Poblanos SouthWest Grill

On Monday, February 18, 2013, I finally had an opportunity to check out Poblanos Southwest Grill. It had opened on October 26, 2012 at 3035 Valley Avenue, Suite 101, in the Creekside Station commercial development. Poblanos occupies the space that once housed The Daily Grind. Its suite faces Valley Avenue, but it has two entrances, one at either end. If you go in through the north entrance, you walk through what I consider a lounge area with comfortable seating. One table here had a laptop computer, and free WiFi is available.

A sign reading “Order Here” is at the right end of a counter similar to what you find in a Subway restaurant. because Poblanos offers Tex-Mex fast food, as does Chipotle over on Valley Avenue. You pick up a menu to guide you, or view the same information posted on the wall behind the counter. The “Create Your Own” fast food options include Burritos, 3 Tacos, Rice Bowls, Taco Salad, and Quesadilla.

You have a choice of Steak, Chicken, Tiger Shrimp, or Carne Asada (Beef) for the meat filling, along with such other fillings as rice, black beans, lettuce, Pico De Gallo, Corn Salsa, Jack Cheese, Tomato Fresco, Sour Cream, and more. I ordered The Ranchero from a list of Specialty Burritos. This included Carne Asada and all of the other fillings itemized above.

The waitress warmed a large flour tortilla on a press for a few seconds, and then moved along the counter to place the ingredients on it. She expertly wrapped the tortilla, and voilà: I had my burrito sandwich, for $5.89. Making it a combo, which added Chips, Salsa, and a Medium Soda added $1.89 to the bill. I served myself a cup of Mr. Pibb from the beverage dispenser, and sat down to eat. The sandwich was a heavy meal for me, but good. However, the mild salsa serving was not at all to my liking, and I ignored it when it failed my taste test.

One difference between Chipotle and Poblanos was that the latter also has a kitchen that offers dinners. These include Peruvian Chicken, Pallomilla Steak, Shrimp Enchilado, and Pan Seared Cod, all served with warm tortillas.

You can also order Chicken Steak, or Shrimp Fajitas; these are served with onion, peppers, pico, sour cream, lettuce, and beans. A Hispanic couple at the next table ordered Shrimp Fajitas, which had an appetizing smell. Pizza is also available as Chicken, Steak, or Shrimp Fajitas. There is a Soup of the Day, and a menu for kids under twelve.

Fast Food is not my favorite choice when eating out; I prefer to sit down at a table and have someone wait on me, serving food slow-cooked in a kitchen. This may be a result of years of preparing meals for myself. That's one reason I haven't been back to Chipotle's. However, Pablonos merits at least one return visit to try out a Shrimp Fajita.