Vs. Hibachi China Buffet

This was a great food experience.  We decided we wanted an Asian buffet.  We chose Hibachi China Buffet.  It is located in a very nice location.  We expected the typical Asian buffet experience, food that has been sitting out for hours, few if any guests, dim lighting, a tired played out asian music cd being repeated for the 100th time, and waitresses that looked irritated that we had come to interrupt their texting.
We were really surprised, the place didn't compare to any buffet we had ate at before. Upon arriving we were greeted by 2 large stone statues.  The inside was packed,  we did not wait to be seated very long.  Maybe the wait was 5 minutes.
To entertain us there was an expensive koi pond which featured some nice looking fish and even 2 small turtles.  Brilliant almost flamboyant lighting was everywhere you looked. 

The food was fresh and fantastic. I started off with a sushi plate.  

The sushi is made there fresh in front of you. The sushi chef worked tirelessly preparing the rolls.  

All of it was delicious.  

 My next plate was heavier, it was steamed and fried dumplings with chicken teriyaki

and an egg roll.  The dumplings actually had a taste to them and the meat filling inside of them.  I never had either before that had a taste. The chicken teriyaki and egg roll were about average.

 I ordered a beef soup and they asked which type of noodle I wanted. I gave them a clear answer and what I got was a mix of 2 different types.  That was not the bad part of the bowl of soup.  The beef soup tasted too much of vegetables, and the meat was tasteless. I barely had 2 spoons. Disappointing.

Next up was the hibachi, you fill your plate at the station with the meats and vegetables that you want and tell them what sauces you want.   I choose onions, mushrooms, noodles, and steak. 

Was well prepared and tasty.

 Lastly, for desert I had some sweet strawberry cake, a type of whipped pineapple treat and some cherry sauce covered bananas.  For a Chinese buffet desert menu this is very common.  

The cakes were very good but the exact same as any other Chinese buffet I have been to.

The cakes were very good but the exact same as any other Chinese buffet I have been to.

 

The architecture really gave a sense of being in China.  

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Overall experience was a good one. Will return to eat here again.  It had a great atmosphere.
The waitresses were nice and always ready to fill your cup.

Cool Space Saving Idea for Your Kitchen

I found this the other day and when I get some spare cash saved up in my kitchen's piggy bank I will either get a set of this or make my own.  It is a fantastic idea that makes use of vertical space.  

Smart-Space-Triple-Mount-Dispenser

Congrats to the Hell's Kitchen Season 10 Winner

Christina Wilson is the season 10 winner of Hell's Kitchen!  Congrats to her.  She hails from Philly and will be receiving a $250,000 salary 

@ GORDON RAMSAY STEAK.

Cheers to Paris Las Vegas

There she is getting her first visit of her new kitchen where she will be working as Head Chef.  Looks enormous.

after shopping we got hungry

Spent the evening shopping in the north hills mall.  Before going home we realized it was  past dinner time so we agreed we should grab something to eat while we were there.  We had a few choices on where to eat in the plaza.We chose "Five Guys" since we had previous experience with this place.  The previous time we really enjoyed our meal.  This time something just wasn't right.

C:  Rewards and mentions in magazines cover their walls.  They get rave reviews often and in many states and cities they are voted in the top 10 restaurants to get a $5 dollar burger.

C:  The old man pictured seemed to either be in no hurry or lost while getting his ketchup.  He stood there moving things back and forth for at least 5 minutes.

C:  The food comes in a brown paper bag.  Novel idea.  Rip the bag open so you can lay out the food. When picking it up the server told me that he had made it a large fries instead of the regular like we had ordered.  This was a bonus.

C: Ordered a large bacon cheese burger with mushrooms, tomato, jalapeno and grilled onions.  Nice to see they use fresh jalapenos with the seeds still on them.

C: Visually it is not fine dining at all but it does pass for food made fast.

D:  Ordered the same bacon cheeseburger but without tomato.

C: Free servings of peanuts.  Have not seen this before in other restaurants.  Think this is a good idea.











C:  Eating at a restaurant or fast food is not what frugal people do often.  They know that it is a waste of money when they can make the food and more of it at home cheaper.  I know this, but I never had the feeling of regret after finishing my meal and looking at the bill as I did tonight.  "$22:16 for 2 burgers, fries and 2 soft drinks?!"  Even with the extra fries, option for free peanuts and the free refills for our drinks, I think they charge too much.

we got there near 8:30 at night.  It was a typical burger joint. ordered 2 burgers, fries and drinks. the price was a little ridiculous for the meal we got. $22.16. the presentation was lacking but not uncommon in a burger joint. the taste was not consistent with other times we have eaten here. this time it was of less quality taste. we had no wait time when placing our order. the staff were friendly and fast with delivering our food. the service was just right. the restaurant was clean.
would rate it 3 stars this time. The extra fries were the high and the low was actually the high bill.


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We wanted something light and fresh...

After D got her hair cut we decided to get lunch.  In the shopping center we had a few choices.  There was a sushi bar, pizza place and a Mexican restaurant. We choose to go to "La Carreta" the Mexican restaurant.  

salsa sampler made for our special order. each time I eat at a Mexican restaurant I order the 4 types of dips/salsas.  nice variety to chew on while awaiting the meal.

never ending chips basket.  these were bland and perhaps a little stale but once they are dipped in the salsa or cheese dip its hard to stop eating them.

had 2 $2 dollar draft beers was the daily special.

pollo crema

C: a welcomed treat of a spicy chicken covered in a creamy cheese sauce with rice and beans.

fajita toppings/salad

Chile Reales

C: was my first time eating this and I will try it again someday.  it was a battered pepper deep fried and had a spicy sauce over it. really tastey.

2 chicken fajitas

art and stonework fireplace

reminded me of south of the border

La Carreta

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with tip $30  The server seemed new maybe a little scared, but gave pretty good service. The food came out quickly and I would rate the over all experience a 3.5 out of 5 stars.