MMM: Mexican, Margaritas & a Movie

Yesterday, I joined Laura and her roommate Danielle for dinner at Guajillo Grill in Arlington, VA. I love Mexican food, but haven't been able to find anything great in DC area (and Chipotle doesn't count). I was excited to try the food in Guajillo because if I remember correctly, Tom Sietsema, WA Post food critic, have praised this place several times.

After a horrendous ride in the Metro, Laura received a call from Danielle telling us to hurry up because they would not sit her unless all of us were at the restaurant. This was absolutely ridiculous as there were plenty of empty tables.

Once we all were at the same place, they seated us, brought chips and salsa (big plus!) and asked what we'd like to drink. Laura and I decided earlier on frozen mango margaritas, but turns out they did not have them (even though they were listed on the menu on line). Fine, we were happy to have frozen strawberry margaritas. No such luck: they did not have any frozen drinks at all. We ended up having a pitcher of lime margaritas, and Oh My Good God: they were so strong. I think I had just under 2 glasses and I was afraid I would not be able to walk.

Neither Laura nor Danielle have ever tried ceviche, but were willing to share that for an appetizer with me.

After all, how could we pass this by? Ceviche: Mouth watering shrimp appetizer voted number 1 by the Washington Post Magazine. (**Uncooked raw foods may cause increase of food bourn illnesses) $11.00 (Guajillo really needs to update their online menu b/c the actual price was $13). The ceviche was served in a margarita glass...go figure, since the actual margaritas were served in regular tall glasses. There were more tomatoes and red onions than the shrimp. The flavor was good, but I was surprised at the amount of liquid that accompanied the dish: it almost seemed like it was a soup. [Apologies for the poor quality of photos: the lighting was really uncooperative.]

For the entree, I ordered Chimichanga filled with rice, and shredded beef, served with sour cream, tomato salad and guacamole. The portion was huge! The meat was tender and flavorful, the wrapped tortilla was crisp, and the guacamole was perfect. I was only able to eat 1/2 of my portion, and took the rest of it home.

Laura and Danielle had vegetarian quesadillas, which looked really good! (once again, the prices on line were incorrect: the real ones were $2 higher!).

After dinner, Laura and I were going to meet her other roommate, Theresa, to watch He's Not That Into You movie. We were in a rush and were shocked when the waiter told us he could only take 2 credit cars for the table, instead of splitting the bill amongst the three of us. Before we were even able to take out cash, he left. We had to wait another 5 minutes for him to return and take care of the bill.

So I guess this is quite a mixed review: the service was so-so, the ceviche was okay, my chimichanga was great, but I was sad they did not have frozen margaritas. I think overall it was a great meal, fun company, and I'd be happy to come back to Guajillo another time.

The movie was cute (maybe cuter than it would have been otherwise if I wasn't slightly tipsy after the margaritas). It made me sad to see how mistakes I've made in my relationships that were showcased in the movie...but since this is a food blog, maybe I should not list them here ;)