Caliente Mex-Sea Kitchen & Bar

But that is YOUR experience. There have been several posts where people have not been satisfied and there have been several posts where people are happy. That IS inconsistent based on the limited sampling by those posting here.

There is a similar thread about Blue Ridge Grill and I do not think there has been a negative post yet. Anyone looking for a new place to eat and reads those threads for opinions, where do you think they would most likely go?

 

itrue- except that t's not TWO individual opinions i am basing my statement on- i just used them as examples. read the whole thread. look on brambletonian. go to urban spoon and read reviews. there is as much love as there is hate for this place.

using just your good experiences doesn't work either.... :conf3:

 

have been a few times and previously it was pretty good. went on friday night and it was a disaster. sat outside on the patio and at first we were at a table that had no wait staff - but were not told this when we sat down. so we moved to another table. waiter brought us margaritas - on the rocks that i'm pretty sure were just sour mix - awful! so we asked to change drinks. 25 minutes later the waiter came back and said "someone keeps bumping my orders at the bar" - still no new drinks. they didn't even bring us silverware or napkins. we decided to leave and went over to BRG - which, as always, was awesome. it wasn't just us either - all of the tables around us were annoyed. what a shame!

 

I'm really starting to think most of the business failures around here aren't due to the slow economy, but due to the fact that they are just run incompetently.
Go to a well run busiiness, like Bonefish, and he has been doing well since the day he opened his doors.

 

+1000

DD and that Quiznos by Icehouse are perfect examples of that. nat'l brand names that are typically, consistently decent that are failing miserably to get it right here. The quiznos in centreville is fantastic- i LOVE it. tried the one by icehouse and feared for food poisoning based on the color of the meat, the bread was stale, the pepper bar not well-tended... MEH.
poor management kills.

Bonefish- a perfectly oiled machine that consistently exceeds your expectations with service and food quality. the servers know the menu, can help you pair wine, are friendly and efficient.

and a shout out to Subway while I'm at it- I may not personally be a fan of the food BUT Vince is a supporter of the community, his staff is friendly and The Boy loves his sandwiches from there every single time for years now.

 

Cliff, I'm thinking you're dead-on accurate here.

Another one I'm not sure about is Paris Prestige. The food is great and the service is passable, but they're likely going to fail because a) they're hidden in the plaza next to Carolina Brothers and they are not marketing themselves well at all and b) the decor is really off-putting (paper napkins, Rubber placemats -- at a restaurant that serves high quality French cuisine). I really hope they turn it around because it's worth it. But the degree of not knowing their market* and not understanding how important advertising is is pretty high.

* This I think also contributes to a high failure rate of restaurants in Ashburn. People assume that money grows on trees here and if they build it, we'll come. I hope current and future restauranteurs realize that this isn't true.

 

Just had to say that my husband and I tried out this restaurant on Friday night. We were seated quickly. The waiter was nice. The guacamole was great. The entrees... well, not so great. My husband's pork chimichanga was COLD inside. It wasn't crispy like chimichangas should be (they are fried, right?). My enchiladas were luke warm inside. The flavoring was good, but the temperature of the food made it just seem bad.

When our waiter asked how our food was, we told him. A few minutes later, the manager came to our table and told us he took care of the bill, except for the guac. We appreciated it, but I don't know if we will return. It just makes me wonder if they prepare the food in the morning and then heat in the microwave prior to serving. It just didn't seem fresh off the grill.

Sure, it took literally 3-4 minutes to get our food, but if we really wanted to eat that quickly, we would have gone to Moe's. Quite disappointing.

 

We're going again this evening. They have expanded their menu is it is quite different than when they first opened. It's posted on their facebook and website.

We've never had cold food there.

 

We went Saturday night... nice people nice setting... chips and salsa were good.... but they rushed the food on us and it wasn't as good as it should have been.... Again not that it was bad, but the chicken for the fajitas was just really cooked through and the tortillas were likely heated a couple of times

They have the keys to the car, next to the movie theatre, mexican food is approachable by all, did a nice job with the interior, but quality and freshness lacked...

I really think the owners of these places just need to think about that, it is sad... but they really need to watch one of those Gordon Ramsey shows...

 

Well I can tell you I won't be stepping foot into Cheesecake Factory or PF Changs in Dulles town center, not at least for a while. Went to both (on seprate weekend Saturdays) for lunch and in both instances, my ticket was forgotten or my food was "lost". Now, I went there, after lunch ( each time about 1:30 or so) and they were just finishing up lunch rush, and my orders were fairly simple, drinks, app, entree, no special request or anything. Sure, the manager wanted to comp something and made some lame attempt to apologize, but in the end, each basically said, well it's our fault, that's just what happens at all restaurants. I'm sticking to local owned, or operated places, big box or chains will be off my diet from now on as much as I can.

 

Not very goon IMO; but then my standards are high. I'm from California

 

And I'm from Texas so I've had all kinds of Mexican food, but I wouldn't brag about being from Calfornia.

So, I guess what you're saying is unless someone is from CA they don't know whether food is good or not? And we have "low" standards"? LOL

 

We went last week for Taco Tuesday. I wasn't too happy about the tacos, I'd rather drive to Uncle Julio's in Reston. However, if I was just in the mood for chips/salsa & a margarita (which is often), we'd pop over to Caliente.

 

maybe that's how they should bill themselves, as a mexican bar that serves a limited menu of mediocre food and becomes a night club on the weekends. the atmosphere is great, the location is one of the best in Brambleton.

leave the cuisine to places that aren't using a microwave, shortcuts and precooked food, and just be a cool hangout with a mexican flair. if our expectations are lower, we can't be AS disappointed...

 

Which is still an improvement over most of what this area has to offer. Great place to go for drinks with hubby or friends. It has a couple of very personable bartenders and good atmosphere. Works for me.

 

Sometime soon Los Toltecos is opening a location in the Broadlands shopping center where the Safeway is. Hopes are high that it will be good and do well.

 

how do YOU define "this area"? if you mean just Ashburn then I agree we have far more mediocre food than excellent. a few stand outs on really great food are:
Mezza Grill
Paris Prestige
Foster's Grille (if you love burgers and fries)
Cafe Opera
Blue Ridge Grill


but if your definition of "this area" includes Leesburg there are PLENTY of excellent cuisine options- too many to name unless someone twists my arm to name my top ten...

 

I have spent a good portion of my life living in both CA and TX(El Paso) and I can tell you that Mexican food from CA is very different from Mexican food in TX. Both equally as good, but again, very different!

 

To this list I would add:
Parallel Wine Bistro
Anothai
Banjara
Clyde's
Bonefish

 

I would never classify these restaurants as "really great food";

Mezza Grill
Paris Prestige
Foster's Grille (if you love burgers and fries)
Cafe Opera
Blue Ridge Grill

They are average at best. The food is edible as opposed to most restaurants that we are surrounded by that are flat out bad. Mezza is on the verge of closing since business is terrible.