The Knights of the Round Grill

On a cold windy day, my girlfriend and I wanted to go out to eat and so we pondered long and hard for a unique dining experience.  We dove into the array of new restaurant finding apps such as Urban Spoon and Yelp to look for an enjoyable way to consume food within a 20 mile radius of Joliet.   Upon realizing that we had a collective amount of $30, our options dwindled as we were on a mission to find a decent priced restaurant for two.  Our criteria for the restaurants were the cost, location, appearance, taste and the variety of food available.  Through all the selections and varieties, we came to the consensus of going to Bd's Mongolian Grill located in Bolingbrook.  The drive was roughly 25 minutes, but since Mongolian Grill was located in an outdoor mall called the Bolingbrook Promenade, it was a hassle to locate the restaurant in the array of buildings.

When entering, we were greeted by a friendly host and I noticed the vast assortments of Asian decorations such as bamboo and floral patterns.  We were seated near the door and our waiter named Eric was very kind and friendly.  Then he placed a two small bowls onto our table and said to just follow the signs that lead to the huge grill.  We sat near the entrance, which was adjacent to the bar area so we knew that adult entertainment would be inviting with the high bar stools and the array of flat screens displaying different channels.

Then as we ventured toward the back of the restaurant with our small bowls in hand.  We encountered the first booth that contained Soups & Salads.  There is an additional fee added to the bill if you want them.  There was a big assortments of vegetables like the general lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and so on. I didn't want any of those so I just skipped to the main course of the meal.

Then we walked toward the first section of the restaurant and a HUGE variety of meat appeared.  Our options were as follows: chicken, lamb, strip steak, pork, ribeye, sausage, Krab (surimi), scallops, shrimp, pasta, calamari, rice noodles, mahi mahi and meatballs.  When I saw all this variety of simply meats shocked me as to what I could choose from.  I was thoroughly surprised as to know that I am not only limited to beef or only chicken as I would be in other restaurants.  I quickly piled my bowl with beef, chicken and some scallops as I ventured to the adjacent booth. 

As we moved along the numbered signs indicating what each booth contained, we encountered the vegetables area.  There was a huge variety of greens which includes: bean sprouts, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, baby corn, edamame, jalapeños  mushrooms, onions, pea pods, peppers, pineapple, red skin potatoes, green onions, tomatoes, water chestnuts, eggs, tofu and black beans.  So then we piled our bowls with greens and veggies that we wanted and moved along to the third section.

As we approached the third booth, we saw the Sauces and Spices sign that indicated it was the third booth. This was where you would be able to choose what flavor you would like your dish to have.  The sauces include: Asian black bean, spicy buffalo, chili garlic sauce, fajita, kung pao, lemon, Mongolian ginger, peanut sauce, Mongo marinara, Shanghai bbq, light soy, shiitake mushroom, sweet and sour, teriyaki, ketchup, pad thai, olive oil, mustard and sour cream.  In addition to the abundance sauces, the spices you would be able to add also varied.  The spices includes: chopped garlic, cajun, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, curry, granulated garlic, ginger, lemon pepper, mixed herbs, peanuts, seasoning salt, sesame seeds, crushed chili peppers, rosemary and Caribbean jerk.  As I choose a mix of teriyaki and sesame seeds, I hurriedly continued on my adventure of a fully personalized meal.

The next part of the restaurant was the whole focal point which included a huge round grill.  There was a semi-circle counter top which wrapped around the grill where we would put our bowls full of food for the griller to prepare the meal.  He then uses long metal rods to mix the food and cook it thoroughly.  Then at the end he mixes the sauces and spices I had obtained and mixed it into the pile of food on the grille.  Then he scoots it all to the edge of the grill and pushes it all into a plate.

I had noticed in the corner of the restaurant was an "Allergy" zone which included a separate grill for people who are allergic to specific food groups.  This shows that they take into consideration all the different types of people that go in and out of this food establishment.

Throughout much further review of the cost, location, appearance, taste and variety of food available , we decided that it is worth our money.  Our total at the end of the meal was roughly $28 which isn't bad for such a unique opportunity.  The restaurant is located in an outdoor mall, which is ideal because we were able to go roam the mall afterwards and explore all the different stores and attractions that it had to offer.  With all the hip Asian decor, this place wasn't dull and provided many new decorations for the eyes to discover.  The food was quite delicious also because I got to personally choose what I wanted in the dish and what flavour it would be.  Overall this was worth the drive out to Bolingbrook and since we don't eat here everyday, it was worth spending that money.  Also, with the extreme customization ability, it grants customers a huge freedom of being able to choose what they like and what they don't like.  All in all, I would definitely recommend this place to all my friends and family.

Above you would find a video of the griller preparing my food and how they only used their metal tools to their advantage.