Restaurant Review, Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant

(Rough Draft)
Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant
Have you ever come across a Mexican restaurant that is shady, poorly put together, or one that is overdone and overpriced? Well I have found a Mexican restaurant that has the perfect balance. A nice, relaxed and modest place called Guadalajara.
Guadalajara is located in a small run-down shopping center off Laskin Road and First Colonial in Virginia Beach, VA. It is brightly lit up building between Buffalo Beach, and a large department store. The location and size from the outside it probably does not seem worth while. As soon as you walk in the door and greeted by the staff, your mind completely changes. The smell of freshly grilled chicken and salsa anticipates the short wait, and the small water well by the door sets the mood with the comfortable atmosphere and setting. The staff is dressed in bright colors, well groomed and ready to serve you. Immediately you notice the decorations and the color scheme clashes greatly to give off a great Mexican feel.
Mexican is preferably my favorite kind of food, and there are plenty to choose from. Guadalajara always seems to make everything taste just right. The menu is easily worded and organized by lunch, dinner, and the different entrees they have, so no confusion arises. The service is prompt, and you are never neglected by your waiter no matter how busy it seems to be. I could not wait to jump into my burrito Cali. The burrito took up my whole plate, length and width. Not even half way through it, I was stuffed. Even though I came in for dinner, I left with two nights worth of dinner, and a side of chips and dip, under $15.00 No dessert was offered there, but I had enough money left over to pay dessert for all three of us.
Your senses are awakened and your mouth is watering the moment you walk in the door! Yeah we all have a preference of which Mexican restaurant to dine in, and certainly enough to choose from. But, if you are looking for a small, relaxed, rarely crowded, and a non-smoking place so the kids can tag along and even the whole family for a good filling meal, at a good price, try Guadalajara.





(Final Draft)
Audience: First potential customers to a different Mexican Restaurant.
Thesis Statement: The perfect balance Guadalajara has, compared to some other Mexican restaurants found and experienced.
Audience Needs: Proof and evidence of how this Mexican restaurant is different with their atmosphere, food and service.

Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant

Every Friday night it’s a routine for some friends and I to get dressed up and go out for Mexican after a long day at work. It took us a while to find a Mexican Restaurant that we really enjoyed. A lot of places we found were questionable, run-down, too fancy, or overpriced. All of the looking finally paid off when we walked into Guadalajara. The atmosphere, the service, and the food give it the perfect balance between a casual and a fancier Mexican Restaurant. As soon as you walk in the door you are blown away by the setting and warm atmosphere they have to offer.
Guadalajara is located in a small run-down shopping center off Laskin Road and First Colonial in Virginia Beach, VA. It is a brightly lit up building between a small restaurant called Buffalo Beach, and a large department store. The shopping center does not get a lot of business and the buildings are run-down, so looking from the outside it probably does not seem worthwhile. As soon as you walk in the door you are greeted by the Mexican staff with a loud “HEEEYY Welcome!” The smell of freshly grilled chicken and salsa anticipates the short wait, and the small water fountain by the door sets the mood with the comfortable atmosphere and setting. Immediately your attention turns to the pictures and paintings on the wall. The colors and shapes blend harmoniously to give off a Mexican vibe. Not only is the atmosphere welcoming, the staff is friendly and the service is prompt.
Upon entering the restaurant you are greeted immediately, and feel important. Being their customer, you are never ignored. No matter how busy it seems to be, they always make you feel like you are their top priority. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable of their menu and products and helpful if any confusion arises. They are well groomed and look professionally dressed in bright yellows, reds, and greens. Although great service brings people in, the food is what keeps them coming back.
Mexican is preferably my favorite kind of food, and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. Some cook their chicken differently, make their salsa too spicy or not, and some don’t give you a fair share amount of the cheesy white sauce. Guadalajara always seems to make everything taste just right. The burrito Cali is absolutely my favorite dinner entrée and I order it every time I come in. It’s a dinner with beans, rice, grilled chicken, and avocado dip put together in a stuffed burrito topped with cheesy white sauce. The chicken is grilled to perfection with a blend of herbs, spices and oils, not too chewy or undercooked. The beans aren’t too dry, and blend well with the rice. The avocado and salsa inside give it enough spice for a great zing in your mouth. The cheesy white sauce tops off the whole dinner and gives it the lasting flavor. You can’t help but take one more bite, and crunch on the hot, fresh tortilla chips served with the entrée. All under 15.00!
My girlfriends and I never miss a beat when it comes to Friday nights at Guadalajara. It’s almost too good to be true, but yes you can have a great Mexican meal at a fine restaurant with friendly staff, a welcoming atmosphere and delicious food for a good price.

I felt I was not all the way prepared for this essay. We did some free writing in class and then moved to a different topic, it was hard to keep up with the dates. The free writing and brianstorming lesson helped me best with this assignment. Set dates times, and more in depth lessons could have prepared me better for this assignment since we jumped around. I started with the free writing assigment and put all my ideas on paper. I actually dined in the restaurant again to get more of a feel for it, and write more things down while I was there. Peer review is always helpful especially when writing a paper for the first time in a few months. After my peer review I felt I had a better approach to a well written paper.