The staff recognizes the faces of myself and RegionRat as we walk in for a Chicago Style hot dog. In Bloomington (IN), this is probably only place to get a big hunk of Vienna Beef between two poppy-seed buns.
Billy's Chicago Place is a new restaurant in Bloomington near what I call "The 4th Street District"; a block of the street that features a whole slew of ethnically-themed restaurants that were built into previously residential-purpose homes. The owner, I'm assuming the following is his name, is "Billy" - a shaggy-haired 23 year old recent graduate of Indiana University who had an aspiration from the age of 18. He's a devout Cubs fan, being clad in blue jeans and Cubs paraphernalia every time I've seen him scoot across the dining room area to the bar and back to the kitchen area.
Inside the bluish-purplish house, the place is staffed with waitresses clad in black shirts with the backs of them proclaiming the establishment as "a tradition since 2007." The place is extremely laid back with many flat screen televisions to watch while your grease-bomb is being prepared in the back.
"Billy" sees us and immediately turns the channel to Comedy Central as before, at that same time last week, the both of us (okay, just RegionRat) watched the new South Park episode.
The other televisions in the restaurant are all turned to MLB-related things, games, and the like. It's a very "Chicago-feeling" place, pictures of the massive skyline skirt the walls. However, by RegionRat's standards, the place isn't purely a Chicago Style place with their absence of a Polish Dog on the menu. Then again, this is the same guy who puts ketchup on his dog. Then again, I do as well because what's a hot dog without ketchup?
The hot dogs are purely Chicago tasting and I almost let out moan as I bite into one. straight out of O'hare airport where I used to frequently fly through from the West Coast to visit my family in the Pittsburgh, PA area. I can vividly remember being about 7-8 years old in O'hare's Terminal One after a long 3 hour flight from San Francisco basking in the glory of the Chicago Style Hot Dog with ketchup all over my face and poppy seeds all over my lap. Those things truly kept me going during those long trips.
From that, my love for Chicago Style Hot Dogs will never die.
"Billy" has a fine establishment here but the future of it is still uncertain. Statistics have shown that nearly 70% of all new businesses will fail within the first three years of operation. People still have yet to discover this place as it is virtually hidden and frequently passed by many. Personally, I think that a larger, more visible sign would help attract more business.
However, with the right direction and decisions I believe the place will flourish and could even turn into another cultural staple of Bloomington.
Blasted. With all this talk of hot dogs, I'm starting to crave one..
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Bajio Mexican Grill (July 25, 2007)
A new Bajio opened up right off of US 421 about a couple of months ago in a developing strip. The chain seems to be spreading around in the most random of areas in Indiana.
Looking at their website, the chain seemed to adhere to the "fast-casual" layout - order at a counter, follow your food and dictate what you want on it. However, the similarities to the fast casual "fresh-mex" players (Qdoba, Chipolte, etc.) end there. The menu at Bajio seems to take more of an authentic style much like Baja Fresh. Items such as shrimp tacos are found on the menu served as authentic as can be - in a corn tortilla with no lettuce/cheese with a slice of lime.
So just now, I decided to try the place for the first time. As I walked in, the decorating inside was very intricate and well-done. Beautiful light fixtures drop down over the dining area to create a very "old Mexico" feel complimented by the tones and murals painted on the walls. Much like Moe's Southwest Grill, a large menu is nailed onto the wall next to the counter. I spent a minute or two deciding what I would get until I eventually decided on the "Bajio Quesadilla."
I gave my order to the Counter Girl, who begins cooking the meat/chile mixture. She also warms up the quesadilla tortilla on a warmer device. She then sticks a very small amount of cheese (Monterrey Jack/Cheddar mix) and then combines it all together.
With every entree, you get a choice of rice and beans. These act as default sides. Since I'm not a big fan of beans, I decline any but am offered more rice. Two types of rice are served at Bajio - sweet rice and the traditional Mexican rice. I end up getting both, which was a significant amount of rice that I knew that I couldn't finish beforehand.
All of these contents are placed into a plastic tin bowl type thing that are usually used for leftovers in certain restaurants. I opted to have corn poured onto my rice, have hot salsa on top of it and a very small amount of sour cream on it. The finished quesadilla was placed into the big hodge podge mess of rice, corn, etc.
The price was a bit more than usual - $9.25 for the meal and a (large by default) soft drink. However you get a lot of food for the price.
First off, the food isnt prepared for eating with your hands; you must use a fork and knife. I didn't mind this at all; the whole mess in front of me actually looked kind of neat.
Though, eating this food was definitely something else. The chicken/chile mix in the quesadilla tasted a bit too sweet. The mix came off tasting like Chinese food of all things. It actually threw off the meal a bit. The tortilla then tasted like Naan from an Indian restaurant, the salsa tasted like pizza sauce. I was a bit thrown off by all of that. Though the rice/corn mix tasted alright, pretty standard fare.
Right off of the grill, the food is also not very spicy at all but the restaurant provides many bottles of hot sauces right next to the drink fountain. I opted for the Tapatio Salsa Picante and it managed to add an extra "kick" to the whole ordeal.
I finished the quesadilla but I was far from finishing the rice when I decided to throw in the towel. There was definitely a lot of food left over and I felt bad when I had to throw it away.
So my verdict is that I'll probably pay Bajio another visit sometime but I'll order something else. I'd like to try the regular quesadilla they offer rather than the "Bajio" one - the mixture was way too sweet and came off like the Burbon Chicken at Asian Chao/Panda Express. Not a very nice taste to have when you're craving Mexican cuisine.
Bajio can definitely hold its own in the fast-casual/fresh-mex market. It isn't nearly as bad as Moe's Southwest Grill though it's not nearly as good as Qdoba Mexican Grill.
But in the end, they're all for different tastes.
Looking at their website, the chain seemed to adhere to the "fast-casual" layout - order at a counter, follow your food and dictate what you want on it. However, the similarities to the fast casual "fresh-mex" players (Qdoba, Chipolte, etc.) end there. The menu at Bajio seems to take more of an authentic style much like Baja Fresh. Items such as shrimp tacos are found on the menu served as authentic as can be - in a corn tortilla with no lettuce/cheese with a slice of lime.
So just now, I decided to try the place for the first time. As I walked in, the decorating inside was very intricate and well-done. Beautiful light fixtures drop down over the dining area to create a very "old Mexico" feel complimented by the tones and murals painted on the walls. Much like Moe's Southwest Grill, a large menu is nailed onto the wall next to the counter. I spent a minute or two deciding what I would get until I eventually decided on the "Bajio Quesadilla."
I gave my order to the Counter Girl, who begins cooking the meat/chile mixture. She also warms up the quesadilla tortilla on a warmer device. She then sticks a very small amount of cheese (Monterrey Jack/Cheddar mix) and then combines it all together.
With every entree, you get a choice of rice and beans. These act as default sides. Since I'm not a big fan of beans, I decline any but am offered more rice. Two types of rice are served at Bajio - sweet rice and the traditional Mexican rice. I end up getting both, which was a significant amount of rice that I knew that I couldn't finish beforehand.
All of these contents are placed into a plastic tin bowl type thing that are usually used for leftovers in certain restaurants. I opted to have corn poured onto my rice, have hot salsa on top of it and a very small amount of sour cream on it. The finished quesadilla was placed into the big hodge podge mess of rice, corn, etc.
The price was a bit more than usual - $9.25 for the meal and a (large by default) soft drink. However you get a lot of food for the price.
First off, the food isnt prepared for eating with your hands; you must use a fork and knife. I didn't mind this at all; the whole mess in front of me actually looked kind of neat.
Though, eating this food was definitely something else. The chicken/chile mix in the quesadilla tasted a bit too sweet. The mix came off tasting like Chinese food of all things. It actually threw off the meal a bit. The tortilla then tasted like Naan from an Indian restaurant, the salsa tasted like pizza sauce. I was a bit thrown off by all of that. Though the rice/corn mix tasted alright, pretty standard fare.
Right off of the grill, the food is also not very spicy at all but the restaurant provides many bottles of hot sauces right next to the drink fountain. I opted for the Tapatio Salsa Picante and it managed to add an extra "kick" to the whole ordeal.
I finished the quesadilla but I was far from finishing the rice when I decided to throw in the towel. There was definitely a lot of food left over and I felt bad when I had to throw it away.
So my verdict is that I'll probably pay Bajio another visit sometime but I'll order something else. I'd like to try the regular quesadilla they offer rather than the "Bajio" one - the mixture was way too sweet and came off like the Burbon Chicken at Asian Chao/Panda Express. Not a very nice taste to have when you're craving Mexican cuisine.
Bajio can definitely hold its own in the fast-casual/fresh-mex market. It isn't nearly as bad as Moe's Southwest Grill though it's not nearly as good as Qdoba Mexican Grill.
But in the end, they're all for different tastes.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Garam Masala (June 14, 2007)
Luna Music is the place to be!
... for elitist indie music snobs, girls that are "so scene" and, ahem, more elitist indie music snobs.
Here, I almost feel like a fish out of water while looking at Aphex Twin CDs. The ones I want are actually priced reasonably, very reasonably. And, man, does the cute counter girl has the life. She gets to sit around and listen to "cool music" all day and chat on AIM on an outdated iMac. Plus, she's cute and works at a CD/record store - she probably gets worshiped by all of indie elitist guys who come in trying to strike up various conversations about the discographies of such artists such as Yo La Tango and Xiu Xiu.
So why am I here again? Oh yeah - because Garam Masala isn't open until 11:30.
"Ah, if only I wasn't broke", I say aloud. I wasn't actually broke per se, I just didn't feel like blowing money on a CD. I'm weird like that.
Dave is rummaging through used records. A 50% off record sale! Because who listens to those darn records anyway, we've all got our iPods now... or at least, everyone on TV does..
11:25: "We should probably start walking now."
The store has lost it's novelty... for now.
The walk is very short. We get there at 11:28. We stand outside debating on whether we should go in because the "OPEN" sign is lit, yet, it isn't quite 11:30 yet.
This is ridiculous, I reach for the door, pull it and alas... it's open!
Garam Masala is a hidden place, you have to look for a bit to find it in this plaza. It is behind and to the side of the Tokyo Joe's - the two share a building that used to be an Afghani restaurant many moons ago.
The guy who owns and runs the place is actually friendly today! Eeeeyay! He seats us with a smile and gives us water.
I go up to the buffet and, wow! Everything looks good! Fried vegetables, rice, tika masala, everything I like is all up there.
It tasted good too, better than the last few times I went. I don't know what happened in the 2-3 weeks that I didn't go there but today's experience put India Palace to shame.
The rice pudding was also top notch and ties with India Garden.
Definitely great. I hope he keeps it up.
... for elitist indie music snobs, girls that are "so scene" and, ahem, more elitist indie music snobs.
Here, I almost feel like a fish out of water while looking at Aphex Twin CDs. The ones I want are actually priced reasonably, very reasonably. And, man, does the cute counter girl has the life. She gets to sit around and listen to "cool music" all day and chat on AIM on an outdated iMac. Plus, she's cute and works at a CD/record store - she probably gets worshiped by all of indie elitist guys who come in trying to strike up various conversations about the discographies of such artists such as Yo La Tango and Xiu Xiu.
So why am I here again? Oh yeah - because Garam Masala isn't open until 11:30.
"Ah, if only I wasn't broke", I say aloud. I wasn't actually broke per se, I just didn't feel like blowing money on a CD. I'm weird like that.
Dave is rummaging through used records. A 50% off record sale! Because who listens to those darn records anyway, we've all got our iPods now... or at least, everyone on TV does..
11:25: "We should probably start walking now."
The store has lost it's novelty... for now.
The walk is very short. We get there at 11:28. We stand outside debating on whether we should go in because the "OPEN" sign is lit, yet, it isn't quite 11:30 yet.
This is ridiculous, I reach for the door, pull it and alas... it's open!
Garam Masala is a hidden place, you have to look for a bit to find it in this plaza. It is behind and to the side of the Tokyo Joe's - the two share a building that used to be an Afghani restaurant many moons ago.
The guy who owns and runs the place is actually friendly today! Eeeeyay! He seats us with a smile and gives us water.
I go up to the buffet and, wow! Everything looks good! Fried vegetables, rice, tika masala, everything I like is all up there.
It tasted good too, better than the last few times I went. I don't know what happened in the 2-3 weeks that I didn't go there but today's experience put India Palace to shame.
The rice pudding was also top notch and ties with India Garden.
Definitely great. I hope he keeps it up.
Monday, June 11, 2007
King Kabob (June 11, 2007)
The College Park Plaza is a shady looking place.
People often pass it on a day to day basis whenever they blow through the 86th Street/Michigan Road intersection (one of the most dangerous in Indiana) heading eastbound on 86th. The main tenants there are an "86th street pub", an oral surgeon's office, an auto repair place and various eclectic, privately owned businesses crammed into the small strip. The building is outdated with blue tiling and generally doesn't have as much traffic as any of the other strips in the area.
In mid-late 2004, I ate a "Dante's Pizza" with some friends that was located on the end of that strip. I went with them about twice, I believe, as they were avid fans of it. Dante's was basically your run of the mill pizza joint with a nightly buffet. My friends preferred it over the Cici's Pizza located in another nearby strip although I found Cici's to be better tasting and a lot cheaper for the quality of pizza that each place provides.
The place was, of course, never full. As a matter of fact, we were usually the only ones in there. Dante's sold TCBY ice cream along with their pizza in a whole different counter - it was almost a sort of a "Dante's-TCBY combo." The pizza buffet was standard fare, not terrible but not great. I'd rather drop the money I paid for it on Pizza Hut's lunch buffet or pay less for a larger buffet at Cici's.
I eventually stopped going and never went into the plaza again for a while. Eventually, the debt and the sparse patronage caught up with Dante's and they subsequently closed around 2006.
I thought nothing of it, though I'm sure some people miss it.
As I drove past the plaza one day, to my delight I saw a new business take over the old space that Dante's once filled.
King Kabob.
I'm half Persian, so I love Kabobs and rice. However, I was a bit hesitant to eat there as I am with new businesses in all so I gathered up the courage today and I ate there.
11 AM: I pull up into the College Park Plaza. It had been about two and a half years since I've done that and a part of me was wondering what I was getting into.
Walking up to the establishment, through King Kabob's red letters I can still see the outlines of the letters where "DANTE'S PIZZA" once stood. The "OPEN" sign wasn't illuminated so for a second, I thought the place was closed for good. However, as a last try, I pulled on the door and it was surprisingly open. Oh shit. Breaking and entering! I quickly close the door..
..until I then see a Middle Eastern guy dressed in jean shorts and a t-shirt wave me in.
I go in. Welcome to King Kabob.
The menu is quite large. The man is a Lebanese man who seemed to not know a lot of English. Very robotic.
This intimidated me, so I quickly decided on the Beef Kebab. The total comes to $8.54.
"Drink?"
"Yes"
"$10.13"
Sheesh.... Kebab
On the menu, the entrees come with rice. Kabobs are not the only thing that this joint serves, there's spaghetti, gyros, cheeseburgers, hummus, philly cheesesteaks, and a "Lebanese plate." That's how I found out that he was Lebanese. Also, the old TCBY stand was still there and King Kabob utilizes it to sell ice cream, sans the TCBY logo (I believe).
A Hispanic man dressed in a Purdue shirt comes over to my table gives me some silverware and, oddly, a thing of Ketchup.
KETCHUP???!!!!
Gross.
Like Dante's once had, a deserted theme was in place here. I was most likely the first customer of the day. In fact, I'm 100% positive. CNN is on the big screen TV. Also I think Dante's had a big screen TV when I ate there, it could of been theirs.
After 10 minutes or so of watching suicide bombing reports in Iraq, I get my food at last.
The Kebabs are served on a wooden skewer as they are in most Arab cuisines - Persians usually don't include the skewer and have a very different version of the "kebab meal" that focuses more on meat and less on vegetables. Thus, the portions of beef were skimpy. The rice was similar to the rice I had at the Istanbul Cafe down the street near Ditch but it actually had flavor in it - a flavor that was pretty good actually. The beef tasted alright, actually it was more of a steak. Also included were pita slices that were hot and fresh. Not bad.
Not bad at all.
I soon departed and again, the place was devoid of any customers. On the way out, Dante's old floor mat was still in the doorway. Hopefully the crowds began to pick up around noon. Hopefully.
Will I ever eat there again? I might. I'll probably get something different next time. I'm a bit intrigued, I must say. I recommend it.
The College Park Plaza is still a shady place.
But King Kabob gives it some character.
People often pass it on a day to day basis whenever they blow through the 86th Street/Michigan Road intersection (one of the most dangerous in Indiana) heading eastbound on 86th. The main tenants there are an "86th street pub", an oral surgeon's office, an auto repair place and various eclectic, privately owned businesses crammed into the small strip. The building is outdated with blue tiling and generally doesn't have as much traffic as any of the other strips in the area.
In mid-late 2004, I ate a "Dante's Pizza" with some friends that was located on the end of that strip. I went with them about twice, I believe, as they were avid fans of it. Dante's was basically your run of the mill pizza joint with a nightly buffet. My friends preferred it over the Cici's Pizza located in another nearby strip although I found Cici's to be better tasting and a lot cheaper for the quality of pizza that each place provides.
The place was, of course, never full. As a matter of fact, we were usually the only ones in there. Dante's sold TCBY ice cream along with their pizza in a whole different counter - it was almost a sort of a "Dante's-TCBY combo." The pizza buffet was standard fare, not terrible but not great. I'd rather drop the money I paid for it on Pizza Hut's lunch buffet or pay less for a larger buffet at Cici's.
I eventually stopped going and never went into the plaza again for a while. Eventually, the debt and the sparse patronage caught up with Dante's and they subsequently closed around 2006.
I thought nothing of it, though I'm sure some people miss it.
As I drove past the plaza one day, to my delight I saw a new business take over the old space that Dante's once filled.
King Kabob.
I'm half Persian, so I love Kabobs and rice. However, I was a bit hesitant to eat there as I am with new businesses in all so I gathered up the courage today and I ate there.
11 AM: I pull up into the College Park Plaza. It had been about two and a half years since I've done that and a part of me was wondering what I was getting into.
Walking up to the establishment, through King Kabob's red letters I can still see the outlines of the letters where "DANTE'S PIZZA" once stood. The "OPEN" sign wasn't illuminated so for a second, I thought the place was closed for good. However, as a last try, I pulled on the door and it was surprisingly open. Oh shit. Breaking and entering! I quickly close the door..
..until I then see a Middle Eastern guy dressed in jean shorts and a t-shirt wave me in.
I go in. Welcome to King Kabob.
The menu is quite large. The man is a Lebanese man who seemed to not know a lot of English. Very robotic.
This intimidated me, so I quickly decided on the Beef Kebab. The total comes to $8.54.
"Drink?"
"Yes"
"$10.13"
Sheesh.... Kebab
On the menu, the entrees come with rice. Kabobs are not the only thing that this joint serves, there's spaghetti, gyros, cheeseburgers, hummus, philly cheesesteaks, and a "Lebanese plate." That's how I found out that he was Lebanese. Also, the old TCBY stand was still there and King Kabob utilizes it to sell ice cream, sans the TCBY logo (I believe).
A Hispanic man dressed in a Purdue shirt comes over to my table gives me some silverware and, oddly, a thing of Ketchup.
KETCHUP???!!!!
Gross.
Like Dante's once had, a deserted theme was in place here. I was most likely the first customer of the day. In fact, I'm 100% positive. CNN is on the big screen TV. Also I think Dante's had a big screen TV when I ate there, it could of been theirs.
After 10 minutes or so of watching suicide bombing reports in Iraq, I get my food at last.
The Kebabs are served on a wooden skewer as they are in most Arab cuisines - Persians usually don't include the skewer and have a very different version of the "kebab meal" that focuses more on meat and less on vegetables. Thus, the portions of beef were skimpy. The rice was similar to the rice I had at the Istanbul Cafe down the street near Ditch but it actually had flavor in it - a flavor that was pretty good actually. The beef tasted alright, actually it was more of a steak. Also included were pita slices that were hot and fresh. Not bad.
Not bad at all.
I soon departed and again, the place was devoid of any customers. On the way out, Dante's old floor mat was still in the doorway. Hopefully the crowds began to pick up around noon. Hopefully.
Will I ever eat there again? I might. I'll probably get something different next time. I'm a bit intrigued, I must say. I recommend it.
The College Park Plaza is still a shady place.
But King Kabob gives it some character.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Mark Pi's China Gate (May 2, 2007)
Finally!
I found a Chinese place in Indiana that can cook a Beef Fried Rice dish without the use of onions. On top of that, the portions are large and the pricing is very reasonable.
Finally..
Mark Pi's China Gate is a chain that is scattered about god knows where. I went to one in Indianapolis circa 1999 and thought it was good. However, for some strange reason I had not been back. The Mark Pi's I witnessed back then was more of a fast food type place (though you had to wait a bit for your food).
Flash Forward 8 years later. Finals are over. I'm ready to go home, but not without a meal. I head over near the mall area and spot a Mark Pi's. I was craving something oriental, so why not?
I pull in and easily find a spot. There's barely anyone here. This kind of worries me.
I find the front door, go in, and am greeted by a long, wide hallway leading to the host/hostess station. Expensive couches line the left side of the hallway. Nobody is at the station. I get worried again.
Eventually, a friendly Asian woman guides me to a seat. It felt refreshing to be in a Chinese restaurant for once, rather than a buffet.
I sit and notice my surroundings. The main clientèle here consists of old people. A whole slew of them are seated at a table and are quite loud and boisterous. The rest of the place is relatively empty. A guy is sitting in the other table of two directly across from me and seems to be staring right at me. That was borderline bothersome. I sift through the menu and quickly decided to opt for my favorite Chinese dish - Beef Fried Rice.
During a chunk of my childhood, I lived in the Bay Area less than a mile away from one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area. The beef fried rice I had there was amazing. Whenever I recollect old times from my childhood, the Beef Fried Rice I got from Hong Kong Flower Garden in Millbrae always sticks out along with the Persian food we'd get from Pars in San Bruno (which ironically, is now a Chinese restaurant). The only other beef fried rice I've had to top the one from Hong Kong Flower Garden was in a hotel-attached Chinese restaurant in Honolulu back in 2005. Ever since I moved to the Midwest, every Beef Fried Rice I've had here was not nearly as good as the stuff I had before, until I had Mark Pi's back in 1999.
Mark Pi's Beef Fried Rice blew the all the contenders in Bloomington away. The rice was prepared just how I like it: sauced with a decent amount of soy sauce, topped with a generous amount of egg, and filled with tasty beef. Amazing. Almost as good as it was out west.
Now, the only strange thing about this place was the diet coke. It tasted like something else, but it wasn't anything remotely diet or anything remotely coke. Also, my waiter was a full blown stereotypical Fast Times at Ridgemont High American male, which kind of offset the oriental mood, but hey I am in Bloomington after all.
While I was eating, my friend called me about apartments. We still haven't found a good one and are quite worried if we will even get a decent place. We discussed it and agreed to meet soon to look. After I hung up the phone, I received my check for $6.68 and a fortune cookie, as always.
My fortune read - "You are about to make a most valuable discovery"
I seriously don't make these things up.
I found a Chinese place in Indiana that can cook a Beef Fried Rice dish without the use of onions. On top of that, the portions are large and the pricing is very reasonable.
Finally..
Mark Pi's China Gate is a chain that is scattered about god knows where. I went to one in Indianapolis circa 1999 and thought it was good. However, for some strange reason I had not been back. The Mark Pi's I witnessed back then was more of a fast food type place (though you had to wait a bit for your food).
Flash Forward 8 years later. Finals are over. I'm ready to go home, but not without a meal. I head over near the mall area and spot a Mark Pi's. I was craving something oriental, so why not?
I pull in and easily find a spot. There's barely anyone here. This kind of worries me.
I find the front door, go in, and am greeted by a long, wide hallway leading to the host/hostess station. Expensive couches line the left side of the hallway. Nobody is at the station. I get worried again.
Eventually, a friendly Asian woman guides me to a seat. It felt refreshing to be in a Chinese restaurant for once, rather than a buffet.
I sit and notice my surroundings. The main clientèle here consists of old people. A whole slew of them are seated at a table and are quite loud and boisterous. The rest of the place is relatively empty. A guy is sitting in the other table of two directly across from me and seems to be staring right at me. That was borderline bothersome. I sift through the menu and quickly decided to opt for my favorite Chinese dish - Beef Fried Rice.
During a chunk of my childhood, I lived in the Bay Area less than a mile away from one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area. The beef fried rice I had there was amazing. Whenever I recollect old times from my childhood, the Beef Fried Rice I got from Hong Kong Flower Garden in Millbrae always sticks out along with the Persian food we'd get from Pars in San Bruno (which ironically, is now a Chinese restaurant). The only other beef fried rice I've had to top the one from Hong Kong Flower Garden was in a hotel-attached Chinese restaurant in Honolulu back in 2005. Ever since I moved to the Midwest, every Beef Fried Rice I've had here was not nearly as good as the stuff I had before, until I had Mark Pi's back in 1999.
Mark Pi's Beef Fried Rice blew the all the contenders in Bloomington away. The rice was prepared just how I like it: sauced with a decent amount of soy sauce, topped with a generous amount of egg, and filled with tasty beef. Amazing. Almost as good as it was out west.
Now, the only strange thing about this place was the diet coke. It tasted like something else, but it wasn't anything remotely diet or anything remotely coke. Also, my waiter was a full blown stereotypical Fast Times at Ridgemont High American male, which kind of offset the oriental mood, but hey I am in Bloomington after all.
While I was eating, my friend called me about apartments. We still haven't found a good one and are quite worried if we will even get a decent place. We discussed it and agreed to meet soon to look. After I hung up the phone, I received my check for $6.68 and a fortune cookie, as always.
My fortune read - "You are about to make a most valuable discovery"
I seriously don't make these things up.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
El Morocco (April 15, 2007)
The weather is sunny as I drive. I have "We Close Our Eyes" by Oingo Boingo embedded into my brain and the birds seem to sing along to it with every turn of the steering wheel.
I'm in a good mood.
Dave is hungover but gives me approval when I decide to go to El Morocco instead of India Garden because I had already eaten there yesterday. Now prior to today I had previously not eaten there but I have had heard nothing but good reviews from many people. The only sour review I heard was actually from my father, who is Persian. He didn't care for it, and being of his blood I have just about the same amount of love for Persian food over any other food so I had a feeling that I wasn't going to really care for it that much.
Hey, why not? I'll give it a go.
I enter the place and my eyes take at least 5 minutes to adjust from the extreme contrast of lighting. I am literally blind as I stumble my way into the dining area: a vast area of plush floor seating - a unique touch. The whole place has a blatant Sahara/North African feel and theme. My eyes adjusted, I analyzed the place and then we headed for the true test: the food.
The buffet was set up against three tables arranged in a "U" shape. On the right part of the "U" were mainly vegetarian entrees and I didn't find anything too pleasing until I reached the center. To my dismay, there were no kebabs out... not a trace. The meat dishes were mainly pork based and some fish entrees were out. The fish actually offset my experience as the pungent smell it emitted was absolutely atrocious to me because I'm not a big fish eater.
The basmati rice was green and a bit soupy. I grabbed some pork and some meatballs. Hell knows what these dishes were properly called as no signs were posted by the entrees. So, I couldn't tell you the exact name of the foods I ate.
After all of that buffet searching hooplah, I finally sat down and ate my concoction. Most of the food was pretty decent and not too bad. The best thing on my plate was this dish that was a chicken-based mixture wrapped in filo dough covered in powdered sugar. This entree was my favorite and I went up for more after I finished my first plate. Also, the breads on the buffet were absolutely tasty: the pita bread was warm and flavorful and the french baguette cuts were crispy and went well with the provided butter.
Overall, it wasn't too bad at all. The atmosphere was nice and ambient. The service was top-notch as our waters were filled constantly - I couldn't even finish half of my drink before it was refilled again. Now that's service.
The buffet on this particular day was a bit pricey - $12.90 a person. A little more than India Garden's $7.99 and Mediterrano's $9.95 (buffet and drink) but for the food that was there, it was reasonable. All in all, I ended up spending almost $16 when I threw in a three dollar tip.
It was alright. I'm definitely hooked on the chicken-filo dish and will probably go back again.
But nevertheless I'll still remain a dedicated patron of India Garden and, more importantly, Mediterrano Cafe.
I'm in a good mood.
Dave is hungover but gives me approval when I decide to go to El Morocco instead of India Garden because I had already eaten there yesterday. Now prior to today I had previously not eaten there but I have had heard nothing but good reviews from many people. The only sour review I heard was actually from my father, who is Persian. He didn't care for it, and being of his blood I have just about the same amount of love for Persian food over any other food so I had a feeling that I wasn't going to really care for it that much.
Hey, why not? I'll give it a go.
I enter the place and my eyes take at least 5 minutes to adjust from the extreme contrast of lighting. I am literally blind as I stumble my way into the dining area: a vast area of plush floor seating - a unique touch. The whole place has a blatant Sahara/North African feel and theme. My eyes adjusted, I analyzed the place and then we headed for the true test: the food.
The buffet was set up against three tables arranged in a "U" shape. On the right part of the "U" were mainly vegetarian entrees and I didn't find anything too pleasing until I reached the center. To my dismay, there were no kebabs out... not a trace. The meat dishes were mainly pork based and some fish entrees were out. The fish actually offset my experience as the pungent smell it emitted was absolutely atrocious to me because I'm not a big fish eater.
The basmati rice was green and a bit soupy. I grabbed some pork and some meatballs. Hell knows what these dishes were properly called as no signs were posted by the entrees. So, I couldn't tell you the exact name of the foods I ate.
After all of that buffet searching hooplah, I finally sat down and ate my concoction. Most of the food was pretty decent and not too bad. The best thing on my plate was this dish that was a chicken-based mixture wrapped in filo dough covered in powdered sugar. This entree was my favorite and I went up for more after I finished my first plate. Also, the breads on the buffet were absolutely tasty: the pita bread was warm and flavorful and the french baguette cuts were crispy and went well with the provided butter.
Overall, it wasn't too bad at all. The atmosphere was nice and ambient. The service was top-notch as our waters were filled constantly - I couldn't even finish half of my drink before it was refilled again. Now that's service.
The buffet on this particular day was a bit pricey - $12.90 a person. A little more than India Garden's $7.99 and Mediterrano's $9.95 (buffet and drink) but for the food that was there, it was reasonable. All in all, I ended up spending almost $16 when I threw in a three dollar tip.
It was alright. I'm definitely hooked on the chicken-filo dish and will probably go back again.
But nevertheless I'll still remain a dedicated patron of India Garden and, more importantly, Mediterrano Cafe.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Coaches Bar & Grill (April 12, 2007)
"This place smells like a hardware store."
That was literally the first thing that popped into my head as I stepped inside.
All I wanted tonight was a good burger and my comrade, RegionRat, wanted the same. Little did we know that our mission to obtain one would prove to be a little harder than we thought.
We go to Malibu Grill - packed with a 20 minute wait. Head up the street to Scotty's - EXTREMELY packed with a 40 minute wait.
Things began to look bad until we saw Coaches - an establishment whose logo possesses the same "pizazz" as T.G.I. Fridays. To be truthful, I wasn't too thrilled.
The place was empty with a mass of vacant seats. We get seated into a table that is in the "half booth, half chair" combination. RegionRat takes the booth. Ass.
RegionRat ultimately changed his mind and ordered chicken fingers instead - chicken fingers that cost twelve dollars. My burger and fries were only valued at seven even. In fact, Coaches version of a Long Island costs more than their burger and fries meal. Needless to say, the pricing was quite bizarre.
In the corner of my eye I was treated to a gagging view of a couple cuddling and lip-sucking two tables to the left of us. I'm sure heavy petting was involved as well.
All of the courtship around me slowly began to hinder my appetite.
The food came after what seemed like an eternity. The burger was standard fare and tasted exactly like something you'd get at T.G.I. Friday's. The fries, were not. They were waffle fries and tasted wonderful and were a world away from the horrid pepper-saturated fries that T.G.I. Friday's serves. In other words, with the exception of higher prices, a quieter atmosphere, better French fries and a more laid back decor, it's pretty much the same as T.G.I. Friday's. Nothing really stood out as terribly unique.
Needless to say guys, I probably won't be back. But thanks for having me.
Eh, scratch that - actually I'll be back when I feel like blowing eight dollars on a Long Island.
That was literally the first thing that popped into my head as I stepped inside.
All I wanted tonight was a good burger and my comrade, RegionRat, wanted the same. Little did we know that our mission to obtain one would prove to be a little harder than we thought.
We go to Malibu Grill - packed with a 20 minute wait. Head up the street to Scotty's - EXTREMELY packed with a 40 minute wait.
Things began to look bad until we saw Coaches - an establishment whose logo possesses the same "pizazz" as T.G.I. Fridays. To be truthful, I wasn't too thrilled.
The place was empty with a mass of vacant seats. We get seated into a table that is in the "half booth, half chair" combination. RegionRat takes the booth. Ass.
RegionRat ultimately changed his mind and ordered chicken fingers instead - chicken fingers that cost twelve dollars. My burger and fries were only valued at seven even. In fact, Coaches version of a Long Island costs more than their burger and fries meal. Needless to say, the pricing was quite bizarre.
In the corner of my eye I was treated to a gagging view of a couple cuddling and lip-sucking two tables to the left of us. I'm sure heavy petting was involved as well.
All of the courtship around me slowly began to hinder my appetite.
The food came after what seemed like an eternity. The burger was standard fare and tasted exactly like something you'd get at T.G.I. Friday's. The fries, were not. They were waffle fries and tasted wonderful and were a world away from the horrid pepper-saturated fries that T.G.I. Friday's serves. In other words, with the exception of higher prices, a quieter atmosphere, better French fries and a more laid back decor, it's pretty much the same as T.G.I. Friday's. Nothing really stood out as terribly unique.
Needless to say guys, I probably won't be back. But thanks for having me.
Eh, scratch that - actually I'll be back when I feel like blowing eight dollars on a Long Island.
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