Mongolians invade my stomach
Written: Jun 02 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very good food, great overall atmosphere and experience.
Cons: Come hungry or the $13 you pay may be a waste.
The Bottom Line: BD's Mongolian Barbeque is so good...even my trips to the bathroom after eating there were pleasant. Kidding.
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| vicktory's Full Review: BD's Mongolian Barbeque |
Little did I know but was I in for an experience when I went to the newly opened BD's Mongolian Barbeque in Charlotte. I didn’t know what Mongolian food was, nor did I know anything about the place when a friend took me there last week.
The idea for the restaurant stems from Mongolian hunters who several centuries ago would occasionally get together and celebrate their catches by having huge banquets. The Mongols would chop up meat and vegetables with their swords and prepares them with their shields over a fire. While the restaurant can’t simulate the thrill of the hunt, they provide the next best thing…for customers to have a choice in what they want.
For about thirteen bucks, one can have all-you-can-eat soup, salad and a stir fry meal cooked on a huge circular grill resembling a shield. The fun comes from having the preparation of your food being interactive. Customers get to take a bowl to the buffet and first must choose from a number of different types of meat. Beef, sausage, lamb, turkey, chicken, seafood and others are at your choosing. Next you take your bowl over to the vegetable bar in which you have a wider variety of things to choose from. After piling on the vegetables you head over to the oils and sauces where you can put ladles of combinations to give your meal that extra kick. Then you have the option of spices into the mix. And if you are not chef material then you can use recipes printed out on laminated cards provided by the staff.
Once you have concocted your masterpiece, you head over to the grill. Where you along with others stand along side the circular borders waiting for your food to get cooked. A number of guys with dull swords stand around the grill singing songs, entertaining those waiting for their food. The process is not long, as the cooks take turns slicing up the meat and vegetables with the swords, while discarding overly cooked scraps in a hole in the center of the grill. Sometimes they do tricks…like trying to catapult a small piece of cooked broccoli into a patron’s plate. Other times they encourage patrons to hit the loud gong that sits near the grill.
Once your food is cooked, you sit down and enjoy the meal. Of all the people in the packed house, I didn’t hear anyone say they dislike the food. The food there was very good. I have never been so pleasantly surprised when taking a bite of food that I have never eaten. In fact, I talked to a number of people in the food bar line that had been there three or four times prior. The waitress I had was good. With you preparing your own food, all they have to do is refill your drinks. My cherry coke was constantly refilled even though it never sank below the half waypoint of my glass.
If that wasn’t enough, the youthful atmosphere blew me away. A huge nine-foot character called the Mongol Man made his way to my table half way into my meal. He tapped me on the shoulder a few times and each time I looked he tried to hide, but I was not idiot! The kids at the restaurant really enjoyed his presence.
BD’s Mongolian Barbeque is more than a restaurant; it is an experience. I loved the food so much that I wanted to go up there for third, fourth and fifth helpings to try new combinations of stir-fry. Unfortunately, my stomach was about to burst at the seams. This is my new favorite restaurant.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vicktory
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Location: Charlotte, NC
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Hmmm...how to condense one's existence in a mere 15 words...hmmm
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