essay2

Josh Balster

Restaurant Review

6/22/06

Mexican food doesn't get much better then this.

�� Have you ever had a hard time trying to decide where you want to eat?� This happened to my girlfriend, Julie, and me when we wanted something better than fast food, but not somewhere where we would have to dress up.� We both had a taste for Mexican and someone mentioned the restaurant Plaza Azteca.� We decided to give it a shot.� It is located on Big Bethel Road in the same shopping center as the Hampton AMC 24 movie theater.�

�� The outside of the restaurant doesn't say Mexican food too well, but as soon as you step inside, it changes.� The inside is completely decorated in bright colors, and real Mexican music is playing throughout the restaurant.� We went on a Friday afternoon and were seated right away, no wait at all.� We were seated in a nice, comfortable booth and served chips and salsa right away.� The chips come with two different dipping sauces, one being a spicy ranch sauce that I personally didn't like, but Julie loved it. The other was a traditional salsa which had a little kick to it, perfect for me.�

As I looked around the place, it gave off almost a warehouse feel.� It has very high ceilings and is a very open, large space which didn't make me feel cramped, or closed in.� The size of the restaurant was definitely big enough to hold a Saturday night crowd or a large party group, and still not have the guests feel crowded. Yoon K. Om from the Daily Press said "the atmosphere is great - bright, airy and festive without being noisy" in his review. One thing that caught my eye was that they have a large projection screen.� While we were there, they were showing a soccer game.� When the waitress brought us our menus, I asked her what they usually show on the screen, and she said they usually show a big soccer game.� She also mentioned that when there is a big one, they throw a party and drinks are on sale. Right next to the projection screen was a fully stocked bar. Julie and I aren't drinkers, so we didn't know much about the different drinks, but our waitress said that they carried and could make pretty much anything you would want.

�� After glancing around the place for a while, I looked at the menu.� The menu was divided into about nine different categories.� The main ones were lunch, dinner, and a la carte.� They have all different combinations to choose from, and if you don't like any of those, you can order each thing you do like separately.� I noticed that the prices for lunch are cheaper than dinner by a dollar or two.� For lunch, you would be spending an average of six to seven dollars for a plate of food.� I decided to go with the steak fajitas and a side of rice.� Julie, also a vegetarian, ordered a taco salad with refried beans in place of the meat, a substitution which they can do for almost all of the dishes so that �vegetarians can be happy too.� There is something for everyone.

�� The one thing that is most important to me, besides the food, is how long I have to wait for a refill.� The whole time I was there, I never once had to wait.� If the drink was three quarters of the way down, our waitress would be there with a refill.� That goes for the chips too.� The other thing that made this experience even better was that, from the time we placed our order, it was out to our table in less than fifteen minutes.

�� The food was hot and one could tell it was made fresh.� The smell and presentation of the food alone let me know that I was in for a good meal.� Everything we ordered was delicious and hit the spot.� Words of warning though, don't fill up on chips because the food is very filling as well. ��Now, I am not a fan of spicy food, but the food here was served with just the right amount for me.� If you are a fan of it, they have sauce at each table for you to add. Our bill came out to $14.37. There is no doubt about it, for the money, this restaurant is well worth it.� Julie and I were satisfied from the service and atmosphere to the food and the price.� We were both so full that we didn't have room for dessert, but you have to save something for next time! We are definitely going to make Plaza Azteca a regular stop in the future.� So, if you are looking for a casual, affordable Mexican restaurant with great service, then Plaza Azteca is the restaurante for you.

Works Cited

Om, Yoon K. ;Hampton Plaza Azteca Outshines Its Sisters. Daily Press. 12/06/05. 22 June 2006 <http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dining/dp-39062sy0dec16,0,3938001.story>.

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