Chili's

On Sunday, January 8, 2017, my daughter and I had lunch at Chili’s Grill & Bar, 200 Featherbed Lane, just off South Pleasant Valley Road in Winchester, Virginia. The parking lot has handicapped spaces.

Hours are Sunday-Thursday, 11:00 AM-10:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 11:00 AM-11:00 PM. Carryout service is available, and the phone number is (540) 535-1070. The Web site is www.chilis.com and may be used for To Go Orders.

The entrance is at the building’s left corner and has a vestibule. The floor has a dark color, and the open ceiling is also dark, with exposed ductwork.

Seating is by booths in the center area, with tables next to the windows along three sides. Lighting is by recessed lights in the ceiling over the booths, and hanging lamps along the tables on the sides.

Two TV screens are in the dining area, which has background music that is somewhat intrusive, and the overall noise level is noticeable due to the lack of an acoustic tile ceiling.

A large bar section on your left has a U-shaped bar, with additional booths and some high-rise tables for seating. It has eight TV screens. Decorations have Southwestern US themes.

There were two menus; a large laminated, double-sided folded single sheet wrapped around a detailed Winter menu. The first menu’s categories included Smokehouse Combos on the front; inside were more Smokehouse Combos, an Ultimate Smokehouse Combo, and Sides. On the back were Margaritas and Bacardis, along with Salted Molten Caramel Desserts.

The Winter menu had eight pages; its categories included Wings, a Triple Dipper, Soups, Chilis, Salads, Sandwiches, Hand-Crafted Burgers, Steaks, Baby Back Ribs, Smokehouse Gumbo, Mix & Match Fajitas, Quesadillas, Top Shelf Tacos, Sweet Stuff, Just For Kids, and a $35.00 Dinner with Drinks.

My daughter ordered a Classic Bacon Burger with Cheddar, Bacon, Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion and Chili’s Signature Sauce. I had a Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs with the House BBQ Sauce, served with French Fries. It was good, but I had to take half of the ribs home because of the size of the serving.

When I first dined at this establishment in March of 2000 it was called Chili’s Southwest Grill & Bar. The fact that it is still in business after 16 years indicates that it must be doing something right, and I rate it as a keeper.

Changes besides shortening the name include some remodeling of the interior, banning smoking in the bar area to conform to current laws, and in the menu, including eliminating pita sandwiches, which had included one with buffalo meat.

One feature that has been added to Chili’s tables in recent years is a Ziosk video tablet that allows customers to order drink refills and desserts as well as play interactive games. They work only inside the restaurant, and we didn’t try ours.