Mongo Mania

Today we ate once again at the Mongolian BBQ in Bend. Good stuff, Maynard.

The way it works is, you choose the size bowl you wish, then fill it with items from the buffet which includes fresh uncooked meats, vegetables, noodles and other stuff. Then you add several ladles from the sauce selection and hand your bowl to one of the cooks. He dumps it on a huge grill and stir-fries it as you watch, then swoops the cooked meal into a fresh bowl and hands it back to you. It's quick, it's inexpensive and it's darned tasty.

The buffet selection is what you'd expect for stir-fry, and even includes cilantro, jalapeños, pineapple, peanuts and other goodies. Being who I am, though, it leaves me thinking how cool it would be to bring some items of my own, to improvise on their selection.

The way I imagine it, I'd prepare some items at home, put them in a ziploc bag and bring them with me. Then, at the restaurant, I'd dump the contents in the bowl, and add some noodles and other items that they already have and ladle on some sauce. Some of the ingredients that come to mind are sliced summer squash (aka pattypan squash, Michelle), sunflower seeds, raisins, crumbled bacon (mmmm, bacon!), bay leaves and spearmint. I can think of more, but hey, this is a blog. Brevity is the soul of wit, and I long to be a soul brother.

The pièce de résistance, for me, would be the look on the face of the cook when he pours my bowl onto the grill and is greeted by my collection of unusual ingredients. I can't wait!


Blog Tag: Chatter