The Blue Goose Cantina chain has opened their newest restaurant in the Shops of Highland Village, across the street from the AMC Theater. We dropped in for lunch recently to check it out on a busy Saturday. Walking into the fourth of the local chain’s locations, we found it, like the original location in Lower Greenville, already full of Blue Goose faithfuls. Their patio on the east (Shady) side of the restaurant is a great place to sit and enjoy a refreshing cold beverage of choice and watch the kids play in the run-through fountain.
The patio will be a wonderful place to hang out and relax in the fall as the temperatures cool down. The decor inside is quite colorful, but spartan, and seems to be missing something when compared to their Addison and Lower Greenville locations. The dining area is a large open space, thus the noise level was pretty high.
The staff was still warming up to the routine of moving in and out of the kitchen and around the tables in a smooth flow. We saw (and heard) 3 major tray spills, as well as one adult patron whose chair unexpectedly broke dropping him onto the floor. No, he wasn’t ……… …. in Margaritaville! Managers quickly rushed to assist.
Our food made up for the ambiance quirks of the visit. Their hot chips are wonderful, exhibiting a strong Mesquite smoke flavor. Oddly enough, the chips from the bar were more flavorful than the ones from the dining area bins. Their cold salsa was very good, not too hot, just spicy and the kids should enjoy it too. (Note: our favorite salsa is La Hacienda’s smoky salsa)! The guacamole was good, but too creamy. The restaurants that offer a tableside guacamole usually have a better offering.
Sizzling Fajitas and Margaritas were clearly the most popular delivery to most tables. We enjoyed Chicken Nachos which were quite good. For the vegetarians among us, their offerings are very limited.
When Rosa’s Cafe & Tortilla Factory came to town last year, we were thrilled to see a new Mexican food restaurant in the area. We loved the food, exterior, and even most of the interior, and true to their name, their tortillas are excellent. But…for the price Rosa’s charges for what is in essence a fast-food court, we knew there were better options and continued driving down I-35 or to Southlake for Abuelo’s, Blue Mesa, La Hacienda, Cristina’s, and Cantina Laredo. When Fernando’s opened, our excitement once again grew, but we discovered just “OK” mexican fare, a bland atmosphere, and a noise level right up there with a Maverick’s game.
With Blue Goose, we’re thrilled to see a quality Mexican food restaurant come into the neighborhood and we will be back. Once their newbie training kinks are worked out and the atmosphere is adjusted with plants or dividers, it will be even better. The food is already a great start.
For a great list of local dining options and more, check out our local links.
As an update, Fernando’s Flower Mound Restaurant has already closed it’s doors after only a few short months in business.