I don't usually go to sit-down, chain restaurants, but when I do it's going to be the Yard House.
We had a gift card so we'd figure we'd try it out one Sunday. Our snobbiness was only heightened when we saw both the drink and food menus -- there were tons of options that could only be rivaled by the biblical size of The Cheesecake Factory's menu. How could the staff be able to perfect this many options? I don't know how but everything we tried was fresh, well-seasoned and nicely composed.
First the atmpsphere -- it's like 75 percent sports bar but the lights are real low so it also can have a romantic vibe to it.
I started out drinking an "Old 43" -- one of their, like 5 or 6 takes on an Old-Fashioned (I told you their menu is massive). It was perfectly mixed with no one ingredient overwhelming the others. It included a Spanish liquor called "Licor 43" that offered hints of vanilla and spice to go with the orange. Jeannene went with a Cucumber Citrus Tonic and had no complaints. For our second drinks we both had the amazing "Old 43."
For the appetizer, we went with the guac and chips. The guacamole was freshly made -- creamy with diced tomato and sprinkled cheese (queso fresco, I think) on top. The lightly salted chips also seemed to have been made in house as they were still warm but no hint of grease.
I must have been in more of a Mexican mood than I thought as I had the Baja Tacos. Again everything was fresh with the fish having a light crispiness, having been pulled out of the fryer at just the right time. The vegetables added a nice crunch and the aioli provided some heat. A big pile of rice (surprisingly spicy) and a ramekin of beans added nicely to the meal. I then helped Jeannene eat her sweet potato fries (not limp and greasy nor burnt to a crisp) while she worked on her burger that also looked delicious.
We'll definitely be going back to make some more headway on that menu.