Restaurant Review: BD’s Mongolian Grill

BD’s Mongolian Grill, located across from the Rave Movie Theater at The Greene, is quite unique.  The first time someone mentioned it to me, I had no idea what they were talking about.  “You pile up a bowl with meat and veggies and they grill them all while you wait.”  What?  I didn’t get it.  So I decided to check it out myself.  That was a few years ago.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve returned since.

Upon entering and being seated, the waiters bring bowls around to your table.  You are instructed to fill your bowl with meat and veggies, choose a sauce, and wait for the grillers to tell you where to stand.

They have a plethora of food choices.  Tons of meat, seafood, and veggie options are laid out before you.  You can see the full list on their website.  When you get to the sauces, you can be overwhelmed.  My advice is to mix a few.  Today I chose Mongolian Ginger, Pad Thai, Shitake Mushroom, and Chili Garlic.  Sample spoons are provided.

Once you’re finished, they take your bowl of food and throw it on a huge circular grill to start their magic.  While rock music blasts overhead, the grillers sing, dance, and have a party while they make the food.  The meat gets cooks, the veggies chopped, and everything is seasoned with the sauce you’ve chosen.

Your food is returned to you and you are free to enjoy your meal.

The waiters bring around rice and (if desired) tortillas and lettuce for wraps.  I know it sounds strange, but try the tortillas.  They add a soft, slightly sweet flavor to the food that just…works.

Also available are the soup and salad bar, appetizers, and desserts.  Normally I stick to the entree only, but my mom and I splurged on the crab rangoon.  Delish!

One thing I love about BD’s is that you can easily eat healthy here.  Go light on the meat, heavy on the veggies, and choose your sauce wisely.  Then opt for the lettuce wraps.

BD’s is a great place for families as well as a date night, especially followed up by a movie.  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend it!

 

Barenaked

Ladies!!  BNL!!  The Ladies!!  I don’t care what you call them, they are still amazing in concert as usual.  Sunday evening Carolyn, my sister-in-law Shannon, and I went to see them in concert at the Fraze pavilion here in Dayton.

It had been super hot all weekend (I’m talking over 100º) but miraculously started cooling down on Sunday morning.  By the time we went to the concert, I think it was about 80º or 85º.  It was actually a pretty pleasant night!

(Notice the thrilled-looking guy in the bottom right corner…)

We grabbed some cocktails and made our way to our seats.  A couple things to note:
1.  The Fraze takes only cash, so don’t forget to bring some!
2.  They have a yummy punch made with passion fruit rum, grenadine, Sierra Mist, and orange juice that is very good.  It’s actually relatively strong!
3.  Those Daily’s Frozen Pouches are super sweet and not very strong.  I suggest the punch instead.

4.  Bethany and rum do not mix.  I didn’t drink much last night but this morning I have a slight hangover headache.  #Fail!

Anyhow, back to my boyfriends.  They had three openings acts:  Cracker, Big Head Toad the Wet Sprocket Monsters (otherwise known as Big Head Todd and the Monsters but we had problems calling them the right name all night long), and Blues Traveler.  Remember Run Around?  It was a fun song from my high school days. 

Not bad, but they are no Ingrid Michaelson (the opening act for the previous two BNL concerts we attended).  LOVE INGRID!

Starting Now is one of my favorite songs by Ingrid.  It helped me deal with some hard times in the past.  Actually a lot of Ingrid’s songs helped me.  That’s how I deal with things sometimes…blare music and sing at the top of my lungs. 

But I digress (that was for you, Jo!).  After listening to the opening acts, partaking in adult libations, and making fun of super tan ladies people watching, our men came on.  Yay!  They started withAnother Postcard, which has never been my favorite song, but it did get the crowd up and moving.

They played a pretty decent set consisting of several chart toppers and a few lesser known songs.  They also played a new song off their next album.

One of my favorite things about BNL is Ed’s freestyling.  He always includes a song about the city he’s in.

Another favorite part of every BNL concert is when they play theBig Bang Theory theme song!  (I dropped the ball on this and started recording more than halfway through.)

Barenaked Ladies always put on a great concert and tonight was no exception.  We all had such a fun time!  I love the Ladies!

Restaurant Review: Boosalis Baking and Cafe

I am always on the lookout for new, local restaurants I can haunt.  The other day, my husband and I decided to meet for lunch so I immediately began looking for a new place to try.  He, like myself, is always up for some place new.

Being as he works right on 741 in Miamisburg, I wanted to pick a place that was very accessible.  After doing a bit of research and looking at several menus, I decided on Boosalis Baking and Cafe.  Incidentally, this place was right across the street from his work!  Score!

Upon entering, we immediately felt like we had stepped into someone’s home.  The cafe had charm, with wooden shelves on the wall, racks of bread behind the counter, and rows of delicious treats showcased below.  They have a small but diverse lunch menu with things like Cranberry Turkey, Tuna Salad, and Mom’s Beef sandwiches.  They also offer different soups each day.

The Beef and Bleu sandwich looked scrumptious to me.  Roast beef, bleu cheese, horseradish mayo, and veggies all piled on a crusty baguette.  Yes, please!

The lady taking my order asked if I’d like the lunch special.  What’s included in that? Turns out, for only a few bucks more, you get a side dish (chips or fruit), a drink, and a cookie.  Sweet!

Jeff opted for the Ham and Havarti which was served with veggies and sweet mustard all on a croissant.  I should mention they bake everything fresh and in house.  My wonderful husband ate his entire sandwich before I could ask for a bite!  Next time, I guess…

OK, can I just say my sandwich was so yummy?  Apparently Jeff’s was too!  The only thing I had a slight hard time with was just how crusty the bread was.  I love crusty bread, but when it’s on a sandwich it’s a bit harder to eat.  I managed though.  Don’t you fret about that!

After downing our sandwiches and fruit, we split the cookies we got:  oatmeal raisin for me and peanut butter for Jeff.

Oh. My. Goodness.  The cookies were slightly underdone, making them almost melt in my mouth.  They were thick, rich, and just right.  I loved every second of my cookies!  I could have most definitely eaten another dozen of them without batting an eyelash.  But I didn’t.

As an afterthought, Jeff bought a carrot cake muffin to take back to work with him as a mid-afternoon snack.  Of course, not ten minutes went by before I got this text:  “I was bad.  I ate my muffin.”  I’m sure it was just calling out to him…  He did say it was one of the best muffins he’s ever had.  I should have gotten one!

So, basically, if you live in the South Dayton area and are looking for a nice little bakery to go to, stop by Boosalis.  They are some of the friendliest restaurant owners I have ever encountered and they really go out of their way to make sure your dining experience is great.

They are open for breakfast, but I have yet to try that meal.  When I do I’ll let you know!

Be aware, however, they are closed on Sunday and Monday.  You can find their hours of operation as well as their menu here.

Wanna know one of the other great things about this place?  They use 100% natural ingredients!  I love that!  My friend, Carolyn, and I have this philosophy that if you use natural ingredients (think butter and cream) instead of artificial, manufactured substitutes, it’s not only better for your body, but you need less of it to feel satisfied.

Some of you may be wondering where this wonderful little slice of heaven is…it’s on the corner of 741 and Spring Valley, across from Starbucks and facing Lexis Nexis.  For you GPSers, the address is 9486 Springboro Pike
Miamisburg, OH 45342.

So, pop in, say hello, and tell ‘em Bethany sent you!