I have been trying to catch up on some restaurant reviews that I've missed. I have already shared my reviews of two Mexican restaurants, including El Rio Grande of Florence and El Mariachi of Hebron. But I have since learned that the third, Chuy's of Florence, is in fact a chain restaurant. Not that I'm opposed to those who review them, but in an effort to promote locally owned businesses that will support our local economy, I have chosen to not give free advertising to those that do not fall in the category of "locally owned". Sure, it may have local investors or be a franchise, but odds are there is someone still far removed from our local area that is making decisions for the restaurant and sending money elsewhere. Worse case scenarios include large mega-chains that encourage factory farming.
I will just say this. While Chuy's has beautifully distracting decor that is not typical of most Mexican restaurants, I did not see what all of the hype was about. I've seen lots of photos posted on Facebook from people dining here and honestly, I thought at best it was a mediocre meal. Nothing stood out to me as worth the near 20 minute drive for us. Also, with no lunch menu even on a weekday, the cost was far and above what I would normally pay for myself and two of our children to have lunch.
So while I apologize to the die-hard Chuy's fans if I've offended you...I also challenge you to find a place that supports your local community because it is locally owned. Once you do (if you're in the Cincy/Northern KY area), send me a comment about how you like it. If I have a chance to check it out and give it a review, proper credit will be given to you for the recommendation.
We love Chuy's. One of the big bonuses for us, is that they make everything fresh in house daily. There aren't any frozen items, accept their fries and their ice cream. I think it has to do with what you order. If you're a traditional Mexican fan, most of the time traditional is bland and just really hot. We went to a Mexican wedding and had traditional foods, made from scratch and there was no flavor at all, just a lot of heat. Also, I'd like to point out that most restaurants around here, accept for locavore type places all use the large suppliers. You'll see most of the same trucks delivering food even the locally owned places. Unless you're asking specific questions whether or not they purchased their beef locally, 9 times out of 10 you aren't going to find it and for sure not on the cheap. You should try Virgil's. It is locavore and delicious, but the prices reflect it.
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