Giveaway: Moe's Southwest Grill

There are some restaurants I adore and go to time and again. And there are some restaurants that I drive past and say to myself, "I really want to try that place!" time and time again. And again. Moe's Southwest Grill had been such a place, ever since it opened up a location near me ohhhh maybe four years ago now.

I love southwestern food, with its slightly spicy and oh so flavorful tastes. Thus my recent foray into making homemade mole (Mexican red sauce) again. Burritos, rice bowls, nachos - oh great, my mouth is watering again.

Why I never went there, I have no idea. It was always on my to do list, but I never did. I have now. And now I regret not having gone earlier. They have a huge menu - including a kids' menu with kid sized tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.

Oh, and did I mention that you get free chips and salsa with every meal you order? And this is a beautiful, rich, chunky salsa with some really great crispy chips. I could make a meal of just this ... but I didn't.

Instead, I made myself order something else.

You don't want to know how long I stood there hemming and hawing and trying to decide if I wanted a burrito or a rice bowl. Or how long I debated between quesadillas or a salad. I really wished I'd brought a friend along at that point, but it was too late.

I finally decided on a burrito, loving that they have both the regular version and a smaller "junior" size, meaning I'd have less to take home. As much as I love to eat, I still only eat until I'm not hungry and then save the rest, and I detest wasting food. Decision made, I went with the junior joey bag of donuts. Ok, seriously, do you or do you not love restaurants with creative names for their dishes? I love the whimsy of it and to me it shows people who love food and aren't just cooking because it's a job and their business.

My junior joey bag of donuts - which still makes me smile to just type - was made just for me, and it came out in the cutest box I've ever seen! As I dug in, I was in heaven. Along with my free salsa and chips - I did mention that every order comes with free salsa and chips, right? - I sat and munched and enjoyed my food. I loved that it was all fresh food, nothing frozen here, and I could taste the difference.

Even the junior size ended up being too big for me, so I took it home to eat later, which worked out nicely when I didn't have time to make dinner that night. There is the option to make your entree into a meal by adding a drink and a side of guacamole, a side of queso, a cup of beans, a cup of rice, or a cookie. As delicious as those sound, I wasn't up for it that day. For me, that would be a great way to have a light meal with a friend - enjoying the entree with our chips and salsa and a side. Yum!

I resolved to try the nachos next time. Or maybe the quesadillas. Or to maybe bring a friend so we could have both. Because, really? Yum. And with the nut free dishes and the gluten free options and dairy free options, this has now become my favorite suggestion for friends with kids who have allergies and intolerances - and there are lots of those!

As great as the food tastes, I like the philosophy behind Moe's, too. They are focused on providing healthy options - and I love that their allergen information is so accessible and that there are no nut items onsite or in their recipes at all - and going beyond that into environmental sustainability. As they put it:

Sustainability is all about meeting the needs of current generations without affecting the needs of future generations. We are doing our part to reduce environmental impact by serving ingredients like grass-fed steak, grain-fed pork, local produce (where our safety and quality standards can be met), and a delicious meat alternative - organic tofu.

Do they have a dollar menu? Nope. Would I rather be ordering off this menu with grass-fed beef and local produce with no rBGH, steroids, trans fats or MSG from a restaurant with neither a microwave nor a freezer? Yeah. And that doesn't mean it was expensive, either. Tacos are under $3, and there isn't an entree option at $9 - and that includes their Fat Sam fajitas (see more fun names!) with choice of meat with lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, grilled peppers, onions, guacamole and sour cream and three tortillas. That is a lot of food, people!

Moe's is on a mission to help people make healthy choices, with their food mission wheel. The wheel highlights special menu items that may fit into your healthy eating from gluten free items (the sour cream, chicken, steak, pork, and more than 20 fresh ingredients) to their whole grain tortillas (and why whole grains are good) to their meats (and what makes them unusual in a good way) and more. I love it!

And I'm pretty sure you will, too. Wanna try Moe's if you haven't already? Here's hoping there's one near you. I've got a $25 gift card for you to check out Moe's - although I suggest bringing a friend so you don't get stuck in the ordering dilemma I did!

So what do you have to do to win a $25 to go try out Moe's for yourself? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Sunday April 17 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: With Moe's new vegetarian entrees, they are participating in Meatless Mondays, a trend to eat less meat for a variety of reasons. What's your favorite Meatless Monday meal (either from Moe's or at home)?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Yum! Get dinner tonight with a $25GC from Moe's Southwest Grill & @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/i6jF8K" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Like my blog on Facebook and let me know what name you used to like it.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a $25 Moe's gift card for review purposes, as Food Mission mousepad, and Moe-vision sunglasses. There was no compensation involved. All opinions expressed are my own.