Puerto Nuevo Freshmex & Seafood — Restaurant in Virginia

First Visit on 4th of July, 2019. Upon entering, we were very impressed with the Decor, although it was immediate clear they re-purposed much of the Dining Decor & layout left behind from the previous occupant Outback Steakhouse. Still, using the aforementioned Franchise's left-behinds, PN managed to break out of the stereotypical theme of most local restaurants in this segment to emulate a decidedly Franchise-like quality feel. This may be a con for some, a benefit to others. What does matter to me is cleanliness which it was.

Service was spot-on Start to Finish. The Tortilla Chips arrived quick, Salsa Bar was clean, nice and very comprehensive with no less than 6 varieties, all good, drinks were refilled well before our existing glasses were empty. We were attended to regularly, but not overly, which is a good thing. The appetizer was Fried Mushrooms which may be the best in Tri-Cities, they were wonderful!

Their Plates, and I mean their Dishware, are huge. Didn't bring a tape measure but the plates must have been 18", if not 20". This means that once the food arrives, any residual items/appetizers that had been served prior will have to be moved to the side or taken because 2 of these Plates end-to-end will cover the entire width of the table.

Plating was beautiful in both garnish and layout. Because of the large diameter the entree and sides are well separated at least when delivered, no food really encroaching on the others turf. Neat Freaks and One-at-a-Time eaters will rejoice.

The the quality of the ingredients seemed of the highest grade with imaginative touches seldom seen (they had sliced radishes along with the typical chopped onions and cilantro) and colors that popped off the beautifully plated dishes. For this reason, the food may be the hardest to evaluate of anywhere I've dined in some time.

My dish, Tacos Carne Asada, looked gorgeous, 3 nicely grilled tortillas brimming with perfectly good-looking steak strips, a side of Black Bean Soup, 2, the aforementioned toppings, 2 grilled whole onions garnishing in-between. My Wife's Chicken look consistently cooked and tender. Looks can be deceiving. Our issue was with the Flavor. Not that it was bad, more that it was non-existent. I tasted my wife's Chicken and it was as tender as can be but lacked any seasoning or flavor at all. In a blind taste test, I doubt anyone could determine what genre of food either the steak or chicken was. It not only lacked the Flavor Tones for which it represented, it also lacked the texture or personality of Chicken or Steak fresh off the grill. Again, not that the taste was bad, it was just absent of inspiration in a way that was so inconsistent with the beautiful plating and presentation that frankly we were shocked. It's not unlike being given a beautiful cone of Soft Serve Ice Cream only to find that it is Frozen Whip Cream in reality.

The service was great as was the decor and Appetizer, but I would be lying if I said we didn't have higher expectations right up to the first bite of our entrees. I see the effort to be different is there and they're staff works hard. I'd like to see the Kitchen take more risks with seasoning and grilling texture into the meats, but we will certainly eventually come back and test the B-Sample just to make sure it...

It was okay. I had the steak/chicken/shrimp fajita. I said no beans or rice. But, wanted the shells for my daughter. Never got them. Flavor was good. Spouse got the Chalupa. It was flat. Meat poured over a shell. Pretty sure it was wrong. Daughter had a cheese queso. It was small. Waitress took our drink order, didn't write it down, then some gentleman came back to get our drink order because she forgot. I will go back, only when I cannot make it to Amigos in Elizabethan or JC. The three stars is for the bartender. While waiting for our table, I asked what the difference between the Texas Margarita and Puerto Nuevo Margarita was. She responded, "It is in the mix." My first clue she is not a licensed bartender. I ordered rum/diet coke. It was full of water (ice melted before the drink made it to my table) and flat diet coke. Stuck with wine. Hard to mess up something straight from a bottle. My husband ordered the Florida Orange. Waitress came back 10 minutes later and asked him to point it out on the menu since the bartender told her they had no such drink on their menu. He got his drink 15 minutes later. It was pretty much a vanilla milkshake. Depending on the bartender, stick to wine, beer, or a shot. Whatever can be...

The first thing I noticed when I entered the restaurant was how clean it smelled and it shined. It's in an old Outback Steakhouse building on Linden Dr. The waiter was young, but one of the best waiters I have ever had. He was attentive without hovering. Never asked about the food while my mouth was full.lol. We were immediately served the obligatory tortilla chips, but with a bean and white cheese dip instead of salsa (delicious). They have a fresh salsa bar with 8 different salsas and dips. It was 1pm so I ordered the oyster platter. The oyster platter is $12.95 and served with salad and choice of fries or baked potato. He brought a huge platter with 12 jumbo oysters and what looked like pounds of fries(perhaps I was thinking about the weight I was about to gain). I have not had oysters that good in 50 years. There was a small restaurant on Lee Hwy The Sandman restaurant. It was owned by the Venables A family of exceptional cooks. The next day I was wondering if they have the lunch special on Saturdays, the place is...