An Evening at the Ho Hut
Written: Jan 07 '05 (Updated Jan 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great food, fun atmosphere.
Cons: The fish is not so good.
The Bottom Line: YUM!
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| goldmoon's Full Review: HuHot Mongolian Grill |
I'm lucky enough to have a job that allows me to go out once a month and, under the guise of 'reviewing' the place, gorge myself at a new restaurant in town. Of course, I say that I'm lucky until I try to go on a diet, then these monthly fat-feasts consistently thwart me. But they're still fun.
This month, our magazine was doing a story on HuHot Mongolian Grill, which my boss consistently referred to as Ho Hut, much to the amusement of my co-worker and I.
HuHot provides a unique dining experience that lets you pick out your own ingredients and sauces, then watch the meal being prepared by the HuHot ‘grill warriors’(yep, that's really what they call them. The manager even made me change the name to this from 'chefs' in my story). We visited the restaurant on a Monday afternoon at about 4:30, roughly two months after the restaurant opened. There were about eight other diners at that time, which is pretty good considering the time and the fact that the weather was really bad outside. We were quickly seated at a roomy booth (tables are also available) and the concept of HuHot was explained to us by our helpful and perky waitress. Before visiting the food bars (the managers forbid me from using the word 'buffet'), we put in our drink orders and chose the sampler plate that included egg rolls, crab ragoons and pot stickers from the appetizer menu. If you visit HuHot, you’ll want to make sure you take a look at their specialty drinks if you’re looking for a unique beverage as they all contain sake. We chose the Samarai Smoothie (fresh strawberries blended with sake) and the Purple Haze (raspberry sake with cranberry juice). I personally don't like sake and thought the Purple Haze tasted like old winos smell. But the Samarai Smoothie had enough fruit in it to disguise the taste of the sake and it tasted pretty much like a strawberry daquiri. HuHot also has a full bar with plenty of beers, wines and top-shelf liquor.
While we waited for our appetizers, drinks and soup and salad that come with the meal (Paige, my boss, chose the Asian sesame salad while I opted for hot and sour soup), our waitress invited us to go ahead and visit the food bars to prepare our meals. Unlike traditional buffets, HuHot’s contains uncooked selections of meat, fish, noodles and vegetables. Selections include pork, chicken, beef, mahi mahi, salmon, nearly every Chinese vegetable you can imagine and three types of noodles (Pad Thai, Chinese and Yaki Soba). On Friday and Wednesday nights, the fish selection also includes shrimp.
On our first pass, I piled my bowl with pork, beef, Pad Thai noodles, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and onions. Paige tried chicken with Yaki Soba noodles, green and red peppers, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli. After filling our bowls, we moved on to the sauce bar, where the fun really begins. There are twelve sauces to mix and match, along with a selection of oils and wines. You’re supposed to use at least five ladles of sauce along with one of oil or wine to prevent your food from sticking to the grill. Choices include Black Thai Peanut (a creamy blend of peanuts, coconut milk, mild chilies and fresh lime juice), Khan's Favorite (a mild blend of soy sauce, rice wine, garlic and spices), Yellow Belly Curry (yellow curry, coconut milk and chilies) and Kung Pao…Yow! (their hottest sauce—a combination of chilies, soy sauce, garlic chili sauce and sesame oil). The sauces are made to complement each other, so feel free to mix and match. I put on two ladles of Black Thai Peanut, two of Khan’s Favorite and one of Samurai Teriyaki, along with a ladle of sesame oil. Paige tried a mixture of Khan’s Favorite, Mean Bean Garlic Sauce and Not So Sweet and Sour.
When we got back to our table, we found a bowl of white rice (that comes with each meal), our appetizers and our soup and salad. As lovers of Chinese food, both Paige and I felt comfortable in saying that the appetizers were quite good examples of these popular favorites and Paige couldn’t get over how good the dressing on her salad was. My hot and sour soup was okay, but nothing special. Some people might be put off by the huge chunks of tofu in it.
As for our entrees, we were both pretty impressed with our creations. The sauces blended together perfectly and complemented our selection of meats, noodles and veggies. It wasn’t long before we were ready to go back for a second round. This time, Paige and I both opted to try out the fish (mahi mahi and salmon for me, pollock and mahi mahi for Paige). She went for the curry sauces while I tried the Mean Bean Garlic sauce on mine. It’s amazing how much changing the sauce and the meat can make a difference. Though Paige and I both selected the same vegetables and noodles as our first trip, we both had completely different meals. After a few visits with plenty of experimentation, you’ll probably be able to easily pick out a couple of favorite combinations. I have to say that neither of us were too impressed with the fish, though. None of the fish selections combined well with the sauces or the vegetables and came out tasting a bit too 'fishy' and wrong. I wish we would have come on the shrimp night.
We were both full after our huge meal (and I do mean huge--you've never seen two girls eat like we do at restaurant reviews), but couldn’t pass up the desserts (especially because they were free). We chose the Seven Layer Choco Khan cake and the Turtle Cheesecake. Both were presented beautifully and absolutely delicious.
HuHot prices are $7.49 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and $8.99 for weekend lunches and dinners are $10.99 (these prices may vary depending on location). Children’s items such as chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks are available, or they can join their parents at the food bars (all options are $3.99). The restaurant is open from 11 am to 10 pm. They can accommodate large groups with their two party rooms and also offer carry-out.
If you’re in the mood for a truly unique dining experience, you should definitely try HuHot Mongolian Grill. The food is great and the decor is interesting and bright with an emphasis on the color red. If you go, you should also take some time to look through the sauce, dessert and drink menus on the table as they use some colorful 'barbarian' language that's amusing. However, if you go, I'd avoid the mixed drinks with sake if you're not familiar with it (it's definitely an acquired taste) and the fish selections. Happy 'plundering'!
I should also add that the HuHot I am reviewing is located on 66th and 0 Street in Lincoln, NE
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
goldmoon
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Member: Angie
Location: The Land of Corn and Cows
Reviews written: 166
Trusted by: 72 members
About Me:
Busy at work and being a mommy...will hopefully return some day soon!
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