Silverado is another Great American Restaurant that is similar to Carlyle, but better and definitely more convenient for the Annandale community. While Silverado and Carlyle both share several menu items like the lobster bisque, short smoked salmon filet and the hickory BBQ burger, only Silverado offers complimentary chips and salsa as well as complimentary bread and butter. The variety of breads matched well with the butters and the crispy chips harmonized with the fresh salsa that leaves a hint of heat in your mouth.

I remember when I was young I used to always order the chicken tenders. They were covered in so much batter that the actual chicken was hidden and barely visible. I tried the chicken tenders again this past month and I had the same problem; too much batter and hardly any chicken. One time a friend ordered the Monterrey chicken salad with spiced pecans. The chicken in the salad did not represent the description on the menu; they are classified as lightly fried. It had the same issue as the tenders which was over-battered chicken with hardly any actual meat.

Fortunately, this is the only issue I’ve had with Silverado in all my times of dining there. A few dishes I tasted during my last visit were the cheddar cheeseburger with fries, the field greens salad, the wood grilled filet mignon (not available at Carlyle) with mashed potatoes, and the drunken rib-eye steak (also not available at Carlyle) with a baked potato on the side.

The cheddar cheeseburger was a juicy, medium-well cooked burger with good flavor. Thin french fries accompanied the burger and were well received. They had a good amount of salt and they had a nice crunch to them.

Several of the entrees came with a field greens salad which was nice because it served as a free second side for the meals. This salad was simply a salad– nothing special to it like a unique sauce or meat. It didn’t dry up my mouth, but it also was not mouth-watering. The toppings (tomatoes,sun-dried cranberries, dates, pine nuts, croutons, and champagne vinaigrette were all flavors that harmonized with each other, but I still do not consider it a superb salad.
Despite the only adequate salad and burger, the wood grilled filet mignon certainly had my taste buds dancing with the cremini mushrooms. I could taste the smokiness of the grilled filet and each bite almost melted in my mouth. As for the mashed potatoes, they were not my favorite, but I did not even focus on them as I was too busy devouring the filet mignon.

Another succulent and flavorful dish that I had the pleasure of eating was the drunken rib-eye steak with a loaded baked potato. The rib-eye steak was quite appetizing as the sauce oozed out of the well cooked filet and the flavor made the dish well worth the $32. Even though I really dislike potatoes, I can honestly confess that I enjoyed the baked potato loaded with cheese, bacon, and what I think was chives. All of the flavors mixed well and the different textures enhanced it all.
Silverado may be part of the Great American Restaurant chain, but it certainly has it’s good qualities and uniqueness to it. It is a great environment for anyone of all ages to be in, and it’s not too fancy that you need to wear a dress, but it’s not too casual that a dress would be too much. The booths are comfortable to sit in and the lighting induces cool fun.

Located only 1.5 miles- a six minute drive away from Annandale, Silverado is the perfect place to hang out with friends and enjoy some not too pricey, but good quality food. They are open on Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 pm., and 10:30-10 on Sunday. Make sure to dine at Silverado with friends and/or family so you can experience their food for yourself.