Tag Archives: Reviews

Chimi’s

This weekend, Andrew and I visited a local Mexican restaurant called Chimi’s. This was the first time that we’ve been there, even though it opened during our first or second year of college. It was always one of those places that we’ve wanted to try but just never got around to going. My brother and sister eat there all the time and I’ve only ever heard positive things, so when Andrew and I were trying to think of what to do for dinner on Saturday, Chimi’s popped into my head.

There was also a Groupon for Chimi’s for $28 that got you $45 worth of food. Normally, Andrew and I wouldn’t spend more than about $25 because we just order entrees, but we thought it would be fun to order some extra stuff to try and it wouldn’t cost us the full price.

andrew-eating-chips-and-salsa
Andrew with a mouth full of chips and salsa.

They start you off with chips and salsa (as any good Mexican restaurant should!) and when we polished those off while we perused the menu, they brought us more (also as any good Mexican restaurant should).

Andrew picked out the hot wings as our appetizer. I’m usually not a big fan of hot wings because they’re typically too hot for me, but these were actually really good. They weren’t real spicy, but they had so much flavor which was a surprise. Normally hot wings are so hot and spicy you can’t taste anything but the heat, but these were delicious.

Andrew and I also ordered a frozen margarita to share. They had different sizes –small, medium, and large – so we opted for the medium, thinking that would be the optimal size to share without going overboard. When our server brought it out to us, we couldn’t believe how big it was! It was 24oz and served in, what I’m going to call, a goblet.

classic-margarita

The margarita was so strong. It tasted like straight tequila to me, so while others may appreciate that, it was too strong for me to really enjoy. Andrew ended up finishing it, but it was pretty strong, even for him. Next time if I order a drink, I would try something other than the class, like the strawberry margarita, which I think would add more flavor and make it more enjoyable (and taste less like straight alcohol). At least you get your money’s worth!

Our entrees came next. I ordered a special which included two flautas – one beef and one chicken – and a Chalupa Texana. I really liked my flautas; they were served with some kind of cheese sauce and even though there wasn’t anything inside besides meat, they tasted had a lot of flavor. The Chalupa Texana was okay. It looked a bit like a soft tostada as it had a soft tortilla on the bottom and then everything else piled on top. All of the toppings made it impossible to eat, though, so I ended up just eating it with a fork and leaving the soggy tortilla on the bottom. It also came with a side of rice and guacamole.

marias-special

Andrew ordered a beef quesadilla, which he really enjoyed. It was pretty big, and with all the chips and salsa and hot wings that we had eaten beforehand, neither of us could finish our dishes!

We were nearly stuffed, but there is always room for dessert. ;) There used to be a really popular Mexican restaurant that had the best fried ice cream, but that was the only place we ever tried it and they closed. Chimi’s had fried ice cream listed on their dessert menu, so that’s what we ordered, hoping it would be similar to what we had elsewhere.

fried-ice-cream

It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting, but we weren’t entirely disappointed either. The fried ice cream was served in a fried dessert tortilla and topped with copious amounts of whipped cream, chocolate fudge and caramel sauce, and a cherry. The fried ice cream itself was what was a bit different. I’m not sure what they rolled the outside of the ice cream with, but it tasted almost like soggy cornflakes that were fried and then frozen. We finished all of it though, so it wasn’t necessarily bad, just kind of odd. I think next time we would order a different dessert.

All in all, we had a great experience at Chimi’s. The service was excellent and the environment was warm and inviting. The food felt really authentic, unlike at a Chevy’s where it’s more Tex-Mex. And on top of all of that, we got an appetizer, two entrees, a huge frozen margarita, and dessert for only $28 (excluding the tip). I love getting a deal.

We will definitely be frequenting Chimi’s more often in the future and I feel like this will be our go-to Mexican restaurant from now on!

The Selection Series by Kierra Cass

I received the Selection series as a Christmas gift last year and I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to read them. Ah, but what a series. I’m not going to lie, I was really attracted to this series because of just how beautiful the covers are! The pretty dress and all the tulle and… it was going to be a guilty pleasure, I knew right away.

Brief synopsis: a young girl, named America, from one of the poorer districts in society is selected to compete against 34 other girls to be Prince Maxon’s new bride. This is the Selection.

The Selection

The Selection

Despite its predictability, I could not put this book down. Anyone could see the direction the book was taking, but I wanted to eat up every moment along the way. I’m also a little embarrassed at how much I enjoyed this book.

The characters I found enjoyable. I read one review criticizing that they were all archetypes, but I didn’t find it distracting. Aspen, America’s best friend, could have used a little more development, or something – I didn’t have any emotional attachments to him. All of the characters could probably have used a little more development, but it weirdly didn’t bother me and didn’t detract too much from the story – which doesn’t really make sense, I admit. Some of the dialogue did feel contrived at times, but there were other times that it felt very natural and occasionally made me laugh.

Cass is not the best writer, but she is a great storyteller in The Selection. The characters and plot all could have used some refinement, but I still liked it. It was definitely a guilty pleasure – an all romance, character-driven plot that still felt very light and fun and was perfect for a summer quick-read. However, I might just want you to stop here because…

The Elite

The Elite

The Elite, the sequel to the Selection, was a mess. It was vapid, frustrating, and not at all entertaining. America was likable in the first book, but I couldn’t tell you how many times I wanted to slap her in The Elite! If Prince Maxon wasn’t giving her all of his attention, she would throw a hissy fit and do something entirely too drastic and still manage to get away with it. She acted like a big baby, and it wasn’t fun to read.

Aspen I found annoying. To refrain from any spoilers, I will just say he had no regard for the consequences of his actions. Any average person would fear for their life, but he kept doing the same thing over and over and it was really distracting. It was unrealistic and I kept stopping and thinking, when is his head going to be chopped off??

 

Like in The Selection, Cass gave me no reason to care for him or for what happens to him or for his relationship with America. He really could have gotten his head chopped off and I would have been okay with that. I feel like he is a wasted character that has the potential to be so much more.

Plot wise, nothing really happened. America felt like she was being ignored. She got upset, did something stupid, and Prince Maxon forgave her. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And you have The Elite.

The One

The One

This is the third novel in The Selection Series. I don’t know what else to say about this book except it’s like a really bad FanFiction. America was perpetually crying the entire novel and her arguments with the prince were so petty and completely unbelievable. By this point, if I were the prince, she would have been long gone.

The only redeeming point in this whole series is the rebel subplot; however it is so skimmed over I don’t believe it’s given the importance it needs. It could really give some life to the story and has the potential to be something more than just a Hunger Games wannabe.

The Elite was very hard to read and The One was even harder. The style and language is boring and again, nothing happened. I have very little hope that the fourth book will be much better, but will finish the series just for the sake of finishing the series.