Chisos Grill
12921 Hill Country Blvd., #130; 263-7353Open daily, 11am-10pm
To start with the positives, Chisos Grill is locally owned and family operated. There are a good number of gluten-free items on the menu, and they try to use local ingredients and liquors. The service is friendly, on time, and attentive. Fried foods were crispy, and slow-cooked foods were fork tender. Unfortunately, there were also plenty of negatives. The menu is designed to reuse the same sweet sauces and toppings on several dishes, in an apparent effort to mask dryness or lack of flavor. For instance, the same apple-bacon slaw is featured on the chipotle BBQ baby back ribs ($15), the Presidio Tostadas with roasted pulled pork ($8, and the one thing worth stopping for), as well as the crab cakes. It also appears as a side dish.
The chicken fried steak with green chile gravy ($13) was a large slab of mealy beef, heavy on the batter, and lightly covered with bland gravy. We had high hopes for the “Get Stuffed” Pork Chop ($19), stuffed with cornbread and jalapeño sausage, but it was still dry and flavorless. Beyond problems with the food, the management left the kitchen door open during our entire visit, presumably for the ease of the waitstaff. Unfortunately, that meant guests seated at tables near the kitchen were bombarded with the unappetizing process of dish cleaning, complete with food disposal, plate scraping, wet floors, and stacked up steaming Hobart trays; a serious turn-off. Finally, wine lovers beware: This is not your place. The selection is poor and only available by the glass, with stock that doesn’t turn over very quickly.
This article appears in June 29 • 2012.
