I couple months ago, I was invited to a special dinner to check out the new featured menu at Z'Tejas. Z'Tejas runs a special menu quarterly, it lasts for three months, and the theme this time is the hatch chile. After our amazing meal, I knew it was somewhere I had to take hubby for a date night. So two weeks ago, we were invited to the Chandler location to do a date night review, and of course, we were not disappointed.
Date nights are always such a nice treat. As those of you with children know, sometimes having a conversation with your spouse, when children are around, can be a challenge in of itself. To be able to not only sit down and interact without interruption, but to do so with good food and drink, makes for a perfect evening.
My husband and I both started off with a Margarita, he had the Blood Orange Margarita: Camarena Blanco, blood orange juice and I tried the Chambord Margarita: Frozen Margarita with a swirl of Chambord. The drinks were both so refreshing, with the fruit flavors not being overwhelming and cloyingly sweet. We also had fresh chips and salsa to nibble on, hubby loves the red salsa, but the green salsa is amazing and my favorite. All of Z'Tejas food is made fresh right in the restaurants, and you can definitely tell.
Our first course appeared, we had decided to each get an appetizer and share. I had ordered the Green Chile Pork Nachos: slow-roasted pork, Jack cheese, borracho beans, salsa fresca, green chile sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, guacamole. The nachos were a perfect small bite starter, and the flavors were amazing. They are part of the featured hatch chile menu, so make sure to try them before they are gone. Milo ordered the Ahi Ceviche Stack: Ahi tuna, citrus lime, ginger, serrano peppers, Roma tomatoes, avocado, corn chips. It was so fresh, the mild flavor of the sauce was perfect, as to not take away from the taste of the ahi.
Our main course came out next, Milo had ordered the Green Chile Burger: Fresh Ground Chuck, roasted green chile relish, green chile queso, pickled red onions, crispy tortilla. He said it was cooked to perfection and the southwestern flare was delicious. I would like to tell you that I tried something different than the last time I went, but I could not stop thinking about the Tequila Glazed ribs after my last visit. So once again I ordered the Tequila Glazed Ribs (brined and smoked baby back ribs, hatch chile powder, spices, tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice, chef's choice vegetable, mashed potato of the day). I am usually hesitant to order ribs at a restaurant, but Z'Tejas did not disappoint the first time, and the second time was no different. The ribs were amazing, they had a perfect crust that was sticky yet not dry, and the portion was very generous. Once again, the mashed potatoes that came with the ribs were one of my favorite parts of the entire meal, I actually wanted a bowl full to go. They were flavored with hatch chile, garlic, and butter...I could eat them every day!
I am usually all for trying dessert, but I have to say I sadly had no room to have any this time, and neither did hubby. But the amazing pecan pie with green chile ice cream was my favorite last time, the dessert was made from scratch right at Z'Tejas and included house-made chocolate chip pecan pie with seasonal chile vanilla ice cream. I was actually a bit worried that chile vanilla ice cream would ruin a perfectly good piece of pie, but that did not happen at all. The chile flavor was perfect, it was not overwhelming at all, and it actually balanced the sweetness of the pie perfectly. This tantalizing dessert is also part of the featured Hatch Chile menu, so make sure you head in there and try it out, before it's gone.
I encourage you all to head out to Z'Tejas and try the Hatch Chile Fest menu items before they are gone, I don't think you will be disappointed at all. Z'Tejas is the perfect date night spot for us, hubby is not a fan of having to get all dressed up to go to an uptight restaurant where you pay big money for tiny portions. Z'Tejas is nice and relaxing, the portions are ample, and the food is amazing!
Check out the Hatch Chile Fest menu for yourself HERE
