Ghengis Grill

While our intent is to review local eateries, we went to this new restaurant on the day we first decided to start this blog. Located in a new building on scenic Cherry Street (15th), there was ample parking behind and you get to do a little walking to get to the front door. Not unusual in this area.

Ghengis, a franchise from Dallas, is a "Mongolian Grill" (more about this later) and is a little confusing at first. They gave us a couple of small metal bowls and a menu. Well, sort of a menu. We started reading it when a young lady came over to lead us into the line for ordering where she explained that we select our "protein" (she's talking MEAT here), from chicken, beef, pork, turkey or shrimp displayed buffet-style. Put whatever you want into your bowl. Next, you select spices such as salt & pepper, garlic and more exotic and "spicy" offerings. Next, you select your veggies from a wide selection including peppers, carrots, brocoli, water chestnuts and many more. Next, you select a sauce from about a dozen selections including teriyaki, sweet & sour, Hosin, and more. Next, you choose your "starch" which is the type of rice, noodles, etc. that you want underneath your meat and veggies. You deliver your metal bowl, now filled or heaped, to a cook at the really large circular grill in the cooking area. Then you sit down. At this point, we realized we had no idea what the prices were.

In about ten minutes, we received our dinners in red bowls which slanted to one side for easier access. It was really quite tasty, and pretty filling. The seating was almost all banquette style with a padded booth on one side and small, wooden, (pretty uncomfortable) chairs on the other. The noise level was high. I ordered a flavored tea and they were out of it. When she brought several bottles of other flavors to choose from, I chose a Coke. (I can easily drink three glasses of tea at a meal. Three BOTTLES of tea would cost $7.50.)

The meals are $11.00 and drinks about $2.50. With a 20% tip (which Phoebe and I believe in giving) we paid about $32.00 for two bowls and 2 drinks at lunch. Was it worth it? Hmmmm, we'll have to think about this. Within two blocks, for instance, there's Tei Kei's where a delicious, full service meal in a great environment can cost less. We'll probably give them another try before forming an opinion.

So what did the Mongols REALLY eat?
Temujin, was declared the undisputed leader of the Mongols in 1206. He then launched a military campaign that, by 1227, put him in control of the largest empire in history: from China to Turkey, and from Siberia to India. Temujin and the Mongols considered their conquests to be ordained by the sky god, Tenggeri. The conquests led by Temujin were legendary, and to celebrate them the Mongols posthumously bestowed on him the title “Fierce Ruler,” or Chingis Khan. Today, thanks to an imperfect Arabic transliteration of that name, he is widely known as Genghis Khan.

Chingis Khan recognized that his people, accustomed to lives of hardship, deprivation, and perpetual motion, were natural warriors. They traveled with huge numbers of spare horses, and by using them in rotation managed to travel up to a hundred miles a day. As nomads, they knew how to live off the land and the peoples they conquered, but during times of privation and hard travel they could sustain themselves by drinking the blood of their own horses - and, if necessary, by eating them. “The men are inhuman and of the nature of beasts,” an English monk of the time reported, “rather to be called monsters than men, thirsting after and drinking blood, and tearing and devouring the flesh of dogs and human beings.”

OK, so this sounds really delicious, right? Admittedly the guys ate some “protein.” But do you really think they added spices, veggies, “starch” and sauce, stirred around on a metal shield over a campfire? Oh, for sure.