Mongolian Grills

Mongolian Grills

I love eating at Mongolian grills. I have been going to one since I was about 4 years old. These awesome places allow you to go to a salad bar filled with pasta, fruits and veggies and protein and choose what you want, then top it off with your own sauce creation. Then you’ll take it over to the grill where the chef will cook it all together right in front of you. It is great for families with picky eaters. When I was a kid, I only ever got noodles with pineapple and soy sauce. Now I get a combination of whatever meats are available, pineapple, onions, veggies and a lovely complex sauce with soy, ginger and garlic. Each time I go my creations are slightly different but still have that flavor I love. I have been to a few different Mongolian grills in my time, but here I will share my top three restaurants.

Number 3

 Mongo’s

150 W Bulldog

Provo, UT 84604

One thing I appreciate about Mongos is that they offer the all you can eat option (for the same price as their large) or a by the bowl price where you can take leftovers home. Either way, each meal comes with a free choice of white or brown rice. They have a nice selection of veggies and meats but it isn’t quite as extensive as the other two places. They do have a rice noodle option as well as the traditional soba style noodle. Their sauces include a few premade kinds like a soy teriyaki, curry, and peanut, but they also offer some basics to add in like ginger, garlic and hot sauce. The cook on your dish is good but often ends up never quite caramelizing any of the meats with is a part I really enjoy at other restaurants. They also often offer deals on Facebook for a free bowl or $5 off if you share a picture or like a status. I’ve gotten a few free meals from this so far. They also often have a Yelp deal for pay $5 for $10 of food.

Number 2

 Hu Hot

130 Hutton Ranch Road

Kalispell, MT

This is a chain restaurant but the one I have visited is located in Kalispell, Montana. They make some great appetizers and desserts. Their ginger soda is delicious as well. Think ginger ale with real pieces of ginger floating in it. I have tried the crab rangoon appetizer and the cheesecake rangoon dessert and both were great. With dinner there is the option of getting a soup or salad with your meal and both were also good. They have a very extensive selection of proteins, veggies, pastas and sauces. Generally they have a great selection of seafood as well. In the restaurant there is only the all you can eat option. The sauce section once again has mainly premade sauces that you can combine in different ways for your meal. They give a pretty good cook on the food and I was always happy when I ate there.

And my Number 1

 Chang’s Mongolian Grill

1935 NW 167^th Place

Beaverton, Oregon

Chang’s will always be my favorite Mongolian Grill. As a family we have been visiting their Beaverton location  since they opened many years ago. The other locations in Oregon and Washington are great as well, but there is something about how this location cooks the food that makes it perfect for me. Each dinner comes with an option of egg drop or hot and sour soup. You can also get rice and these awesome rice paper wrappers. They generally have beef, pork, lamb, chicken and a few seafood options but if you go at lunch, one or two of these might be missing. Their veggie selection is not quite as extensive as Hu Hot’s but they always have the basic stuff I like. One thing I really like about here is that their sauces are more simple so you can be a little more creative. The sauces include soy sauce, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, sesame oil, sugar and salt water, lemon juices and others. I’m fairly certain that the same men have been cooking at this grill since I started going there as a child. The meat gets just a little bit of caramelization without the noodles getting crispy. I love eating some of it right off the plate and making little wraps with the rice paper wrappers with some too. You can finish off your meal with a complimentary small bowl of soft serve ice cream and a fortune cookie. 

Hello and welcome.

My name is Sara Hyde and I love food. I love eating and I love cooking it. My first experience cooking for someone else came when I was quite young; maybe 4 or 5. Both my parents were sick and I managed to open up a can of soup, pour it into a bowl and microwave it and bring it to them. It was a little strong (I didn't add any water) but they were grateful anyway. I was also the kid who, when I saw someone fall and skin their knee, would run home and grab some cookies. Someone else can take care of the band aid, I bring the real medicine.

I started into the real world of cooking when my mom told me that if I didn't like what was for dinner I would have to cook something for myself. She made the family a meal and I could eat it or provide for myself. It worked out well for me. See, I was picky. Very picky. At our favorite local restaurant (Chang's, a Mongolian Grill out in Hillsboro, OR) I would get noodles and pineapple with some soy sauce. That was it. I didn't like mushrooms, tomatoes, fish, most meats, most veggies. I did like pasta, fruit, and cheese. So, needless to say, most of what Mom made just didn't appeal. So I learned to cook for myself. Luckily, as I have grown up, my tastes have broadened. Now my dislikes pretty much have shrunk to fish and spicy foods.

Growing up in a suburb of Portland, Oregon was a major part of this. There are so many amazing restaurants  and food carts in the city. I loved trying cuisine from all over the world without ever really having to leave home.

While I enjoy baking, my real passion is cooking. I rarely follow a recipe any more. They are really more of guidelines. I love finding three or four recipes and combing them while changing a few ingredients here or there to customize it to what I really like. I love watching the Food Network and TV cooking competitions. They give me ideas. The other place I get ideas from is restaurants. As a poor college grad student on a budget I just can't afford to eat out as often as I would like. So, when I find something I absolutely love, I have to learn how to make it at home.

This leads me to the purpose of this Blog. I will share my opinions of restaurants and the dishes I eat there as well as share my own recipes on how I have imitated my favorite dished. I may even share a few of my favorite recipes from home as well. I hope this helps someone out there find a new favorite or encourages them to try one of my favorite restaurants.

Feel free to message me with suggestions of dishes to try or places to visit. Just remember, I'm on a budget. I'm mainly based out of Provo, Utah where I go to school but I make it to the Tri-Cities in Washington and Portland, Oregon. There may be a few posts here and there about the Kalispell, Montana area as well.