We're going to talk money and food today. I know neither of these topics really have any value in the kingdom economy, but the way we spend one to obtain the other does have a bearing on what we have left for greater causes. Eating out, for those of us who keep kosher can be a challenge. We never have any idea what's cooked next to what.
A friend introduced me to the dining experience of a Mongolian Grill. It seemed to have real potential. Since they are constantly cleaning the grill, I could choose the least busy time to dine and avoid any potential treif next to my dinner. The buffet is comprised primarily of vegetables, and although I think there is crab in the evening, the main choices of meat are chicken and beef. It seemed simple enough to just take a bowl, place my choice of ingredients in the bowl, add some pepper sauce of sorts, and hand it to the grill chef.
While the chef mans the grill, we were to stand and watch the food prepared. Of course, the chef does provide skilled entertainment of sorts and scoops the finished product onto a plate. He smiles as he hands the plate over the counter very close to the "jar" and the gong. I can then add sunflower seeds, wasabi, and head to the table. In the meantime, the waitress has brought a beverage and rice to the table for my dining pleasure. In checking my facts, I have discovered the HuHot's Mongolian Grill refers to their chefs as "Grill Warriors."
As I casually ate my meal, and it was good; I glanced through the menu for the cost of this buffet as well as the appetizers and overpriced desserts. Being left handed, I think the right side of my brain is supposed to be dominant. At any rate, it kicked in as I looked at prices while dining. Maybe that's why I never got into reading cereal boxes. The right side of my brain wasn't needed as there was virtually no math on a cereal box, yet I digress . . . Back to my eating and "calculating."
The "cereal bowl" in which I had gathered my grill goodies held probably, at most $2.00 worth of finely sliced and diced chicken and veggies with pepper sauce; for $8.99. It is all you can eat, so I did have the option to fill another cereal bowl, if I so chose, but one plate really did seem adequate. Maybe a few more pea pods or bamboo shoots, but I was full and satisfied, except I found myself discontent with the cost of the meal. I didn't want to sit there and "eat my money's worth." I wanted the meal to be more economical. Now, here's the kicker that caused me to rethink this establishment.
Upon entering the establishment through lunch hours, $8.99 is a given. When Mr. B and I went together, that was two people to be "served," so there were two meals to grill and two glasses of water . . . For $17.98, there were two plates, lovely as they were, exceedingly overpriced for veggies and paper thin meat. That's not all, though, a 20% tip: 3.60, even 15% is 2.70, then the grill chef's tip. Even a dollar a plate is an additional $2.00 and I'm sure someone reading this just called me cheap . . . So, for two people to have lunch with minimal tips, the cost is $22.68 + tax. That's over $11.00 a piece for a couple of dollars worth of veggies AND I served myself and another person at the table.
The food was good. I have no complaints about the freshness or the quality of preparation. I will, however; probably not return to HuHot's Mongolian Grill. That is an outrageous cost for lunch and I could do something much more meaningful with that money.
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