Trying to get my husband to Chino Latino is like {insert the most difficult thing you’ve ever done here}.

We’d only been there once before, but not for food. I remember walking in and it being packed and hard to push through the crowds to get near the bar. Despite this, it still felt like a pretentious poser hang-out. I don’t even think anyone in the group stopped to get a drink. We just walked around the place (or squished our way through) and left to find another hotspot in Uptown.

But I still wanted to try the food.

When I saw a Groupon offer for Chino Latino, I knew it was the only chance that I could get Rob there. He hates crowded places and any place where you have to stand and wait. As we neared the Groupon’s expiration date (for the discounted value), I chose a beautiful Sunday afternoon this past Aguust to take drag my husband there. I figured that this would be a “safe” time to go.

Other people have told me that the portion sizes here are tiny and that food is only mediocre. So we went in expecting this. Still, the menu really intrigued me:

Street Food from the Hot Zones

I mean, who has heard of that before? From their website:

Chino Latino serves Street Food from the Hot Zones – the tropical belt that extends from the Caribbean to the Americas to Polynesia, on to Southeast Asia, India, Africa and back again. There’s no fusion cooking here. What unites our offerings is the power of their flavors, the emphasis on freshness and their embrace of ingredients and cooking styles common to the Hot Zones.

Uh… yeah. Sounds like my kinda place. Flavor, flavor, flavor!

We walked in to find the place was lit like we were in a nightclub – on a Sunday afternoon. {You’ll see below by the hues of the photos!} We sat at the bar, which we tend to do when it’s just the two of us, making sure we could use our Groupon there. We’ve never had a problem, but it’s always good to check. The restrictions read:

Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per table. Valid only for option purchased. Dine-in only. Not valid for happy hour. Bar Abliene option not valid on weekends; valid only for food. Bryant Lake Bowl option not valid for tickets.

The manager said that we could only use it for food. This Groupon included a list of Uptown Restaurants to choose from including Bar Abilene and Bryant Lake Bowl. Wouldn’t you get the impression with the semi-colon above that the “valid only for food” portion was just for Bar Abilene? Whatever. We had a late lunch, so I wasn’t sure we could spend $30 on all food. We definitely had to over-order. I was secretly hoping that the portion sizes were indeed as small as everyone claimed them to be!

Despite the fact that drinks were not included in our Groupon, we couldn’t pass them up:

This was one of the best mojitos I’ve ever had! The viles of purées were a fun little novelty and the twist that probably justifies the fact that it’s a $13 drink. Honestly, though, I tried the mojito by itself first without the purées and it didn’t need them at all! I did order a classic mojito afterward, not even realizing it was $10. Is that high? I feel like it is.

Rob’s drink:

We aren’t fans of Crispin Hard Cider in general. However, the sake aspect intrigued Rob. After he tasted it, he described it as “Cloudy, tasteless yeast beasties in a bottle.”

As for the food… We just  had to start with the following for an appetizer because Kat once recommended it:

This appetizer was no small portion! We barely put a dent in it. Though, it was more my thing than Rob’s. I adore black beans, guacamole and fresh tomatoes. Though our top nachos {if you’d put this in that category} still remain at Beaverton Tavern in Gladwin, Michigan and The Public House in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Then for me:

There is a really unique kick to these! When I couldn’t decide on a skewer, they were recommended by the bartender. Talk about flavor, baby!

And for Rob:

I just asked Rob what he thought of this and it must not have been memorable because he said, “No clue.” Although we did have an excellent takeout $1.75 barbacoa taco this week, so he probably had thoughts of that. Or maybe he just can’t think past this:

Rob sent those chips swimming:

Rob’s comment:

“I want this every day for the rest of my life.”

Okay, so I wouldn’t go that far. I personally preferred the fundido that we had at T & T in Las Vegas. But it doesn’t matter. It’s going to take my husband back to Chino Latino. That’s a win for me.

And as for the portion sizes… It depends on what you get. If you order a couple of the $4 tacos or one order of $8 skewers, you’ll be disappointed. My recommendation: Get a bunch of different things and split amongst a group.

What restaurant or food were you reluctant to try, but then fell in love with once you did?

P.S. Don’t forget to enter yesterday’s giveaway!

Cheers~
Carrie