Step into the bustling atmosphere of Chevys Fresh Mex and you're in for an easygoing time. "Bustling" is my word for restaurants with a penchant for cluttered, eclectic decorating and whose noise level is one shade this side of tolerable. "Easygoing" is my word for hanging out without many worries, least of all whether you should pig out and have dessert, too.
Fresh Mex is Chevys self-named theme. I think it's just a catchy thing to say, though the food was fresh enough. The tortillas certainly are. You can see them rolling off the machine one by one.We wanted to run the Mex gamut, so we started with the sampler platter appetizer. This is a good thing to do. You get two kinds of tamales, roasted chicken wings, chicken quesadilla wedges, chicken nachos -- did I get 'em all? I don't know. The point is, you can get a feel for the menu pretty easily from the sampler. The platter is garnished with fresh quacamole and sour cream.
My favorite part of the platter was the chicken drummettes! Kind of crispy, really roasty. Don't bother with the dipping sauce; these are great without it. The nachos are terrific, too -- just the right amount of goodies. Tamales were OK; maybe a little more masa than I prefer.
If you can spare the calories (remember, easygoing), try a margarita. There have several kinds. I had the original and -- ouch -- was it tangy! Too concentrated for me (maybe it was a fluke, but if not, whoa, baby, be prepared to pucker). The strawberry-banana was more mellow.
One grand and exciting entree is the fajitas. Chevys seems to do meat well, and that definitely includes the steak (they have salmon, shrimp, pork, veggie and portobello mushroom, too). The large platter contraption comes to your table with sizzling steak, just-made tortillas and all the trimmings. "Fresh" is shown off best in this setting.
Another good option for first-timers would be a combo plate. You choose two, three or five different items. I tried the chile rellenos, the chimichanga and the beef enchilada.
The chimi was good: a fat-fried tortilla pocket with seasoned shredded meat inside, but the cheese sauce on top reminded me of Velveeta.
Next to the rellenos. This one was mediocre. The batter was light and tender, but the chile was thick. The cheese filling was nothing special and not quite melted.
Perhaps better luck with the enchilada. I wasn't expecting the ground beef. I had hoped for shredded, which feels more authentic. But the sauce and tortilla were good.
The combos come with beans and rice. The rice was not good. It was dry, with cooked-from-a-package appeal. The beans have good flavor. You can order them char style (whole) in a smoky bacon gravy or the same recipe in the refritos style. They also offer black beans.
Well, I certainly had my fill. Worked my way around the basics of the menu just fine. But I'm in an easygoing mood, so why skip dessert when you can box up your plate? Some scoff at this custom, others think it is perfectly fine. I'll allow it at a casual place like Chevys.
We shared the Baked Potato (weird name for a dessert). It's vanilla ice cream scoops rolled in cinnamon on top of a fudge brownie, smothered with whipped cream and fudge sauce. Yikes! There are other pig-out type desserts similar to this, as well as the traditional sopaipillas.
On a Saturday night, it's best to go early, unless you don't mind a wait. Our server was attentive and kept a balanced pace, but as we headed out the door an hour later, the waiting area was jam-packed. We visited the downtown location, although there are Midvale and Orem locations as well.
For a chain operation, Chevys has it locked up tight. The food is good, if not predictable and somewhat "corporate." On the whole, "fresh" in the name held up to my expectations, and I had an enjoyable time.
Prices for appetizers $5-11; salads $3-8; entrees $6-14.
Chevys Fresh Mex
*** -- (out of five)
Location: 358 S. 700 E., 517-4500
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Payment: checks, major credit cards
Stephanie Tanner-Brown may be reached by e-mail at stephanie @desnews.com