Chili's Huntersville

It’s Friday but a day off so time for errands and I need options for my project besides Lowes, that is the only home improvement store in my village, so off to nearby Cornelius and HD. While out, I get a text from Chili’s - Free chips and quac - with an entrée. Why not? It’s lunchtime and it’s been forever since I’ve been. Sat at the bar, served promptly. Craft beer aficionados take note: Only two craft beers on tap. The rest are your usual domestic suspects. Lovely Wife ordered chicken fajitas; I, the Chicken Ranchero Tacos (3). A couple small TVs to pass the time while drinking my IPA and talking with Lovely Wife. The chips are good tasting but thin and break easily. A shame because the guacamole is a nice stout mixture. We use forks to spoon the good stuff rather than struggle with breaking the chips. You know how when you buy a bag of chips, that towards the end, all you get are small thumbnail size pieces? That’s what we got after scooping out the larger pieces. C’mon Chili’s, you can do better. You also get salsa, sort of on the mild side. Lunch is served. Lovely Wife’s chicken fajitas are really sizzling. I mean really sizzling. Really huge portion. I mean really huge. My tacos are OK but the whole affair, Taco, Beans, Mexican Rice- are just a degree above “warm”. The tacos are tasty but I need some hot sauce. I use salsa which is still too mild but better than none at all. Verdict on the Chicken Fajitas: Outstanding. An excellent value for the $17-something asking price, especially considering the portion. Leftovers anyone? Verdict on the $12 Chicken Rancheros: Just ok. The tacos themselves were fine but could be served hotter. OK, not sizzling but hot. Same for the beans, also ok but probably tasted better if hot. The Mexican Rice? Meh. I’ve had better from Rice a Roni. They were undercooked, not even Al Dente, and also the same luke-warm temp. I probably should have sent my meal back for a do-over but I suspect doing so would have landed the entire plate in the micro. Would I go back? I’m not so sure. We’re this restaurant located in my little village of Denver , North Carolina, probably, since we have so few dining options here. But in a place like Huntersville, there’s too much competition to give it another chance. But if you’re in the mood for fajitas, by all means, take a chance.