Tonight we had dinner at On the Border (in Bowie, specifically). 

We decided to skip the appetizers tonight because we were fine with just the tortilla chips and salsa that we were given.  The salsa had a little bit of a kick to it, because it had pepper seeds in it.  The tortilla chips were good, and the second basket that we got was nice and warm, although, a tad bit salty for my tastes.  I prefer restaurants to let me season my own foods, so I wasn't quite as fond of the second batch that we got as the first.

For dinner, I had the the Avocado with Red Chile Pesto, one of their Grilled Enchiladas.  Inside of a flour tortilla are sauteed bell peppers and (red) onions, fresh avocado, and cheddar and pepper Jack cheese.  There is a "zesty chipotle sauce" that I'm not quite sure if it was in the enchilada or on the side, even after I ate it.  I think that it was on the side because there was a little bowl of sauce that was served with it and it was a bit spicy, so I like that it was served on the side.  The avocado was indeed fresh and was creamy.  The cheeses melted perfectly and the vegetables were sauteed quite nicely.  I will warn you, it is a little bit of a messy fair, so you will want to have your napkin handy while eating this.  There are two enchiladas that are served.

As my sides, I had rice and black beans.  The black beans were much better than I had expected.  However, because both the beans and the rice are quite filling, I did not finish them because I wanted to finish my main course.  What I had of them however was good.  There was corn in the rice, which was a bit odd, but there wasn't enough to really alter the taste.

To drink, other than water I had their Mexican Mojito, which was 1800 Silver Tequila with mint, basically, with a lime in it.  It was quite smooth and tasted very good.  The mint and lime flavors were well balanced.  The only minor issue that I had with the drink was that I would occasionally have a piece of mint make its way up the straw, but that really doesn't effect it.  Simply an inconvenience.

For dessert, my sister and I split a brownie with walnuts that had vanilla ice cream on top.  The brownie was fresh from the oven and was very warm, making the ice cream melt.  The chocolate was definitely rich, though not as strong as some, but strong enough that you can smell the richness of it.  A fairly big serving of vanilla ice cream is topped on the brownie which is what keeps it from becoming too rich.

The service was good.  The waitress was attentive and we got our food and drinks within a timely manner.  As with a lot of places, it depends on what you get when it comes to pricing.  The main dish that I ordered shows up on their website at $10.99.  So, this could work for a college student if you want to splurge on something a little more substantial than pizza or take-out for the night.

So, yeah, Little Caesar's.

Growing up, there was one just about a mile away, and we would get the huge rectangular pizza made during the Superbowl and watch movies together.  Though by the time that I got to middle school, it had disappeared, and so had all of the other ones that I had known about.

I had thought that Little Caesar's had just disappeared; become one of those chains that eventually either get bought out by bigger companies or just disappear for reasons only known to the people in the company.  However, when I got to about my sophomore year of college, I had a huge nostalgia attack when a friend told me about the Little Caesar's that was about three miles away.

So, when my best friend visited, the three of us made the trek to the Little Caeser's for that childhood memory to live again.  Though, admittedly, I don't really remember what it tasted like.  I just remember having a great time with my friends, while eating some nostalgic pizza. 

That led me to actually think about my reactions to the pizza now, when I've tried it again, and see if it seems to measure up with how great it was in the past.

Like many pizza places these days, Little Caesar's now serves breadsticks and wings.  I can't remember them serving them back when I was a kid, but if they did, please correct me. 

The breadsticks were awesome.  Not too starchy, with just the right amount of Parmesan cheese and butter on them.  I will warn you, they taste a lot better hot/warm, so don't let them cool off.  Eat them first.  They just lose some of their taste when they become too cool/room temperature and the texture changes somehow. 

The teriyaki wings that we got were a bit mediocre.  The sauce was okay, but I was expecting a kick to the sauce, since it was teriyaki, but there wasn't.  It had a dull flavor to it and for the most part just kept them moist.  The wings themselves were wonderful. The meat fell right off the bone which is always a plus.

Both pizzas were pretty much the standard fair; the pepperoni had a good amount of pepperoni and the cheese was full of cheesy goodness.  Although, I have noticed a couple of things that they do differently than their competitors, which I think that I like. 

First off, they don't use as much sauce as some places do (Pizza Hut and Dominos, off the top of my head).  It is just the right amount of sauce to keep the pizza from being too dry, but not so much that it is spilling out with every bite.

Secondly, the sauce isn't crammed full with herbs, spices, and other things to try to make it taste better than the competitors.  My main beef would be with Papa John's for doing this, as they have a sauce that for some reason tastes really sweet to me, and so this toned-down sauce is preferential to me.  Those who really like those herbs and spices however might not like this fact, however, so keep this in mind.

Last, the crust.  Pizza crusts vary widely among different companies, that is a given.  Little Caesar's has a thinner crust than most places, being more flat than puffy, and yet it isn't ridiculously hard and crispy like some flatter crusts.  This crust would work for someone who likes crust, but doesn't want to be overwhelmed by it. 

Overall, I think that Little Caesar's is still a great place.  Admittedly, the pizza isn't as bold as some places out there and can be considered a little bland by some people, but for certain people, it is just that right fit.  There are no overwhelming spices, and the sauce and crust are just the right amount.  It doesn't hurt either that they have that deal with the $5 Hot and Ready pizzas, where you can just walk in and get a piping hot cheese or pepperoni pizza and then just go home with it.  This would probably be a great place for college kids and families with younger kids to go to.  No waiting for your pizza and no worries about too complicated sauces.  It's not the king of pizza places by far, but it is a nice little place for something simple.  I can't really recommend the teriyaki wings, though I would encourage people to try at least the plain wings, because they are wonderful.

Here's hoping that Little Caesar's is here to stay.

Probably my second review of something from Chili's.  This one is specifically for the one in Staunton.

I ordered the avocado burger with fries.  The avocado burger comes with onions, pickles, lettuce and tomato.  I ordered it without the onions and the pickles, however.  The burger was delicious, though huge.  If you want to finish it, it will probably be a good idea to not order an appetizer and get a vegetable as your side and not a starch.  (the fries were a big mistake...)   The burger was cooked a little less than I personally like it to be, but it was still good.  Just make sure that you tell them how done you want the burger to be if a little bit of pink in the middle bothers you. 

I will definitely order this again.  If you love avocados, I highly reccomend this burger.