bd's mongolian barbeque

Not being able to decide on what we wanted for dinner, the FLO came up with the brilliant idea of bd's mongolian barbeque. A little something for everyone! So we packed up the car and headed up to 82nd street. We immediately found ourselves part of a sudden influx of tables.

If you haven't been to a Mongolian bbq before, the layout is always the same. There is no menu, just a large bar full of ingredients. Everyone takes a bowl and fills it with whatever protein, veggies and yummy tidbits they want. They then fill a smaller bowl with spices and sauce(s). FLO usually finds that just one sauce is never enough and must mix 2-4 different ones for a new taste sensation each time. After you've chosen all your ingredients, the show begins. You take your bowls up to a large circular flat-top griddle (perhaps 5 feet in diameter) where the chefs use long sword-like utensils to cook your meal for you. You then take the stir-fry concoction back to your table where white or brown rice and tortillas await you.

For our first trips, Fred picked ribeye, squid, some rice noodles, carrots, spinach and various other veggies to go with a soy, ginger and chili concoction. Libby opted for the New York Strip, bean sprouts, mushrooms, peanuts and pea pods with a pad-thai, teriyaki and chipotle sauce. Ozzy decided on simply some penne with peanut sauce. We found the ribeye to be far superior to the NY strip. The strip just had too much gristle and even some bone fragments.

We quickly learned that there is no need for any carb in your bowl as there is a plentiful amount of it that comes to the table. We also noticed that the more experienced patrons would opt out of the all-you-can-eat and only get one trip. They would simply fill their bowl past the point of overflowing! That would have knocked off $3-4 per person... Look around, you'll see some amazing piles!

On our second, gluttonous trip, we both spotted lamb on the bar and immediately decided that it was the hands-down winner, especially when an egg was thrown into the concoction. Good stuff!

Ozzy didn't really touch his food other than some plain rice. He was pretty cranky due to just waking up from his nap. But the atmosphere was definitely child-friendly.

A really fun website too...
http://www.gomongo.com/

Wrap Up

Price-$$$, A little stiff, we thought. But it was all you can eat...

Atmosphere-***, 80's music and a chaotic atmosphere lead to an upbeat meal. We hadn't heard Billy Idol in FAR too long!

Service-***, No complaints here. Fast and efficient.

Overall

Fred -B, I really enjoyed the quality of ingredients they offered. And a wider variety of sauces than I've seen at other Mongolian BBQ joints.
Libby -B, Although NY strip was disappointing. It was all about the lamb and egg with some tofu. The curry-ginger was the perfect sauce to go with it! Beware of large crowds. At my first trip to the grill it was obvious there was no real order of succession and all spots were taken.

Ozzy - C+, While the white rice was a hit, the pasta just wasn't up to the Oz's high standards. But the atmosphere was certainly kid friendly.