On Wednesday afternoon Tina and I decided to check out Rio Grande, a Tex-Mex chain with a new location just a few blocks from our office in Bethesda. They’re closing down the location on Fairmont Avenue–our gang’s favorite place for margaritas–and have moved a bit south to open a shiny, brand spanking new place on Bethesda Avenue. That whole area seems to be undergoing quite a renewal, with lots of great little restaurants and shops, anchored by the relatively new Landmark movie theater and the Barnes & Noble across the street.
So we agreed that the new Rio Grande is pretty sweet. (Only after we got there did it occur to me to record an audio post, but I hadn’t brought my cell phone. You would’ve heard Tina go, “Woo hoo!”) Its corner location allows for more windows, giving it plenty of light. The bar area is much larger, and now there’s outdoor seating. We didn’t plan to stay for lunch, but we sat ourselves at the bar and I ordered a chicken fajita special to go. They don’t skimp on the take-out orders, no, señor. The bartender came back with a shopping-size bag, which had all that and a bag of chips. Literally. (Sorry, that was so five years ago, I know.) But yeah, it came with a generous serving of chips and salsa, so you get the entire meal as if you’d dined in. All very tasty.
And after work today, we’re rounding up the gang to return for happy hour… TGIF indeed.