Moe's Southwest Grill

One of the bummers about moving to the East from the West is the dearth of good Mexican food. In Colorado Springs, you can't drive ten feet without running into a good Mexican food restaurant. But out here, it's like the search for the Holy Grail. We eventually located a good place near our home, but El Serrano's is technically Peruvian food. And while they do serve some Mexican food (about half their menu is Mexican dishes), their selection is severely limited.

The situation is similar in Maryland. There is a Chipotle's in Hunt Valley, but unless one is in the mood for an enormous burrito, that's pretty much it. I heard that any decent Mexican restaurants are down in "the city" (Baltimore), but I've heard from other Westerners that they're not quite up to snuff (that is, they suck). And "Baltimore proper" is a serious hike too far for just one meal. So I had just about given up on finding any decent Mexican places near work.

One day, however, on returning from a lunchtime trip to the local library (to load up on books to listen to on the commute), I happened by Moe's. It had been there since I started at BreakAway, but I had ignored it, largely because I was under the impression it was "Fresh Mex" food, consumables that bear little resemblance to real Mexican fare. But on this day, hunger took over, and I decided to give it a try.

When I walked in, I regarded the menu and was pleased with the names of the menu items: they're light-hearted and whimsical. If there's one thing I can't stand, its a company that takes itself too seriously. The names reminded me of Erik's DeliCafé back in my old stomping grounds in California. I perused several items such as the Homewrecker, the Joey Bag of Donuts and the Triple Lindy and finally decided on the Overachiever. I was a little leery, however, that it wouldn't be enough. Could a single taco really satisfy my appetite? Has it ever before?

Well, it turns out I had little to worry about. The Moe taco is much like the Chipotle burrito—it's enormous! Finishing one is not just a meal, it's an epic achievement (YMMV). Not only that, but with every take out order, Moe's fills your bag with a healthy helping of fresh tortilla chips. You have to dig (or eat your way) through them to get to your entrée, but that's a Good Thing^™.

The Overacheiver itself was a great treat. It wasn't too spicy, but had plenty of cilantro as well as meat, lettuce and other goodies. I've sampled Moe's burritos as well, and they're as overstuffed as their tacos. Much like a Chipotle burrito in size, they're also nicely seasoned and generously stuffed. Not surprising, since they use the same ingredients in the burritos that they do in the tacos. Moe's food is prepared similar to how it is at Chipotle or Subway Sandwiches: you start at the beginning, they ask what you want and you follow your food as they slide it on down the line, specifying what you want on it. A familiar interface is always a Good Thing^™.

The chips are great: fresh and warm. They don't have any salt, which I guess some people like, but I remedy this with a salt shaker and a vigorous shake of the bag. I highly recommend the queso to go with the chips. It's warm and tasty. If you don't like cheese, you still need to try it at least once.

One of the biggest bonuses of Moe's is that the salsa is free! That's right, all their salsa is free. Near the drinks, they have a salad bar-like setup with pots of all their salsas with lots of snap-tight containers to put them in. The containers are small, but you can use as many as you like. I don't like all of them (I avoid green salsas on principle), but several are pretty good. They're even labeled "Mild" to "Hot" for the timid.

Now I frequent Moe's whenever I make my weekly trips to the library. It's a weekly treat that I look forward to.

External links

• Official Moe's Southwest Grill website