Don't Suppose It'll Still Be Open Next Time....

Last night I met my girlfriend Nicole for dinner. We usually meet up at Tysons Corner Center, which is about halfway for both of us and chock full of restaurants. We decided to try a new so-called schmancy Mexican restaurant there.

Granted, we were on the early side, since we met after work at around 6 p.m. But the restaurant was eerily quiet when we arrived. The hostess asked if we wanted inside or "patio" seating (really just the portion of the restaurant that reaches out into the mall), and we chose inside.

You know the area of every restaurant where the waitstaff gathers to chat and wait for customers? And you know how there's always that one unlucky table right next to it?

Yep, that's where we were seated.

I should mention here that we were the only table seated in the entire restaurant.

I rolled my eyes at Nicole as the waitstaff (kind-of) scattered, and our waitress asked for our drinks. We inquired about any happy hour specials, and were informed that those are for patio patrons only.

Huh. Would have been nice to have been told that when we were seated. And, our table was literally two-feet off the patio. I could have reached out and touched it.

Nonetheless, we stuck with our H2O and ordered dinner. Cheese enchiladas for Nicole; chicken tacos for me. We planned to share. The food arrived (should mention here that the chips and salsa -- when we actually got it -- was good), and we split it up. Verdict? Enchiladas - thumbs up. Tacos - better off at Baja Fresh.

Oh - and in the 1.5 hours we were there, we were still the only table seated in the restaurant. One or two tables out on the patio and about 10 people at the bar completed the crowd. This, compared to two other packed bars and restaurants just steps away.

We opted to skip dessert and got two cupcakes at Cakelove instead. Definitely the best choice.

So, if you are at Tysons and want Mexican food, I'd recommend you reconsider or try your luck in the food court. I have a feeling that the place mentioned above (hesitate to say their name, but it's not hard to figure out on the Tysons Web site) won't be there much longer.