The Food Judge - December 1999

Restaurant Reviews by Buddy Omohundro

Lunch - Mosaic - River Road Shopping Center - West End The food judge hates to start off negative, but do not waste your time with this place. Yes, it's a quaint lunch and dinner spot. Yes, its convenient to the University of Richmond. Yes, some of the entrees and sandwiches are very tasty. But...you knew the "but" was coming...it could be so much better!! First and foremost, any famished student who stumbles in for a hearty meal, will most certainly leave hungry! Portions are small and very overpriced. Actually, the food itself is good, but when you can polish off your side of potato or pasta salad in three or four bites, something is missing - namely another half a cup of a side dish! I may be overly critical of portion size, but despite whispered rumors in the corners of Richmond's library, the position of Food Judge doesn't pay that well, and value is key in my assessment of a meal. Thus, high prices and small portions are a big negative. The other problem is that you have to wait in line to order your food and then it is brought out to your table. In other words, you do not have a server to attend to your meal-time needs. Maybe their strategy is to save diners money - since the tip is excluded from the total price of the meal. Regardless of their motivation, having to wait in line for food takes away from a relaxing lunch and gives the place more of a "cafeteria" feel. If you are interested in cafeterias, I know a dining hall that serves all-you-can-eat for five bucks! Despite my complaints, the food itself is pretty good. Try the portobello pita with roasted peppers and mozzarella or the roasted lamb pita. Salads are not bad either. The oriental chicken salad is rumored to be quite good. They have a light menu listed under "spa rollers," and they serve burgers. If you are into small, fancy food, you may want to venture into Mosaic, but if you are looking for value, save yourself both money and late afternoon hunger pains by skipping lunch at Mosaic. The Food Judge reverses the holding that this is a great place to eat. Mosaic earns two and one-half gavels. Dinner - El Chapala -Quiocassin Square Shopping Center - West End That's Chapala, not chalupa. This isn't Taco Bell! (And you won't see any talking dogs running around the place trying to swindle you out of your meal or hitch a ride home with you). What you will get is a very good Mexican meal. Now, I hear people from outside of Virginia say that you can't get good Mexican food here. I am sick of the comparisons between Tex-Mex and Mexican - sorry if that offends anyone, but in Richmond if there's taco seasoning in any part of your entree, you are eating Mexican food! Personally, being a native Richmonder, I am not the most discriminating Mexican food critic. In fact, despite my culinary genius, I find that most area Mexican restaurants are not only good, but very similar. El Chapala, on the other hand, caught my interest because of several differences that make it unique. First, the staff members are some of the friendliest people you will meet. For some reason, in many Mexican restaurants, I have found that the staff is quite unfriendly. My guess is that it has more to do with a language barrier than an intent to be rude, since many Mexican restaurant owners speak Spanish. Either way, the workers at El Chapala always greet customers with open arms and wide smiles. Secondly, the margaritas are outstanding. You may find outstanding margaritas elsewhere, but I doubt you will find a place that serves them in pitchers! That's right! Once again, quantity is always the deciding factor in the Food Judge's review! Pour the concoction into glasses or drink straight from the pitcher. It really doesn't matter. In fact, after several drinks...well, it really doesn't matter. I would fall short of my duties if I did not mention that a pitcher of this elixir is $14, but the pitchers are large and well worth it. The food is similar to most area Mexican joints. I recommend the chile rellenos and tamales (both are superb). Also try the guacamole dip with the warm chips that your server will bring. If you leave without trying the fried ice cream, you will really be missing out (although you'll avoid about 2,000 calories and 35 grams of fat - but hey, you only live once). Best of all, dinner for two will definitely cost under $20 - not including any bar tab. The Food Judge was gassy after his spicy Mexican outing, but he still orders readers to try this restaurant. El Chapala earns three and one-half gavels. Final thought (If Springer can have one, why can't the Food Judge?): Recently, I was privy to the comment by 1L Dale Mullen that, "The Food Judge should do an article on the foot long hotdog or vienna sausages." As profound as this statement is, this comment affirms that Dale has some real issues, but maybe he has a point. I do not know what that would be, but maybe you are more keen in your interpretation than a run-down, old judge who spends most of his day eating and writing restaurant critiques. Actually, maybe this eager, young law student feels that my column needs to touch on simpler food items instead of trying to critique the full efforts of a restaurant in one short paragraph. I shall ponder this in my chambers until our next issue. Until that time, the court is in recess.

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