Rango's Tex-Mex Bar & Grill in Vienna, Virginia (Tysons Corner...errrr Tysons area)

1934 Old Gallows Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
Tel: (571) 282-3054

Newcomer to the Tysons area, Rango's opened this week to some growing pains. Its website is finally up, though without prices -- a restaurant trend that does not sit well with us. Rango's replaced the short-lived mediocre Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar in the Nordstrom Rack / BJ's Brewhouse Plaza. We were glad to see a new Tex-Mex restaurant in Tysons fill the temporary Tex-Mex void left by the abrupt uprooting of Chili's and On The Border

Right off the bat we'll be upfront and say that the welcoming atmosphere and accommodating staff more than compensated for the bland, uninspiring dishes.

We believe in Rango's potential to step-up their kitchen creations, as the experienced owners are known in our area for running the long-time well-loved local chain Guapo's with roots in Fairfax County dating back to the 1970s. This new endeavor in the quickly urbanizing Tysons (known to most of us as Tysons Corner) has a large physical footprint, ready to seat hundreds of hungry eaters. There is a tortilla-making station inside the dining hall and a large outdoor patio seating area, which is likely to be in high demand as soon as the snow melts. 

We came here for dinner on a Saturday night the day after they opened in the first week of February. The staff was numerous, smiling, and friendly. The restaurant's orange walls, low mood lighting, soft Mexican music and dark wood furniture gave it a warm feel, balanced by the large windows that let in ample light. It seemed open and clean, even though one of the black cloth napkins on our table had some dried food stains when unrolled, it did look like it had been through a wash. The silverware was shiny. The large tray-like plastic plates were quite overbearing and the average food portions were spread thin on these large serving dishes.

Chips and salsa arrived at our table immediately. Disappointingly, chips were thin and broke easily when dipped in the salsa. The salsa was watery and humdrum at best, akin to red water with some diced floating tomatoes and onions. We asked for some hot sauce, which arrived quickly in a small ramekin with a warning from the waiter that it was very spicy. It was not. It was the only thing on the table that actually offered some flavor.

The Ceviche ($13.95) on the menu was a full appetizer portion, but since only one of us wanted it, we asked if they could give us a half order. Our request was cheerfully accommodated, which we appreciated, and we were charged for a half-order ($7.00). The shrimp, flounder, calamari, scallop mixture was disappointingly under-marinated. Despite squeezing over the fish the entire half of the juicy lemon almost down to the pulp, it was equivalent to chewing on rubber balls both in flavor and texture. Sadly, the thinly sliced red onions lacked any punch whatsoever. This was unfortunate, because a good ceviche with tang and personality would be sure to set an exciting tone for the rest of the meal. However, this is where our disappointments continued. 

We also ordered the Cheese Nacho appetizer platter ($9.95) that arrived on one of their overbearingly large tray-like plates with a mere eight paper thin flat chips topped by a thin layer of cheese, laying on a thin layer of re-fried bean puree. It was accompanied by a small bowl of guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo, and 4 fresh jalapenos. At $1.25 per chip, this was barely a bargain. Moreover, the jalapenos were not only chalk bland, they were also ice-cold, while the lettuce was warm and limp, leaving us to question whether the chef pays any attention to the plates before they exit the kitchen.

Shortly, our entrees arrived, and they were not any more inspiring. Served on the same huge plates where the food is spread wide and thin, in our opinion, the portions seemed rather average in size, if not smaller than average.

Prior to placing our entree plates on the table, the server moved the salsa bowls and seeing some salsa spilled on the table, rather than wiping it, placed the dishes right on top of the tomato pieces. Not the most palatable thing to see. It wasn't until after we were done eating that the bus boy came over and wipe the table before bringing us the check. Attentiveness to details like wiping food remnants off the table in-between courses would have been reassuring, but was missing.

Now where were we... back to the entrees.  

The Chicken Enchiladas ($11.95) were dry and bland. Both the very dark pulled chicken meat and the tortillas were so dry that not even a full helping of the green "spicy" (not spicy at all) sauce and the salsa were able to salvage it. Lettuce was warm and limp, and the pico.... oh the tragic pico that usually adds a savory delicious blast of flavor, well.... at Rango's it was lukewarm, bland and barely noticeable..... 

The Beef Chimichanga ($11.95) did hit slightly above the (low) bar with its smoky flavor and relatively tasty meat. The ground beef was better seasoned than the Chicken Enchiladas and the tortilla was crispy, not dry.  The shell kept its shape when cut into, as opposed to being too mushy or too crunchy that it would splinter into pieces.

While in our opinion the food is bland and unpalatable, we heard a lady, who was obviously a friend of the staff and the owner, at a nearby table, comment that the salsa was too spicy for her. Along the same lines, our neighbors on Nextdoor.com raved about the size of the portions, which we found to be quite average, or smaller in size than average. Neighbors also commented about the "succulent" food, which we found to be quite under-flavored. Goes to confirm that everyone has different taste buds and different strokes for different folks.

The positive side of Rango's is its wonderfully welcoming, pleasant, friendly and upbeat staff.  The owner also came around checking on the patrons and asking about the food. After all, restaurants are about much more than just food - they're also about the people and the whole dining experience. At Rango's, the people really compensated for the lackluster food.

We are so lucky in Northern Virginia to live in an area with an abundance of terrific restaurants. We will give Rango's Tex-Mex Bar & Grill some time time to acclimate to Tysons until we ponder returning. In the meantime, we wish them well! 

 Tortilla-making station

 Dining  Area

 Bar Dining Area

 Tasteful Artwork Around The Restaurant 

 Thin Chips and Watery Bland Salsa

 Green "spicy" sauce, which was not spicy at all

 Cheese Nachos Appetizer $9.95 with 8 Chips Total

 Half Order of Ceviche Appetizer $7.00 (Full Order is $13.95)

 Beef Chimichanga $11.95

 Chicken Enchiladas (2) $11.95

Puente De Oro - Salvadorian and Mexican food, Fairfax, VA

10312 Willard Way

Fairfax, VA 22030
Tel: (703) 691-3232

Puente De Oro recently moved down the street from a different Fairfax location, presenting itself as more of a family restaurant, rather than the sports bar it used to be. We've never been to the previous location of Puente De Oro, but were encouraged to visit this new location by the Yelp reviews... ok, there were only seven of them, but they were all five-stars, and it's been a while since we ventured out for Central American cuisine, so we headed out here.

As everything is relative, some of the Yelp reviews pointed to the fact that the previous restaurant in this same location was pretty bad. We've never visited the previous restaurant in this location, but can definitely see how there are at least a few aspects of the New Puente De Oro that are quite appealing.

The Pros: There is ample parking in this Safeway/CVS plaza. The restaurant is large... with two equal-size rooms separated by a clear glass wall. Television sets line the walls to keep diners updated on everything from news to sports. All-wood dining booths and long bar tables are all roomy and comfortable. Happy hour specials abound and the prices are very reasonable. Portions are large, more than enough to share or for doggie bags.

The biggest Pro is the greeting and wait Staff, which is clearly the best asset of Puente De Oro - they are all friendly with bright shining smiles, making you feel like the most wanted guest in the restaurant.

All those things are great and almost sufficient reason to dine here, if you're in the area.

The Cons: Food is "not bad," but to those of us who prefer more bolder stronger flavors, this is definitely not the place to go. Salsa that accompanies chips is EXTREMELY BLAND... Without a sizeable dose of hot sauce that is on the table, it is a warm, tasteless tomatoey mush.

Admittedly, good ceviche is difficult to find, so we had to try it here, especially since one of the Yelp reviewers recommended it. In conclusion, we'd have to say, keep moving.... nothing to see here on the ceviche front. We asked for the ceviche to be served without shrimp, and told by our waitress that this was no problem, sure enough the ceviche came out with shrimp, but it was hidden on the bottom....

Chicken tacos were the blandest thing that probably ever existed in the universe of Latin American food.....

We came here with a group of friends, so while we have photographs of various dishes, we did not taste all of them. Most of the feedback on the food was that it was good or ok, not sure if it was out of politeness or because the meat seasoning on the Mixed Grill entrees was better than on anything that we ordered....

The worst thing on our table was the Fried Yucca dessert with molasses syrup. You'd think that anything fried and served with syrup could never disappoint... yes it could! There was not a single person in our group who liked it and we ended up leaving most of it on the table....

Since Puente De Oro has no website and no menu online, we can't even tell you the names of all the dishes, but at least we can show you what the look like. 

Also, Yelp lists this restaurant as serving Salvadoran and Spanish food, but their menu clearly says they serve Salvadorian and Mexican food....

It is a shame that the restaurant does not take its online absence or its consistency in marketing seriously.

Our server Ileana was very sweet, efficient and helpful in recommending various dishes. She was really the highlight of the visit here.

Even though our experience was - not bad - it is unlikely that we'd ever return.

 Ample seating in bar area

Ample seating in dining area

Ceviche ($10.95) with a Happy Hour Dos Equis Beer ($1.50)

 Chips and Salsa

 Front Cover of Menu

 Wide selection of food either a la carte or as larger entrees

 Mixed Grill

 Salvadorian Fish Dish recommended by the server

 Charcoal Mixed Grill

 Stew

 Corn Tamale with Crema ($2.50)

Chicken Tacos ($8.95)

Fried Yucca Dessert

ABC Canteen - Fish & Chips, Tacos, Wings in Fairfax, VA - CLOSED

VERY SAD TO REPORT THAT THIS RESTAURANT CLOSED.

9528 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
Tel: (703) 865-0377

When someone with 20 years of experience in the restaurant business opens a restaurant with someone whose delicious family recipes were passed down from her Mexican grandmother, only wonderful things can happen. This is the story of the Northern Virginia newcomer ABC Canteen in Fairfax.

The menu is surprisingly eclectic. It's comfort food with a Mexican flare.  You can order Fish and Chips with a couple Tamales on the side or some Tacos with Cod Croquettes or for some ultimate comfort food, treat yourself to Chicken Wings and Mac and Cheese.

Why this unique selection? Wesley Chen immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 8 and fell in love with Mexican food almost immediately. He has worked his way up in several well-known restaurant chains, both casual fast-food and upscale. Along the way, he met Violeta Vergara, who not only shared his passion for Mexican food, but also wanted to share with the world her grandmother's recipes from Oaxaca. It was the perfect partnership that spun off on its own. Adding to their team one more colleague, whom they've known for over 15 years, ABC Canteen was born in early 2015.

Building off their love of comfort food, Chen and Vergara composed a menu that reflects their gastronomic passions. This is why everything they serve is... wait for it... made from scratch! Even the tartar sauce and... get this... the Chili powder!  Only the desserts at ABC Canteen are commercially made, and personally selected by Chen to be placed on the menu.

You really have to love your food to invest so much effort in preparing it just right for your customers. And it shows. On a Saturday afternoon, just after the Blizzard of 2016, the parking lot in front of the restaurant was not fully plowed, but ABC Canteen had a steady stream of customers. Chen personally welcomed many of them by name, particularly those who over the last 10 months since the restaurant opened have become "regulars," whether eating in or taking out.

The fresh, flavorful food is easily a draw on its own. Every item on the menu seems to be popular. But the added bonus is Chen's engaging, though non-imposing, spirit that fills the restaurant with a welcoming cheerfulness making you feel right at home.

The cod prepared at ABC Canteen reminded us of our time in Reykjavik, Iceland some years back, where we had a chance to taste some of the world-acclaimed cod recipes of Icelandic chefs. Chen's Fish and Chips are not at all inferior to those. The main difference was that in Iceland the cod was plucked fresh from the icy waters only a few feet away.  ABC Canteen's flaky cod in a crispy light batter was equally delicious. It went great with a side of their home-made tartar sauce and a full plate of crispy fries. We ordered an additional side of the golden brown hush puppies, which were nicely seasoned, just a tad sweet and overall flavorful.

Tamales and Tacos were terrific on their own, though a short trip to the Taco Bar provided options like diced radishes, onions, pico de gallo and jalapenos, and a variety of sauces.

The chicken wings come either in honey barbeque or buffalo sauce. We opted for the honey barbeque with a side of chunky blue cheese dressing.

This was the first time we ever had a Horchata, which is a cold sweet rice milk- based drink, made from scratch, of course, with a hint of cinnamon.

The Pan Tres Leches (Tres Leches Cake) was a great ending to our meal with its light fluffy texture and sweet condensed milk.

Residing in a building that was once an Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips, the restaurant's decor is simple, definitely not shabby and not overdone. It complements, does not distract.  The dining area is open, clean and bright with floor-to-ceiling windows, overall unpretentious and appealing.

We will definitely be back, and will bring friends. Especially on Taco Tuesdays!

ABC Canteen is in a small strip with Hailey's 24-hr laundromat 

and Mary's Pollo a la Brasa restaurant

 Great deal!!!

 Chen taking our order

 Taco Bar with a selection of toppings and sauces

 Our Feast

 Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

 Tamale

 Chicken Taco

 Honey Barbeque Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese dressing

 Hush Puppies

 Horchata drink

 Full dining room with Chen chatting with one of his customers

 Pan Tres Leches

Sarita's Salvadorian Restaurant - Falls Church, VA

2794 Graham Rd

Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 533-9448

To the best we could tell, Sarita’s caters to the local Salvadoran community, providing a comfortable atmosphere with familiar fare. For us, however, Sarita’s was a disappointment.

Not sure why www.yelp.com and some other websites list Sarita’s as a Mexican restaurant. It is not. It may be Latin, but not Mexican, at least as we're used to Mexican (see Anita's, El Paso, Tequila Grande or even El Tio),  We went in there thinking it was, but after seeing the menu and tasting the food, we asked the staff, and they confirmed that it is a Salvadorian restaurant.

Let’s start with the cafeteria-like décor. The plastic tablecloths and the dingy furniture, walls and floors were an immediate turnoff.

The dinginess would have been ok if it was compensated by the quality of food and the service. It was not.

The service was pleasant, but clearly serving English-speaking clientele is not the restaurant’s priority. Our waitress was sweet, but rather clueless and definitely inattentive. The few staff hunkered around the bar area chatting with customers who came in after us, no one approached our table to ask us about our meal. The water wasn’t refilled. We felt like we had to pull teeth to get any attention.

As for the food, it was disappointing both in taste and presentation. The bottomless chips were rather greasy and the salsa was tasteless. We had to mix it with the tobasco sauce on the table to give it some flavor. The nacho plate we ordered was a slopyy, soggy mess, as you can see in the photo. The chicken tortillas were blah to say the least. Mushy meat and soft tortillas (plain pupusas) left a lot to be desired. The chicken stew was barely at all a stew, as you can see on the photo. Again, tobasco sauce to the rescue.

If Sarita’s offered a better dining experience the prices, which are rather average to an ethnic dive, would not have been so insulting. But we felt that we paid way too much for the mediocre quality of lunch we had at Sarita’s.

El Tio Tex-Mex Grill and Mexican Restaurant - McLean

1433 Center Street
McLean, VA 22101
(703) 790-1910

After reading a multitude of generally positive reviews on Yelp we headed to El Tio Tex-Mex Grill in the hopes of having a good meal, and we did. El Tio is difficult to find, tucked away in a tiny strip mall on a side street running parallel to Chain Bridge Rd (near the corner of Chain Bridge and Old Dominion). Unlike its Falls Church location on the main drag (Lee Highway), there is no way to drive past the McLean El Tio and notice it. It stays busy, no doubt, due to word of mouth. The food is great and the service attentive. We were definitely made to feel welcome.

El Tio is a small restaurant with about 15 tables in all, so, when crowded, the atmosphere is cramped, hectic and can be a loud. They do not take reservations on Friday and Saturday nights, but we were seated, even though the restaurant was busy. It would have been nicer to have had a larger table for our party of 5, with wait staff rushing all around us.

The bottomless chips and salsa really hit the spot while we waited for our food to arrive. The huge margaritas seemed popular with the patrons, so we ordered a few also. Despite the restaurant being busy, our server Eneida was very attentive. She also answered our questions knowledgeable and overall added to the great experience.

Everything we ordered from cheese quesadillas to taco samplers to seafood burritos to chicken chimichangas was delicious. Those who like their food a little spicy, note that there was not much heat to any of the entrees, so if you want some extra spice, you can ask and they will gladly oblige. Those who don’t like heat will enjoy the full flavor of the food. The staff seemed to be able to accommodate almost any request, even to split our large margarita into two glasses.

In an area with many great, but expensive, restaurants, El Tio offers both great food and affordable prices at about $12 per entree on average. Our margarita was the size of an entrée, that's for sure, and cost about $13.

As we were leaving, we ran into some friends who asked us “have you been here before?” Before we could even answer, they all enthusiastically pumped their thumbs in the air, saying “this place is great, we love it!” And we all agree.

Tequila Grande Mexican Restaurant - Vienna, VA

444 Maple Avenue West
Vienna, VA
(703) 255-5933

Situated on the corner of Vienna’s two main drags Maple Avenue and Nutley Street in a standalone building next to the Wolftrap Motel, Tequila Grande is a cheerful, delicious, down-to-earth dining choice. It is a large restaurant, but the separation of space and difference in decoration among the rooms make it a cozy experience. Soft music in the background - a selection of Latin rhythms - lighten up the atmosphere without being overbearing.

We had a delicious helping of their bottomless chips and salsa, but also ordered their guacamole, which comes in a thick tortilla shell inside a lettuce leaf. The chips are thin and light, absolutely perfect. The salsa was delicious, if a little sweet. But the guacamole was a clear winner - very fresh, the perfect combination of seasonings. The smooth consistency of the guacamole here separate it from the chunky kind served in places like Rosa Mexicano, for instance.  

Entrees did not disappoint. We had a combination fajita – beef, chorizo and chicken. We rarely eat chorizo and found it to be a bit on the greasy side. But the combination of ingredients with the side of sour cream, pico de gallo and shredded cheddar cheese was simply wonderful. Our second entrée was a combination platter – a burrito (chicken), an enchilada (also chicken) and a chile relleno. This entrée came with a side of rice, refried beans, lettuce, sour cream and pico. A definitely worthwhile selection, especially for those who can’t make up their mind which item on the restaurant’s long menu looks most appetizing. All were very good.

Dessert was amazing. We went for their daily special, which was a warm almond bread pudding with vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and coconut shavings. This is not on their standard menu.

The service couldn’t have been more friendly and more efficient without being intrusive. We wish we could remember our waiter’s name, but it looked like all the staff at Tequila Grande was equally great.

We can’t wait to return.