Reviewing "Chili's Restaurant"

Chain restaurants are notoriously inconsistent in food quality and service. A few of the top competitors, however, make every effort to keep themselves informed about potential problems so that they can correct them as quickly as possible. Chili's is such an establishment.

I have now visited the Hampton Chili's, located in Riverdale Shopping Center off Mercury Blvd., on three separate occasions. I'm delighted to say that all three visits were extremely pleasant.

On our latest visit to the establishment, my husband and I went during their lunch rush, around noon. We wanted to see how the restaurant handled that particularly busy time. We anticipated there might be a wait to be seated. Although the restaurant was very busy, they seemed to be managing quite well and waited on us immediately.

Our hostess was very sweet and attentive. She seated us promptly, gave us our menus, asked if we had any questions, and told us that our waitress would arrive promptly to take our order. The waitress was, indeed, right on her heels. She greeted us with a warm smile and took our drink orders while we looked over the menu.

As we often do, my husband and I decided to order a single meal and split it. Although a lot of restaurants react negatively to such orders, Chili's appeared to have no problem with it at all. In fact, our waitress went out of her way to make us feel comfortable by telling us that a lot of people order that right these days because of large sized portions.

We actually managed to settle on the Cajun Ribeye pretty quickly. It happens to be one of our favorites. We made a point of ordering it medium rare with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. We chose homestyle fries for the side.

While we waited for our meal, the waitress brought us a basket of tostado chips and salsa. They were absolutely scrumptious. The chips were unbelievably light and airy and the salsa possessed just the right amount of "kick." We found ourselves filling up quickly on this delicious snack and had to put them aside to keep from ruining our lunch.

Our meal arrived within a reasonable amount of time and was adequately warm. The steak was perfectly cooked as were the accoutrements. It was tender and flavorful, as well as the perfect size for two people with smaller appetites. We even had some left over for my dinner that evening.

We also decided to try some dessert; something we rarely do. We selected the Paradise Pie, which was more than enough for four people. We barely made a dent in it even though it was wonderfully rich and delicious.

Here is a cross section of Chili's menu items:

Starters, ranging in price from $2.39 to $8.99, including

Southwestern Eggrolls;
Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip;
Boneless Buffalo or Shanghai Wings;
Wings Over Buffalo;
Fried Cheese;
Skillet Queso; and
Tostado Chips with Salsa.

Soups, Salads, & Sides, ranging in price from $1.79 to $8.99, including:

Mesquite Chicken Salad;
Caesar Salad;
Boneless Buffalo Chicken;
Quesadilla Explosion;
Grilled Caribbean;
Lettuce Wraps;
Southwestern Cobb;
Terlingua Chili;
Chicken Chili Blanco;
Chili & Side Salad;
Soup & Side Salad;
Side Salad;
Soup of the Day; and
Sides of mashed potatoes, homestyle fries, cinnamon applies, steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers, and seasonal vegetables.

Sandwiches, ranging in price from $6.29 to $6.99, including:

Chili's Cheesesteak;
Chicken Ranch;
Smoked Turkey;
Turkey Combo;
Fajita Pita;
Cajun Chicken;
Grilled Chicken; and
Chicken Caesar Pita.

Big Mouth Burgers, ranging in price from $5.99 to $6.99, including:

BBQ Ranch Burger;
Mushroom-Swiss Burger;
Bacon Burger;
Ground Peppercorn Burger;
Chipotle Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger; and
Old-timer Burger.

Guiltless Grill, ranging in price from $5.99 to $11.99, including:

Guiltless Grilled Salmon;
Guiltless Black Bean Burger;
Guiltless Chicken Platter; and
Guiltless Chicken Sandwich.

Chicken, ranging in price from $6.99 to $9.39, including:

Chicken Club Tacos;
Chicken Tacos;
Margarita Grilled Chicken;
Chicken Crispers;
Cajun Chicken Pasta; and
Monterey Chicken.

Sizzling Fajitas & Quesadillas, ranging in price from $8.39 to $19.99, including:

Mushroom Jack Fajitas;
Classic Fajitas;
Citrus Fire Chicken & Shrimp;
Steak & Portobello Fajitas; and
Fajita Quesadillas.

Fire-Grilled Steaks, ranging in price from $8.99 to $14.99, including:

Flame-Grilled Ribeye;
Chili's Classic Sirloin;
Honey BBQ Sirloin;
Country-Fried Steak;
N.Y. Strip; and
Cajun Ribeye.

Seafood, ranging in price from $9.99 to $11.99, including:

Grilled Shrimp Alfredo;
Southwest Cedar Plank Tilapia;
Firecracker Tilapia; and
Grilled Salmon with Garlic & Herbs.

Baby Back Ribs, ranging in price from $5.49 to $13.99, including:

Grilled Baby Back Ribs;
Honey BBQ Baby Back Ribs;
Kentucky Bourbon Baby Back Ribs;
Memphis Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs;
Carolina Baby Back Ribs; and
Mix & Match Baby Back Ribs.

Desserts, ranging in price from $2.99 to $5.49, including:

Molten Chocolate Cake;
Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie;
Cheesecake; and
Frosty Chocolate Shake.

Chili's also has a kid's menu which they call Pepper Pals. Each meal comes with a choice of entrée, side item, and drink. It is for kids 12 and under. Choices include a rib basket, pasta, burger, pizza, corn dog, macaroni and cheese, chicken crispers, a grilled chicken platter, grilled cheese sandwich, and a grilled chicken sandwich.

Drink choices include Coke products, lemonade, milk, and juice, as well as Chillin' Fruit Freezers of Rockin' Tropical Punch and Electric Blue Blast or a Choc-A-Lot Shake.

Although the restaurant was busy and, therefore, noisy at the time of our visit, it was not disconcerting in any way. The atmosphere was, in fact, warm and inviting with a warm and friendly ambience that certainly seems to suit Chili's clientele.

The décor is comfortable casual with wonderful mosaic tables and wooden benches as well as tables, and chairs. There was a larger business party seated in our section, showing that Chili's knows how to easily rearrange its space to accommodate different sized groups and parties.

The smoking and non-smoking sections are separated on opposite sides of the restaurant, making it comfortable for those allergic to smoke such as myself. Both sections are beautifully laid out and decorated to make the best use of space.

Comments we picked up while dining were primarily from military members of Langley Air Force Base. They commented on the quality of the food and called just about everything "delicious" or "outstanding."

The best part of our visit was our wonderful waitress. She catered to our every whim and, although extremely busy, didn't forget about us at any time. She was absolutely delightful to talk to and one of the warmest and most charming waitresses it has been my pleasure to know.

I highly recommend this restaurant. I don't think you will be disappointed. I give this one four out of five stars.