Vegetarian? Strict carnivore? Mongolian barbecue restaurants let you create your own stir-fry By MICHELLE BURGESS
Get Out
May 23, 2002
The horror! The horror!
Oh, the humanity!
Say it ain't so, Joe!
Choose whichever historic line you'd like, as all sum up the feeling many
of us had when we found that our beloved BD's Mongolian BBQ on Mill Avenue had shut its doors.
The reason? Here's what BD's corporate marketing director had to say in
response to Get Out's e-mail query: "Thanks for your interest in BD's. The
Tempe Franchisee of BD's Mongolian Barbeque, in an effort to concentrate their resources more effectively, made the decision to close the Tempe location. Their resources will be transferred to grow their core market in Kansas City."
Huh?
Anyway, we frequent restaurant diners are a resilient bunch. Rather than
slink away and nurse our wounded taste buds, we took action and began our search for a replacement.
While we'll always miss BD's, we were able to find a handful of similar setups well-placed around the East Valley. Each restaurant has a different take on the Mongolian barbecue idea, but the concept is basically the same: Bowl in hand, diners stroll down a buffet line and select the items - raw meat and fish, tofu, noodles, veggies, sauces, oils and spices - they would like. Then grill guys and gals cook 'em up.
Your dish doesn't have to be Mongolian, and they aren't really "barbecue." So, if the name has always scared you off, put your fears to rest.
If you're an old-school Mongo barbecuer, YC's Mongolian Barbecue might be the place for you. Of the two locations (3206 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, and 9120 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, ), the Tempe YC's is the more, shall we say, down-home of the two. Cramped and short on variety, YC's still manages to stay packed, thanks to loyals who have been going there for years and appreciate the low price.
The folks at Jillian's in Desert Ridge (21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix,
) don't like to call what they do "Mongolian barbecue." The super- playhouse for all ages apparently is too hip and too original for Mongolian barbecue.
There are differences between Jillian's and the other guys, and they are these: Jillian's spread is huge, fresh and never frozen, and changes nightly. Ingredients include things such as mussels and other
shellfish, fresh fish and high-end cuts of meat.
Die-hard BD's fans will like Arizona's Mongolian Grill (1166 S. Gilbert
Road, Gilbert, ), which resembles a scaled-back version of the former Mill Avenue favorite. Deep in the heart of Gilbert, Arizona's
Mongolian Grill has a buffet with just the basics, but scores on extras such as fresh garlic and plum sauce.
Flat Wok (6501 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, ) is also very close to BD's approach to the concept. Sleek and airy, Flat Wok allows diners to choose from a decent selection of ingredients, noodles and sauces. And at $8.95, the price is right.
Is the raw meat on the buffet a health risk?
If the raw meat on the buffets at Mongolian barbecue restaurants makes you nervous, you might be surprised to learn the food is safer than you think.
Maricopa County health inspectors have been revamping their scoring system since early October and currently do not give scores to the restaurants they inspect. But we do know the number of complaints each restaurant has received, as well as the total number of critical violations it has gotten on each of its latest inspections.
Arizona's Mongolian Grill, reviewed on the next page and noted for the
apparent practice of leaving meat in the buffet all day, has had one
complaint inspection since it opened and has had two or three critical
violations in each of its five inspections. None has involved the
mishandling of uncooked ingredients.
In its April 4 inspection, Jillian's had seven critical violations, five of
which were repeat violations. The restaurant had six critical violations in
January. Several of the violations in both inspections involved improper
food handling.
Flat Wok has had two inspections performed in response to customer
complaints. Both involved the use of the same utensils to handle raw and
cooked chicken; one complaint was substantiated and one was not. The
restaurant's last inspection, on April 2, reported no critical violations.
In its Feb. 11 inspection, the Tempe location of YC's Mongolian Barbecue
had one critical violation, for improper temperature of uncooked food. Since at least June 2000, it has not had a complaint inspection. No information was available for the restaurant's Scottsdale location.
