little_bopeep
11-05-2007, 02:01 PM
Some of y'all may recall that I posted some recipes and a link to the Blue Mesa Grill website because the food is sooo good. I answered a survey online for them, and they invited me to be a part of a focus group of customers who would meet and discuss ways of improving the restaurant's menu, image, etc. We met last Thursday night and had a total blast!
The first thing to mention is that the margarita glasses were never empty the whole 2 hours we were there. :eek: They were showcasing their new margarita made with fresh agave nectar, and they were a hit. I don't drink them myself, but I got a chuckle out of watching everyone else enjoy them. :p
Then the food started coming: first were some small "taco cones." They took a small corn tortilla about the size of your palm and formed it into a cone; then they stuffed them with 3 different fillings: beef tenderloin and caramelized onions, a sweet and spicy chicken, and a shrimp one that I didn't eat (don't care for shrimp). The beef and chicken were outstanding (the feelings were divided on the chicken--half thought the sauce was too sweet, and the other half of us thought that's what made it so good). The group's feeling was that these were mighty tasty, but not practical because they tended to fall apart once bitten into...we decided that they would not make good business meeting or first date food.
More margaritas.
Next came some lovely chicken with that same sweet and spicy flavor that turned out to be a honey/ancho chile rub. Awesome! But the presentation of the chicken was lacking, and we discussed that. Also, we were served a piece of salmon with a mango/mustard sauce, but since I don't do salmon, I can't comment on it. The other folks did enjoy it, tho. They served these with their usual brown rice and black beans (which are awesome. I don't know what the secret to them is...they're just black beans. But they're very good).
Mor garmanitsa. :D
So then we had a lovely blue corn tortilla enchilada that was stuffed with cheese and possibly chicken (I can't remember) and corn. I was totally surprised to learn that it was a goat cheese/jack cheese mixture! I've always been shy of goat cheese, but this was mild and yummy.
Now, throughout all this, we discussed the restaurant itself and what we liked/didn't like about it. The biggest problem we could see is that the decor, while very pleasing, is totally alive with sound. Hard surfaces everywhere just make the sound level terrible. So they said that they'll see about working on that. Up to this point, we had just been meeting with the focus group staff and the restaurant manager. But then the owners came in and met us each individually and joined us for the last part of the meal: dessert. Oh. My. God.
If you like flan, you'll love this. If you don't like flan, you'll love this. Their newest desserts are individual flans, about the size of a shot glass. They have about 20 flavors coming out, but the ones we tasted were original, with a mango sauce; coconut (ooohhhhhhmmmyyyyyyyyyy) and blood orange with little slivers of caramelized orange peel. Pardon me while I wipe my chin.
After dessert they served coffee and a shot of El Tesoro Anejo. I took a tiny sip to be polite and it was surprisingly smooth. But I don't do tequila and gave it away.
Then they sent us home with a little gift basket. It was a wonderful night!!
BTW, if anyone lives near a Blue Mesa and would like a coupon for free table-side guacamole or a coupon for the dessert sampler we had, PM me. :cool: :cool:
The first thing to mention is that the margarita glasses were never empty the whole 2 hours we were there. :eek: They were showcasing their new margarita made with fresh agave nectar, and they were a hit. I don't drink them myself, but I got a chuckle out of watching everyone else enjoy them. :p
Then the food started coming: first were some small "taco cones." They took a small corn tortilla about the size of your palm and formed it into a cone; then they stuffed them with 3 different fillings: beef tenderloin and caramelized onions, a sweet and spicy chicken, and a shrimp one that I didn't eat (don't care for shrimp). The beef and chicken were outstanding (the feelings were divided on the chicken--half thought the sauce was too sweet, and the other half of us thought that's what made it so good). The group's feeling was that these were mighty tasty, but not practical because they tended to fall apart once bitten into...we decided that they would not make good business meeting or first date food.
More margaritas.
Next came some lovely chicken with that same sweet and spicy flavor that turned out to be a honey/ancho chile rub. Awesome! But the presentation of the chicken was lacking, and we discussed that. Also, we were served a piece of salmon with a mango/mustard sauce, but since I don't do salmon, I can't comment on it. The other folks did enjoy it, tho. They served these with their usual brown rice and black beans (which are awesome. I don't know what the secret to them is...they're just black beans. But they're very good).
Mor garmanitsa. :D
So then we had a lovely blue corn tortilla enchilada that was stuffed with cheese and possibly chicken (I can't remember) and corn. I was totally surprised to learn that it was a goat cheese/jack cheese mixture! I've always been shy of goat cheese, but this was mild and yummy.
Now, throughout all this, we discussed the restaurant itself and what we liked/didn't like about it. The biggest problem we could see is that the decor, while very pleasing, is totally alive with sound. Hard surfaces everywhere just make the sound level terrible. So they said that they'll see about working on that. Up to this point, we had just been meeting with the focus group staff and the restaurant manager. But then the owners came in and met us each individually and joined us for the last part of the meal: dessert. Oh. My. God.
If you like flan, you'll love this. If you don't like flan, you'll love this. Their newest desserts are individual flans, about the size of a shot glass. They have about 20 flavors coming out, but the ones we tasted were original, with a mango sauce; coconut (ooohhhhhhmmmyyyyyyyyyy) and blood orange with little slivers of caramelized orange peel. Pardon me while I wipe my chin.
After dessert they served coffee and a shot of El Tesoro Anejo. I took a tiny sip to be polite and it was surprisingly smooth. But I don't do tequila and gave it away.
Then they sent us home with a little gift basket. It was a wonderful night!!
BTW, if anyone lives near a Blue Mesa and would like a coupon for free table-side guacamole or a coupon for the dessert sampler we had, PM me. :cool: :cool: