medley of perfectly seasoned shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, fresh spinach and roasted peppers," according to the menu. Jon noted that the sauce tasted bland and floury and there was an abundance of guacamole covering up what should have been the flavor of the rest of the dish. The rice side dish was also undercooked and seemed to have been made long ago and allowed to sit out. Kate felt that the shrimp dish was very lack-luster. Not Mexican in flavor, more greasy Olive Garden meets Carrabas Italian wannabe.

Dessert:

We shared one slice of the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. Incredibly rich but again like other chain restaurants tasting like it came from a mass produced box one could also find in the freezer section of the grocery store.

Value:

One of the reasons most people, including us love Mexican so much is because of the typical economical prices. The average patron can get any number of tasty combination plates at other non-franchise Mexican places for under ten bucks. Abuelo's in its quest to be "higher class" in the Mexican restaurant industry includes a price tag to match. Unfortunately, I would prefer the home style feel and taste over the "delusion's of grandeur" offered by Abuelo's.

Overall:

On Jon and Kate's extensive list of excellent Mexican places (it being one of our fave ethnic cuisines) Abuelo's hovers precariously near the bottom. There are many places that even warrant an extra drive out of the way including El Loro which is also conveniently located in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake.

Catch 31 at the Hilton, Virginia Beach

Date Visited: July 30, 2009

Reason Why We Visited:
The local band "Butter" is awesome. This summer they have performed many outdoor free concerts at the 31st Stage on the Oceanfront. This is a neat venue because we got the benefit of the ocean breeze, the tourist people watching, and Isabelle loves to dance around with the other kids on the huge lawn in front of the stage. The plan was to eat at Catch 31's cool outdoor section positioned conveniently within earshot and view of the 31st stage. We wanted to eat a light dinner, have a few drinks, and enjoy the music.

The Wait:
Because this IS tourist season and this is one of the most high class and popular spots on the Oceanfront, we were in for a wait. We ended up sitting on the lawn and listening to Butter play for over an hour before our little pager vibrated and we were actually given a table. Also, because we were warned of the wait when we arrived and we were starving we asked for "first available", so that landed us inside. At least we had gotten our Butter fix.

The Atmosphere:
Catch 31 is upscale. Its decor matches the hotel. The Hilton is only about five years old and everything in it is definitely meant to be eye-catching and luxurious feeling. The restaurant itself is a little on the loud side for Kate's taste. Between the clatter of the open kitchen, the conversation of other patrons, the canned music playing overhead, the TVs in the nearby bar area, and the faint sound of the outside activity including Butter still playing, it can be a bit overwhelming. Jon mentioned to me at this point the pros and cons of an open kitchen. Pro: Patrons enjoy watching the activity, it can be entertaining and it can give one the security of knowing what is NOT going on behind closed doors. Con: As a kitchen employee, one can feel a sense of pressure and uneasiness with all those eyes on you. There is little chance for horseplay or casualness with your fellow cooks, its all business and professionalism.

The Service:
After we were seated by the hostess (who proved to be everything a hostess should be: cute, perky, and polite), we waited a full five minutes before a hurried waiter rushed up to our table, poured water into the water goblets (which Kate loved) and mumbled something about our "real waiter" coming by shortly. Granted, they were VERY busy, but this display of events was a little annoying. Another five minutes goes by, and finally our "real waiter" arrives. He is breathing heavily and apologizing with some bizarre, half baked, almost unintelligible in his quick gaspy breaths, story about helping some other lady with her take-out order. For the rest of the evening he was creepily ever-present. Hovering and prodding excessively. "Can I get you anything else? Is everything ok?" Showing fake attention to the appropriateness of our drink and appetizer choices. Kate said to Jon (as the waiter walked away) "Ok dude, you were late, you are still getting a tip, back off".

The Food:
The goal of dinner was light. We ordered calamari as a shared appetizer and two dinner sized Ceaser salads. Kate has a special affinity for calamari and can tell you at just about every restaurant that serves it, whether it is good or not. Catch 31 disappointed...what was even further disappointing was that this restaurant is no casual dining joint that just attempts to reheat frozen calamari. This establish is ON the Oceanfront. It is supposed to have good seafood and even claims via the menu that it obtains all its product from fresh local markets. The calamari was not very tender and had a huge overabundance of tentacles instead of the more appetizing delicate rings that should melt in your mouth. The accompanying sauce however, was a pleasant surprise. Being used to some form of cocktail sauce, offering a different selection with calamari is definite points in our eyes. It was called a "sweet chile sauce" and it was a little sweet and a little spicy, just right. The Ceasers were Ceasers. Nothing much different from one eating establishment to the other. The only thing of note was the dressing. Kate mentioned that it was the lightest and tastiest Ceaser dressing she had had in a long time. Very mild and just the right amount on the salad.

The Drinks:
Jon ordered one of our over-eager servers recommendations, some kind of Island Rum Tea. He thought it was good although a little strong. Kate asked for own of her old faves, A Sex on the Beach. To her surprise, it came a weird algae green color instead of its traditional pink and orange. I asked the waiter to insure there was not a mix-up and he acted a little offended that I didn't recognize my own drink, as if its always been that color. Very strange...but still tasted like a Sex on the Beach so I guess no points lost.

The Desserts:
We took a short glance at the dessert menu. Over priced and everything sounded like they might have taken it out of a Sara Lee box and poured some melted chocolate over it. Not worth it.

Value:
Definitely not budget friendly. Everything on the menu is priced like you would expect at a "upscale seafood restaurant". Even our salads were a bit overpriced for plates of leaves and some cheese and croutons. But not a shocker either...this is the Hilton and the Oceanfront, remember.

Overall:
We would like to go back. There were quite a few other dishes on the menu that we wanted to try, especially the soups...they all sounded incredibly tasty. Maybe in the winter, minus the tourists and plus the cold weather.

Introduction of Our New Blog

First of all, this site IS NOT about Jon and Kate Gosselin. This IS about Jon and Kate from Hampton Roads in South Eastern Virginia. We have been dating for over six months and have decided that we both love to experience and evaluate restaurants. In fact, one of our aspirations if we ever get the courage (and the capital) is to start our own restaurant. We figured a good start to accomplishing this goal is RESEARCH. Part of that research is visiting restaurants all over Hampton Roads and deciding what we like and don't like about each. Over dinner (of course), we also assumed that other people in our area could benefit from this knowledge. So, weekly we will review a restaurant, some we have been to previously and some we have recently visited. We will also have a special entry once a month featuring a national "chain restaurant". We would also welcome suggestions from our readers (once we know we have some) about good places that you want us to review. We will try to use the same format to review all restaurants that gives you an overall sense of the establishment including atmosphere, taste, service and value.