Downtown Dinner Date! Er, sorta...

After our 4th of July stay in Nashville, we decided we should go downtown for dinner date nights once a month to try a new restaurant. We went ahead and picked an evening, last Friday to be exact, and Chris said it was my choice!

But it was a very long week for the both of us, and by the time Friday rolled around, this was our verbal exchange, more or less:

"So, are we still going to drive all the way downtown for dinner?"

"I dunno. Do you want to?"

"I'm a little tired to drive that far."

We still wanted a date night, but we were both so tired from our week and had hardly spent any time together, we didn't really want to waste it driving 2 hours round trip.

So we decided to stay local and dine in Clarksville, so technically this doesn't count as a "Downtown Dinner Date".

But we still stuck to the rules and picked a restaurant neither of us had been to before:

Cheddar's! There is one back home in Overland Park (a past co-worker's dad owns that one) but even for as long as it had been there, neither one of us had ever eaten there. We assumed they served more than cheese (hilarious, I know) and wanted to give it a try.

The restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, and the parking lot was constantly full, all day long! We didn't have to wait too long for a table. We were actually impressed with how quickly we were seated, considering the crowd!

After being seated and checking out the menu, we decided to get an appetizer. The prices were very reasonable, and apparently the portions are GENEROUS! We didn't really need so many onion rings!

I ordered a drink. A pomegranate margarita served in a martini glass. The salted rim was a delicious compliment to a fruity drink. I liked that the drink menu had prices next to ALL the specialty drinks. I hate when restaurants leave the prices off and then shock you when the check comes.

The food arriving at our table didn't stop! I ordered fish tacos (with a side of mashed potatoes...what a weirdo, I know) and chips and salsa, and Chris ordered ribs with chicken strips.

My tacos had a corn-cole slaw on top. I'm still not sure if I was a fan. The first time I had fish tacos I ordered them from Houlihan's. Now I feel as though none will compare! 

But the price was right. They tasted good. Not great, but good.

Chris's delicous southern-looking plate:

I sampled some of his ribs. They were good! After the tip, our check was right at $40. We had a table full of food, full bellies, and a FULL to-go box.

Definitely high value.

Moderately high quality and flavor.

The service was great, too. Attentive to details. Our server got upset when the food runner brought everything out at once instead of giving us time to eat our appetizer before our entrees arrived. That actually impressed me.

The atmosphere was great - brand new restaurant with a fish tank and fun ceiling fans. Even though the place was completely full, it still felt cozy where we were seated. It didn't sound too noisy, and the music made it fun.

Overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Great atmosphere, great prices, but the food didn't WOW me.

I'd still go back. MUCH better than Applebee's or Chili's. By FAR.

There have been a lot of new restaurants that have popped up since we've been here:

Panera

Chipotle

Cheddar's

Noodles & Company

...and coming soon...TEXAS ROADHOUSE!!!

I saw the crane lifting the sign today!

These GREAT restaurants are wonderous and much needed additions to this growing college & military town. This area is expanding like crazy! New restaurants, hotels, approval for a mall and movie theater to be built just outside of base...it kind of reminds me of Olathe a decade or so ago with all this new construction!

Oh, and Ross?! Anyone heard of that? It's like a TJMaxx. One just opened in the mall! This leads me into my post that I shall do tomorrow...you never know what you'll find in a store like that!

So next time, I promise we will make it back to Nashville for our Downtown Dinner Date.

And it will be a little more exciting.

Until then!

:)