Restaurant Review: GrEAT Mongolian Grill

Hubby and I decided to have a date night a while back.  We went and tried a new restaurant that I ran across online through Groupon (although I didn't buy the deal...just remembered the place).  GrEAT Mongolian Grill is located in Cary @ Harrison Pointe Shopping Center.  I now understand why the reviews mentioned that it was never crowded....it's on the back of the center.  I would have never known it was there.  I am SO glad we found it!  Hubby has never liked Mongolian food, but he knows that I love it and we def don't go often.

It was awesome!  The food was fantastic, especially the Sesame Mushroom sauce.  Our service was amazing!  First the food...there was a large buffet right in the middle of the restaurant.  You took 2 bowls:  1 large for Veggies and 1 small for proteins.  They had everything from bean sprouts to zucchini to noodles...probably about 30 different veggie-type things.  For proteins it ranged from tofu to shrimp to steak to calamari...maybe 12ish of those.  My first creation had a little of LOTS of things:  noodles, scallions, onions, mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, Napa cabbage, broccoli, shrimp, beef, and chicken.  I'm sure I left something out!  At the end of the bar, there are about 7 containers with things such as sesame seeds, garlic, pepper, etc.  I added some of that as well.  They also use a "stick" system to choose your sauce.  Each sauce is written on a sign with a color beside it.  You place the corresponding stick in your food.  You also choose a chili pepper stick.  Green in mild, 2 greens - medium, 1 red hot, 2 reds very hot!  I chose the Sesame Mushroom sauce out of other sauces such as teriyaki, sweet Asian chile, and a few others.  I went with medium for my heat...and I'm glad I did!  Anyway, once you have done this, you give it to the chefs at the humungous grill.  They ask if you would like steamed or fried rice and give you a number.  Back at the table you stick your number card on the little stand on each table.  The waitress brings it to you when it's ready.  Hubby had a very similar creation.  He order white sauce to go on his...he says he could put it on gravel and it would be yummy!

My first taste

Oh, we started with Endamame.  It was good...just your average with s little sea salt.  It was cooked good, but honestly, I buy it by the large bag in the freezer section @ Trader Joe's for $1.69.  I like it just as well.  It was $3.99 here...I'm glad I got it but don't know if I would get it again because I'm cheap!!

My App

 Rebecca was our server.  She was AWESOME!  She was friendly from the beginning but after we had been there a few times, she warmed up even more.  We ended up exchanging email info before we left!  She hooked us up too!  The prices are:  1 trip - 9.99, unlimited is 11.99.  If you want to bring your unlimited leftovers home, it's 4.69 extra.  Normally this is a small take out box and she brought us a large.  I went up and fixed a bowl 4 different ways, skipping the rice.  I took probably 3-4 bites out of each.  The rest was brought home.  We have a GOOD 4 meals leftover!  Oh, and she laughed at me because I told her that their water was some of the best I had ever had.  She said they had a filtering system in place..well...it was GOOD water!  :)

Our bill was right at $35.  We left Rebecca a $15 tip.  It was a fantastic experience!!

Bargain Recipe: Ham & Pasta Skillet...YUMMY & EASY

I sit here and type with a full belly and ponder about how slack I've been when it comes to updates about the Pantry Challenge.  I will hopefully be able to sit down and update tomorrow since it IS the beginning of week 3.  I do apologize!  That thing called work keeps getting in the way!  In the mean time, I have to share a new recipe with you.  That is one part of this challenge that I am DEFINITELY enjoying:  Trying new things.  I love trying new things but hubby is not quite so adventurous.  He has been the past couple days because he wants to eat!  :) 

In my stockpile in the freezer I had 3 packs of sandwich sliced ham.  I had gotten it marked down because the sell by date was 2 days away from the date I bought it.  I paid .49 for a 12oz pack of lean ham...name brand at that!  The negative is I should have opened the packages and put 2 pieces on wax paper to separate for sammies.  Since I was so close to the sell by date, I don't dare leave the package in my fridge after defrosting for more than a day.  Rich has already been food poisoned by a ham sammie his sister made for him...years ago, but he won't let her live it down!  Anyway, I needed a recipe that I could chop up the whole pack in.  So, I turned to my friend google.  Those of you who know me well know that I can never make a recipe exactly as directed...that's boring!  So, I'm going to give you my version of the recipe because it was good!  I'm not a huge meat eater and could totally enjoy it without the ham...in fact, my dogs ate the ham out of my serving.  Hubby loved it! Oh, by the way, I was in the kitchen from start to finish for 20 minutes (not counting clean-up...hubby does that).

Ham & Pasta Skillet
all measurements are approximate - I don't usually measure - except for the liquids
 
10oz chopped, cooked ham
1 med onion, chopped (I used red)
3/4 c frozen, green peas
8 oz of cooked pasta (I used penne, org called for egg)
1.5 c fat free half n' half (the original recipe called for light cream)
4 slices (thin) swiss cheese (org. called for .5c cheddar)
3oz cream cheese, cubed
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried parsley
fresh cracked black pepper to taste (recipe called for salt but I didn't use any and it was perfect)

In a large skillet on med/high, saute onion in butter until the onion is soft.  Add chopped ham and stir.  Add peas, half n' half, cheeses, parsley, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low/medium and simmer until the sauce has started to thicken (this only took about 5 min).  Stir occasionally so it won't scorch.  Add warm pasta and stir....DONE!!  :)  Whoohoo!  ONE dish...love it! 

I had 3 hamburger buns that needed to be used so I put a tiny bit of butter, garlic powder, and italian seasoning on it and stuck it under the broiler.  I took it out when it was almost done and added a little cheese and placed it back in the oven, turned off.  Because the rack is so close to the burner when you're broiling, be sure NOT to catch your mitten on fire when getting the baking sheet out...NOT that I did this or anything.  ;)  And now for the finished product w/ my crappy cell phone...

Don't be jealous of the fine china plates!!  Give this a try and let me know what you think.  It was a winner here!!

Dreading 5:20 am,

Joy