Qdoba Mexican Grill, a Mexican chain restaurant, is one of the new burrito bars popping up in Hampton Roads.  My love for burritos probably steams from my mom, who sometimes creates her own burrito bar at home on the weekends.

Like all burritos, the size alone is staggering and almost intimidating.  At Qdoba, you can choose a signature flavor such as ancho chile BBQ, queso and fajita ranchera.  I ordered a queso burrito with grilled steak (about $7-8).  It was filling, but something didn’t quite hit the mark for me.  I think I needed a splash of lime or something really zippy to cut through the cheese, rice and meat.

I recommend checking this out if you’re into burritos!

Mexican recipes to try at home

• shredded pork taco salad
• Chicken Enchiladas

Directions to Qdoba (Virginia Beach location)

I was invited to Buffalo Beach for a friend’s birthday.  I heard good reviews about their selection of wings, so I was game to try it out!

Buffalo Beach deep fries their wings, and I don’t believe they use any batter.  Above is the lemon pepper and peanut Thai flavors.  The lemon pepper wings weren’t seasoned evenly so some wings were salty than others.  The peanut Thai sauce was definitely peanut butter-y, but I think it would have been better better on noodles rather than chicken wings. If I was ordering wings, I would perhaps try different flavors.

Some others in our party ordered the Philly fries, which is basically like a Philly cheese steak dumped on top of fries.  The aroma of that alone has me curious to go back!

Directions to Buffalo Beach

Burton’s Grill is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a long time.   They believe in high-quality, fresh ingredients.  There is only one location in in the south (Virginia Beach – Hilltop location), with other locations in the north east (Massachusetts and Connecticut).

The waiter told us that they serve never frozen meat or seafood, which speaks highly about the caliber of protein.  Also all the sauces are prepared on site, so they can substitute ingredients or cater to allergies.

Above is the Flounder Imperial with seasonal veggies (butternut squash) and Mahi mahi with Avocado Crab Salsa.  Each plate ranged about $15-20, and it was sooo delicious! I also was on a low carb diet so I was able to substitute the risotto with broccoli.

The atmosphere is modern contemporary and is a great for a date or for a little fancier dinner, like business casual dining.  I want to go back for lunch or brunch one of these days.  Stay tuned!