Eating at Mike's American Grill

 My friend Mark has a love affair with Mike's American Grill, so much so that a stop there is a holiday tradition. The restaurant is located in a huuuuge building in Springfield, Va. I never had the chance to eat there with Mark until this year, when we carved out time to eat on Tuesday.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what exactly made the place so good, but I learned pretty quick. The menu is unpretentious, but everything you order is the best version you've ever had. Right down to the yeasty, donut-y rolls (shown above), every bite is totally a home run. Seriously, I'm already planning my next visit.

 After much deliberation, I had sirloin tips with penne in tequila lime cream sauce and it was SO GOOD. I was literally trying to scoop the remaining sauce with my fork, it was that good.

 Sean, Mark and Charlie all ordered the chicken tenders, which Mark promised were the best he's ever had. That sounded a little crazy, but I sampled one and I'm here to vouch: best ever. They're flash-fried in tempura batter, and served with a side of perfect skinny fries.

 We couldn't skip dessert, so Mark and Charlie split the flourless chocolate waffle...

 While Sean and I had deep dish apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream. So good!

Happy and stuffed!

I can't recommend the place enough; it's classy enough for dates, but easy enough for friends and family and though it's on the pricey side, it's definitely chill.