The first time I ever went to Gringo's Taqueria (612 Norfolk Ave. Ste. 109 VA Beach, VA. 757-961-2987) it was a while back with some friends and was during some day drinking, so I don't remember to much other than we sat in the hall and the salsa was good. So on a recent Saturday I had a major craving for good tacos and was referred some where else but on the way while on Norfolk ave I remembered about Gringo's and decided to swing in for a bite. When I first got there I was the only customer and was quickly greeted by 3 very polite young ladies, one of which was chopping onions for some tasty salsa. Since I was flying solo I decided to take a seat at the very small low rise bar, there are only about 4 or 5 tables in the restaurant itself but there are a couple more in the hall way leading into Gringo's. The first thing you will notice is the very small size of this spot, but don't let that fool you they put out some serious food.
After taking notice of the decent beer selection I decided on a Tecate with my chips and salsa while I looked over the regular menu as well as the specials board on the back wall. I first decided on the fish taco, pabst blue ribbon beer battered tilapia on a warm crispy flour tortilla with cabbage and a habanero sour cream. The fish was crispy, tasty, and not over powered with batter and the sauce wasn't overwhelming and it all worked out nicely. By the time I got my next taco the place had filled up and the tables in the hall way were taken, so if you get there and there's an open table jump on it, cause someone else might. The 2nd taco I had was the carne asada taco, fully equipped with cheese. lettuce, salsa, and i belive there were some grilled poblano peppers too. What a quality taco, the meat was perfectly seasoned, the perfect about of lettuce, cheese, and salsa. It was definitely a worthy 2nd choice. After shoving 2 tasty, huge, fresh tacos in my gullet I start on a second Tecate and decide that 1 more taco should do me right and send me home for a good nap. So after looking at the menu and noticing the Yurbi taco and that there was a name on the ABC board that was the same, and a menu item that bares an employees name on it has to be pretty good so I decided to go for the Yurbi taco. A marinated pork taco with grilled corn, poblano peppers, and white onion, with lettuce, cheese, and salsa. It was the end all be all taco and to be honest was the largest taco I've ever seen. It was love at first bite, the spice, the marinated pork, the coolness of the lettuce, more spice from the salsa, the grilled corn, onion, and pepper, it was a perfect pork taco. If I had this taco first I probably only would've eaten 2 tacos and they both would've been Yurbi tacos. From now on every meal at Gringo's will be finished off with a Yurbi taco.
They have a few different burritos on the menu as well that caught my eye and the next time I head into Gringo's that's what I'll be going for. They also have quesadilla's on the menu as well as salads and a breakfast style burrito. Most if not all taco, burritos, and quesadillas can be made into a meal by adding beans and rice for an up charge, but to be honest skip the beans and rice and get another taco. Gringo's is a small spot doing up huge flavors with a lot of love in their food. As soon as you get a chance get to Gringo's and try some tacos, burritos, or anything else on the menu, if your not into beer they also have wine. Gringo's is a definite winner and I will be back for sure and will spread the word.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Kim Cafe
There are some restaurants that have been around forever and you went there when you were a kid or it was years ago and for whatever reason you just never went back. So is the case with Kim Cafe (757-340-4989 2605 Virginia Beach Blvd, #103 Virginia Beach, VA), Kim Cafe has been at this location for I know at least 15 years and I ate there when I was younger, but for whatever reason I had never been back, till yesterday. Man was it a great experience. It is straight up a greasy spoon ran by an older Asian couple and they are doing things proper there.
When I say this is a greasy spoon it's your typical greasy spoon operation without the actual greasy spoons. They have greasy spoon food with greasy spoon prices. Burgers, grilled cheeses, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast, etc. A line of 2 top tables in the front with a narrow walk way between the counters and the tables, counter seats at the kitchen area and a "larger" dining area in the back that looks like it is straight from 1980. Kim Cafe has to be one of the best kept secrets in VA. Beach for a while and I am stoked to have found it again. When I first walked in I was quickly greeted by a nice gentleman named Lou. 99% sure he is the owner with the lady that cooked up my tasty lunch. The only reason I knew his name was Lou is because another customer addressed him as such. This place has full on been setup in the small greasy spoon/diner fashion, getting the most use out of the little bit of room you have. From the mini dishwasher to the mini fryer and not to mention the overwhelming amount of Brady Bunch floral print plates, saucers, and cups. It has instantly become a new favorite for me. As I am writing this I just went there for lunch and talked to Lou for a second, he informed me that they have been there for 25 years and that as soon as he make a million dollars he will retire. How great is that?
On my first visit back in at least 15 years I had a taste for a burger and that is exactly what I got. A bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, mayo, and fries. All sammich's come with a little jammy of coleslaw and chips or fires. What I got was a tasty, fresh, juicy, burger grilled and topped with American cheese and quality bacon not some garbage pre-cooked shizz. The burger is arguably one of the best around and for $6.55 you can't go wrong. Today I had a b.l.t. with fries and again was completely satisfied with everything. Nothing hard about a b.l.t., but for some reason some places manage to screw them up. This one had the perfect ratio of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and by request mayo. Again the price was just right at $5.45, come on now are you serious? A tasty, fresh, filling lunch for cheap, and they do breakfast too. That will be my next venture with Kim Cafe.
Do yourself a favor if you are in the area of the boulevard and Lynnhaven near the RK dealership, in the shopping center with the West Indian grocery store and go-ho auto, then stop in to Kim Cafe and get your grub on, you will not be disappointed. This is definitely a hole in the wall spot throwing out tasty burgers, salads, sandwiches, and breakfast for cheap. Get on it, a good thing doesn't last forever and I am really bummed that I waited so long to fall in love with this spot and it's been right under my nose this whole time. A true dining gem.
I'll be back on the regular for sure and spreading the word.
When I say this is a greasy spoon it's your typical greasy spoon operation without the actual greasy spoons. They have greasy spoon food with greasy spoon prices. Burgers, grilled cheeses, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast, etc. A line of 2 top tables in the front with a narrow walk way between the counters and the tables, counter seats at the kitchen area and a "larger" dining area in the back that looks like it is straight from 1980. Kim Cafe has to be one of the best kept secrets in VA. Beach for a while and I am stoked to have found it again. When I first walked in I was quickly greeted by a nice gentleman named Lou. 99% sure he is the owner with the lady that cooked up my tasty lunch. The only reason I knew his name was Lou is because another customer addressed him as such. This place has full on been setup in the small greasy spoon/diner fashion, getting the most use out of the little bit of room you have. From the mini dishwasher to the mini fryer and not to mention the overwhelming amount of Brady Bunch floral print plates, saucers, and cups. It has instantly become a new favorite for me. As I am writing this I just went there for lunch and talked to Lou for a second, he informed me that they have been there for 25 years and that as soon as he make a million dollars he will retire. How great is that?
On my first visit back in at least 15 years I had a taste for a burger and that is exactly what I got. A bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, mayo, and fries. All sammich's come with a little jammy of coleslaw and chips or fires. What I got was a tasty, fresh, juicy, burger grilled and topped with American cheese and quality bacon not some garbage pre-cooked shizz. The burger is arguably one of the best around and for $6.55 you can't go wrong. Today I had a b.l.t. with fries and again was completely satisfied with everything. Nothing hard about a b.l.t., but for some reason some places manage to screw them up. This one had the perfect ratio of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and by request mayo. Again the price was just right at $5.45, come on now are you serious? A tasty, fresh, filling lunch for cheap, and they do breakfast too. That will be my next venture with Kim Cafe.
Do yourself a favor if you are in the area of the boulevard and Lynnhaven near the RK dealership, in the shopping center with the West Indian grocery store and go-ho auto, then stop in to Kim Cafe and get your grub on, you will not be disappointed. This is definitely a hole in the wall spot throwing out tasty burgers, salads, sandwiches, and breakfast for cheap. Get on it, a good thing doesn't last forever and I am really bummed that I waited so long to fall in love with this spot and it's been right under my nose this whole time. A true dining gem.
I'll be back on the regular for sure and spreading the word.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Buffalo Beach
So with a recent need to eat dinner the wifey and I decided to swing thru Buffalo Beach restaurant 507 Hilltop Plaza Shopping Center Virginia Beach, VA 23454 (next to Trader Joe's)757-422-9464. I have known about this spot for a long time but have never had the desire to eat there, on the preconceived notion that it was a corporate restaurant. I am still not 100% sure it isn't however I decided why not and gave it a shot. At first walking in it is very obvious that has the sausage party meat market wing bar, and I am sure it is like that late nite however in the early evening you can find family's and friends having dinner or an after beer league sporting event gathering. We were seated and very quickly greeted by what would be our very friendly and very knowledgeable waitress Amanda on her way to deliver food to another table. As soon as she dropped the food off to the other table she quickly returned to our table to greet us and get our drink order. Upon looking over the drink menu I noticed they had a seasonal beer on draft, hoping that it wasn't a multinational beer company the waitress informed me that they just got the beer in today and she needed to find out what it was. After checking with the bartender she returned and informed me the seasonal draft was Old Dominion Brewery Spring Buck Blonde Ale. With no delay I jumped on it and as she went to get the beer the wifey and I looked over the menu and decided on the fried pickle spears with bistro sauce to start off with.
After bringing my very tasty beer and later our fried pickle spears our very friendly waitress had a few very good suggestions. And unlike most restaurants that tell their waitresses to just take 2 or 3 items off the menu and tell customers they are good. Amanda had several suggestions for my wife who was undecided in what sandwich she wanted, I on the other hand knew I wanted wings, but I was unsure which flavors I wanted, other than a sweet-heat style sauce. With my wife leaning towards the chicken bbq sandwich Amanda convinced her it was the way to go and knowing that I wanted wings, but unsure of the flavors I wanted Amanda helped with 2 of the 3 sauces. I knew I wanted a bourbon style sauce but the rest was up to the waitress, she selected garlic parmesean and a spicy teriyaki(sweet-heat).
Once the food came out and I got to sample everything, I was truly stoked to have finally tried this spot. The wife's sammich was extremely tasty and the wangs were damn good, Amanda had definitely done a good job on this one. The spicy teroyaki that Amanda chose was very tasty and to my liking very crispy. The teriyaki sauce was like a lacquer finish on a finely cooked wang, and the parmesean garlic wings were a dry seasoning but had a lot of flavor, the bourbon wings I opted for were very tasty and just like the teriyaki sauce this too was painted on to the wing and had a ton of flavor and just the way I like it the wings were super crispy. I must admit that after this visit with the food being good and the waitress Amanda being excellent we will definitely be back soon.
A Terminator with a Sunday service, cause I will be back real soon and will pass the word like a collection plate at a Sunday service.
As with damn near all restaurants in VA this is nonsmoking.
Is kid friendly in the since that they have a kids menu and high chairs, however it is a "sports & wing" bar/restaurant.
After bringing my very tasty beer and later our fried pickle spears our very friendly waitress had a few very good suggestions. And unlike most restaurants that tell their waitresses to just take 2 or 3 items off the menu and tell customers they are good. Amanda had several suggestions for my wife who was undecided in what sandwich she wanted, I on the other hand knew I wanted wings, but I was unsure which flavors I wanted, other than a sweet-heat style sauce. With my wife leaning towards the chicken bbq sandwich Amanda convinced her it was the way to go and knowing that I wanted wings, but unsure of the flavors I wanted Amanda helped with 2 of the 3 sauces. I knew I wanted a bourbon style sauce but the rest was up to the waitress, she selected garlic parmesean and a spicy teriyaki(sweet-heat).
Once the food came out and I got to sample everything, I was truly stoked to have finally tried this spot. The wife's sammich was extremely tasty and the wangs were damn good, Amanda had definitely done a good job on this one. The spicy teroyaki that Amanda chose was very tasty and to my liking very crispy. The teriyaki sauce was like a lacquer finish on a finely cooked wang, and the parmesean garlic wings were a dry seasoning but had a lot of flavor, the bourbon wings I opted for were very tasty and just like the teriyaki sauce this too was painted on to the wing and had a ton of flavor and just the way I like it the wings were super crispy. I must admit that after this visit with the food being good and the waitress Amanda being excellent we will definitely be back soon.
A Terminator with a Sunday service, cause I will be back real soon and will pass the word like a collection plate at a Sunday service.
As with damn near all restaurants in VA this is nonsmoking.
Is kid friendly in the since that they have a kids menu and high chairs, however it is a "sports & wing" bar/restaurant.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Nappoli's Pizza
Nappoli's Pizza has been located in the Rose Hall Shoppes at 3101 Virginia Beach Blvd, VA Beach, VA. 23452 757-486-5001 for several years, and I have eaten there a couple of times a few years ago with out regard to the food, service, or anything else about the restaurant for that matter. However on a recent outing for lunch in which I was paying attention, I was pretty disappointed. Before ordering my lunch I decided to take a look at their website to see if there was any kind of lunch specials or a featured dish of the day. No featured dish but there was several daily special priced combos. I will say that with the website testimonials/reviews and pictures I thought I would be in for a real treat,not so much. On top of that when I went to pick up my order the lady that helped wasn't the friendliest person I have ever encountered when dining out.
I decided to take part in their daily special of any stromboli( I went for the meat stromboli) & a drink for $7.95 and since it is a pizza spot I grabbed a slice of NY style pie with sausage, just to see what they were working with. I know I am going to catch some shizz for this since I have yet to check out some pizza spots that have been recommended by friends that know their pizza, but to all of you I swear I will check them out soon. To start off with the pie was mediocre at best, it did have foldability like a good NY pie should have and it had the thin crisp dough with a crispy and chewy crust, but that's about where the good things end. The pie was bland, hardly any sauce at all, and some how they managed to make a dry pizza and it wasn't just from the lack of sauce. I can say that when I folded the slice to eat, there was no grease pouring off the back of the crust like with most NY style pie and that is a plus to me. Then there was the stromboli, I ordered the meat stromboli and though there was pepperoni, sausage, and I think salami too there was an over abundance of undercooked, basically raw peppers and onions. Not that I mind raw peppers and onions, but when it comes to my stromboli they kinda need to be cooked. It was served with a runny, oily marinara that had not only too much oil in it but too much oregano & thyme. To be perfectly honest the marinara was disgusting. AS with the slice of pie the stromboli was very dry and with the exception of the meats, there was no flavor. All in all the best part of the meal was the Pepsi that was part of the stromboli combo. I'm not sure if this is how the food and service normally are at Nappoli's now a days, but if it's how they've been doing things for all these years I'm not sure how they have made it so long. If it was just a one time thing then someone please let me know, so maybe I can try it again, but at this point you won't catch me back in that spot.
Kid friendly in the sense that they have high chairs and pizza, but I wouldn't take my nephew there to eat.
No Smoking as is the case with every spot in VA now.
It is definitely a Ramen Noodle.
I decided to take part in their daily special of any stromboli( I went for the meat stromboli) & a drink for $7.95 and since it is a pizza spot I grabbed a slice of NY style pie with sausage, just to see what they were working with. I know I am going to catch some shizz for this since I have yet to check out some pizza spots that have been recommended by friends that know their pizza, but to all of you I swear I will check them out soon. To start off with the pie was mediocre at best, it did have foldability like a good NY pie should have and it had the thin crisp dough with a crispy and chewy crust, but that's about where the good things end. The pie was bland, hardly any sauce at all, and some how they managed to make a dry pizza and it wasn't just from the lack of sauce. I can say that when I folded the slice to eat, there was no grease pouring off the back of the crust like with most NY style pie and that is a plus to me. Then there was the stromboli, I ordered the meat stromboli and though there was pepperoni, sausage, and I think salami too there was an over abundance of undercooked, basically raw peppers and onions. Not that I mind raw peppers and onions, but when it comes to my stromboli they kinda need to be cooked. It was served with a runny, oily marinara that had not only too much oil in it but too much oregano & thyme. To be perfectly honest the marinara was disgusting. AS with the slice of pie the stromboli was very dry and with the exception of the meats, there was no flavor. All in all the best part of the meal was the Pepsi that was part of the stromboli combo. I'm not sure if this is how the food and service normally are at Nappoli's now a days, but if it's how they've been doing things for all these years I'm not sure how they have made it so long. If it was just a one time thing then someone please let me know, so maybe I can try it again, but at this point you won't catch me back in that spot.
Kid friendly in the sense that they have high chairs and pizza, but I wouldn't take my nephew there to eat.
No Smoking as is the case with every spot in VA now.
It is definitely a Ramen Noodle.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
China Wok
As with most Americans I have a very big spot in my heart and even bigger spot in my stomach for Chinese food. Even though I have not had the privilege of going to Asia to experience the different styles of authentic Asian cuisine, American-Chinese food is okay by me till I actually get to Asia. When it comes to the delivery/carry out or dine-in/#1 China spots, I am a fan, along with many Americans I have my favorite spots, but for the most part it is hard to find a bad one, until now. With all the #1 China type spots in the area it is for sure a cut throat business and every little thing to make the meal better from being faster than the next guy to having better togo containers than the next guy. But most importantly your food needs to be better than the next guy especially since all of the spots pretty much have the same menu.
I have had more than a handful of people recommend China Wok(729 First Colonial Rd. VA . Beach, VA. 23454 757-422-8207) as a place to check out when it comes to good Chinese food. During one of our recent "winter storms" when most of VA Beach including my wife and I were stuck in our homes I had the craving for Chinese food and our regular spot was closed as was the case with most restaurants in the area that weekend. Then my wife reminded me that her cousin recommended China Wok as a good spot, so I called and to my surprise they were open and delivering (bonus since it was during the "winter storm"). Usually it was a $10 minimum for delivery but due to the weather it was upped to $20, no biggie to me as that meant left overs. So after deciding what we wanted, Sesame chicken, Hunan chicken, egg roll, and lumpia. I made the call and was greeted by a very happy-go-lucky guy that was super eager to take my order and advised me that due to the weather it was an hour wait and since i was tuck in the house and not going any where for a while decided 1 hour wasn't a big deal. After a couple more beers and about a half hour later there was a knock at the door. Now if the food was as tasty as the delivery guys attire was fashionable then I wouldn't be talking so badly about this place. I answered the door to a mid20's guy with old school thick rim glasses, rocking pajama pants with sweat shorts over top and white patten leather dress shoes. I will say the food looked excellent, but once I took the first bite of the Hunan chicken my wife ordered it was over. It tasted like it had been boiled for days, it was very slimy, and lacked the flavor and heat you look for in Hunan chicken. The lumpia poured grease out once bitten into as did my egg roll, there was no flavor in either the lumpia or egg roll either. My sesame chicken wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either, it had a slight crispness to it and just a little bit of flavor. The fried rice that accompanied our food was even worse than the Hunan Chicken, one of my more important rules to live by is if a Chinese restaurant can't make rice properly then they shouldn't be in business. Needless to say with all the #1 China type spots in the area & my already well established favorite spots usually open we won't be going back to this one.
Kid friendly, if you want to expose your kids to food as bad as this
I would rather eat ramen noodles than this garbage
I have had more than a handful of people recommend China Wok(729 First Colonial Rd. VA . Beach, VA. 23454 757-422-8207) as a place to check out when it comes to good Chinese food. During one of our recent "winter storms" when most of VA Beach including my wife and I were stuck in our homes I had the craving for Chinese food and our regular spot was closed as was the case with most restaurants in the area that weekend. Then my wife reminded me that her cousin recommended China Wok as a good spot, so I called and to my surprise they were open and delivering (bonus since it was during the "winter storm"). Usually it was a $10 minimum for delivery but due to the weather it was upped to $20, no biggie to me as that meant left overs. So after deciding what we wanted, Sesame chicken, Hunan chicken, egg roll, and lumpia. I made the call and was greeted by a very happy-go-lucky guy that was super eager to take my order and advised me that due to the weather it was an hour wait and since i was tuck in the house and not going any where for a while decided 1 hour wasn't a big deal. After a couple more beers and about a half hour later there was a knock at the door. Now if the food was as tasty as the delivery guys attire was fashionable then I wouldn't be talking so badly about this place. I answered the door to a mid20's guy with old school thick rim glasses, rocking pajama pants with sweat shorts over top and white patten leather dress shoes. I will say the food looked excellent, but once I took the first bite of the Hunan chicken my wife ordered it was over. It tasted like it had been boiled for days, it was very slimy, and lacked the flavor and heat you look for in Hunan chicken. The lumpia poured grease out once bitten into as did my egg roll, there was no flavor in either the lumpia or egg roll either. My sesame chicken wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either, it had a slight crispness to it and just a little bit of flavor. The fried rice that accompanied our food was even worse than the Hunan Chicken, one of my more important rules to live by is if a Chinese restaurant can't make rice properly then they shouldn't be in business. Needless to say with all the #1 China type spots in the area & my already well established favorite spots usually open we won't be going back to this one.
Kid friendly, if you want to expose your kids to food as bad as this
I would rather eat ramen noodles than this garbage
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
D.W.'s Grill & Mongolian BBQ
Everyone's been to a Chinese buffet and seen and/or eaten the Mongolian BBQ, whether you know what it is or not you've probably eaten it. You the gig where you fill a bowl or plate with noodles, raw veggies, and a variety of raw meats, you give it to the cook he seasons it some way or another and gives back to you cooked up and ready to eat. Some are better than others, but none are as good as D.W.'s Grill & Mongolian BBQ (1932 Laskin Rd. VA Beach, VA. 23454 757-428-8891). D.W.'s is located on Laskin Rd. in building that use to be a record store and the name has slipped my mind,(if any one knows the name of that former record store please let me know cause it bugs the shizz out of me that I can't remember it)and is a large wide open dining area several tables with both seats and booths, and a bar area that seats about 5 or 6. I have known about this taste bud goldmine for a long time, but it took a while for me to get around to trying it, but once I did it was on like Donkey Kong. I usually like to check it out on Sunday's after a long nite of drinking, it is not only extremely tasty, but it is the super hangover helper. Baller on a budget secret, on Sunday's its a little cheaper than during the week and they include shrimp and bay scallops. Another cool thing about DW's is during lunch you can order unlimited trips or order just one trip(its a few buck cheaper), so you don't leave overly stuffed and you can save a couple bucks too.
To start off with the veggies are always super fresh and never look like they've been sitting around all day. They also have a large selection of meats including beef, pork, chicken (both white and dark meat), lamb, shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab. There is also a variety of sauces for you to season your ingredients with, so if you like it spicy add extra chili oil, heat not your thing there is ginger and sugar waters, minced garlic and many others. I recommend letting them sauce it up for you, I also recommend you shuck and jive yo arse over to the fresh salad bar & grab a few pineapple pieces to get in the mix. Speaking of salad bar it is fully stocked with the usual suspects as well as fruit, they also have selection of sushi (very good for buffet style sushi) and a dessert section to include a variety of PET ice cream cups.
Once the food hits the grill it's on, you catch the smells of goodness and in some cases can catch a pyro show or two. The real deal Asian cooks (not saying they are Mongolian, but at least they Asian unlike most spots where they are Hispanic or Ecuadorian)are their thing while you watch with delight. There is a bottle of god's nectar a.k.a. Sriracha and a can of salted peanuts you can throw on it when the nice chef hands you back your steaming hot plate of deliciousness, this is also a good time to show your appreciation for the chef doing his thing and leave a tip. When you get back to the table you will be greeted with a tasty bowl of egg drop or sweet and sour soup as well as steamed or fried rice and a basket of delicious sesame flatbread. Once you have finished your plate of tasty goodness rip a piece of that flatbread and sop up the sauce like a biscuit to gravy. Then make sure you go back for seconds (not more than you can eat though, remember there are starving kids in China) to try your food with a different variation on the sauce so you can see exactly what level of sauciness you can reach. If your like a friend of mine it's okay to admit that your lazy and just go thru the line once but get enough for 2 trips, that way you don't have to get up and go back thru the line again. Haha gotta love Rock. So make sure you get to DW's for a tasty Mongolian BBQ meal and super friendly staff.
This shizz was definitely the cats pajamas mickey fickey, and I will pass the word about this spot like the collection plate at a Sunday service, and I'll be back like the Terminator.
For sure it is kid friendly
No smoking
To start off with the veggies are always super fresh and never look like they've been sitting around all day. They also have a large selection of meats including beef, pork, chicken (both white and dark meat), lamb, shrimp, scallops, and imitation crab. There is also a variety of sauces for you to season your ingredients with, so if you like it spicy add extra chili oil, heat not your thing there is ginger and sugar waters, minced garlic and many others. I recommend letting them sauce it up for you, I also recommend you shuck and jive yo arse over to the fresh salad bar & grab a few pineapple pieces to get in the mix. Speaking of salad bar it is fully stocked with the usual suspects as well as fruit, they also have selection of sushi (very good for buffet style sushi) and a dessert section to include a variety of PET ice cream cups.
Once the food hits the grill it's on, you catch the smells of goodness and in some cases can catch a pyro show or two. The real deal Asian cooks (not saying they are Mongolian, but at least they Asian unlike most spots where they are Hispanic or Ecuadorian)are their thing while you watch with delight. There is a bottle of god's nectar a.k.a. Sriracha and a can of salted peanuts you can throw on it when the nice chef hands you back your steaming hot plate of deliciousness, this is also a good time to show your appreciation for the chef doing his thing and leave a tip. When you get back to the table you will be greeted with a tasty bowl of egg drop or sweet and sour soup as well as steamed or fried rice and a basket of delicious sesame flatbread. Once you have finished your plate of tasty goodness rip a piece of that flatbread and sop up the sauce like a biscuit to gravy. Then make sure you go back for seconds (not more than you can eat though, remember there are starving kids in China) to try your food with a different variation on the sauce so you can see exactly what level of sauciness you can reach. If your like a friend of mine it's okay to admit that your lazy and just go thru the line once but get enough for 2 trips, that way you don't have to get up and go back thru the line again. Haha gotta love Rock. So make sure you get to DW's for a tasty Mongolian BBQ meal and super friendly staff.
This shizz was definitely the cats pajamas mickey fickey, and I will pass the word about this spot like the collection plate at a Sunday service, and I'll be back like the Terminator.
For sure it is kid friendly
No smoking
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Donkey Dawgs
If you live in VA Beach any where near the oceanfront you need to check out this local dog & burger spot. Donkey Dawgs (1933 Virginia Beach Blvd. VA Beach, VA. 757-425-3885) may seem like a strange name for a hot dog spot but when you get there and realize that it also serves as the office for Air Station Storage (ASS) then it makes sense. I learned of Donkey Dawgs when I moved to the Oceana/First Colonial area and drove by it daily, noticing that they were open for breakfast as well as lunch. So after driving by several times I decided it was time to give it a try and I was hooked at first bite. This is one of those no frills hot dog spots that serves up good food fast and on paper plates and in solo plastic cups. Now don't be startled when you first walk in and you are greeted by a beaver and fox wearing Donkey Dawg shirts and at the very least 1 of the super friendly employees welcoming you. You will also notice that there are plenty of tables to sit at or several bar seats to choose from. Make sure you look towards the back wall for the daily specials and desserts, more on the desserts in a few.
With a menu that not only includes hot dogs such as the "Donkey Dawg" by Hormel, the "Corny Dawg" yes it's a corn dog, and the "NYC Dawg", a hot sausage with spicy mustard & onions. The burgers & sandwiches have even better names like "Runt" a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, & mayo, "Fat Boy" cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, & mayo, the "Pig Boy" that's right it has bacon on it. My favorite named sammy on the menu the "Barnyard Pimp" deep fried chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, & mayo. They also have Taylor pork roll, ham, turkey, chicken and egg salads. Philly cheesesteaks, hand cut fries, soups, and salads. Oh yeah they do breakfast too, with several hearty breakfast plates including bacon, sausage, eggs, waffles, pancakes, grits, and bagels. Like I said make sure you check the boards for the daily lunch specials too.
On my most recent visit with my lovely wife who decided to start with a cup of the soup of the day which was mexican chicken chili. Must say it was quite delicious with it's bounty of tender chicken, corn, black beans, tomato, and pepper. Had an excellent flavor and packed a nice little punch of heat too. I decided to start with a Carolina style Donkey Dawg, which comes fully equipped with mustard, onions, chili, and cole slaw. Now I must drop some knowledge on ya about this slaw, you ready, here it comes, it's yellow. That's right and no not yellow mustard yellow but a light yellow color and it's not from adding mustard to the slaw mix, but it is excellent and the best slaw I have ever eaten on a hot dog. But I digress, the chili on the hot dog isn't a thick pasty chili and it's not a thin flavorless chili water, it's the proper texture and has good flavor. My wife and I both feasted upon a "Pig Boy" and some hand cut fries, and let me tell you the fries are very tasty for hand cut. A lot of places you go that have hand cut fries, they sometimes aren't the most crispy fries or they are very greasy. The "Pig Boy" is a burger cooked on there well seasoned flat top and donned with crispy bacon and the cheese is put on the burger right when it's flipped and allowed to melt while the burger cooks. Robin (the owner/my personal favorite cook there) will place the top of the top bun on the grill and let it get nice and toasty while the cheese is melting. I also get grilled onions on my burger and they aren't the overcooked burnt onion slices they are tender tasty diced onions she piles up so nicely on the burger then serves it up with a smile. Both myself and the wifey have no complaints when it comes to the burgers here, and we showed the true sign of goodness in food when we fell silent to eat the tasty nuggets of goodness. The wifey is a fan of Taylor pork roll and says that they also have a very tasty Taylor pork roll sammich. I decided that I hadn't shoved enough in my face and going on a recommendation from the wife I opted for a homemade dessert in the form of a Keylime cake with icing. Now I am not a big fan of Keylime but occasionally I can get down and this was one of those occasions. It was very flavorful but not over powering in the keylime flavor, not to mention it had a crunchy outer crust while the center was super moist. Come to find out when they make a key lime dessert there they get keylimes delivered, now if that doesn't say tasty then I don't know what does.
Whenever your on the boulevard near First Colonial around lunch time or even breakfast time I recommend you swing thru Donkey Dawgs and give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
I pass the word about this place like a collection plate at a Sunday service and I'll be back like Terminator.
Kid friendly
non smoking
With a menu that not only includes hot dogs such as the "Donkey Dawg" by Hormel, the "Corny Dawg" yes it's a corn dog, and the "NYC Dawg", a hot sausage with spicy mustard & onions. The burgers & sandwiches have even better names like "Runt" a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, & mayo, "Fat Boy" cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, & mayo, the "Pig Boy" that's right it has bacon on it. My favorite named sammy on the menu the "Barnyard Pimp" deep fried chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, & mayo. They also have Taylor pork roll, ham, turkey, chicken and egg salads. Philly cheesesteaks, hand cut fries, soups, and salads. Oh yeah they do breakfast too, with several hearty breakfast plates including bacon, sausage, eggs, waffles, pancakes, grits, and bagels. Like I said make sure you check the boards for the daily lunch specials too.
On my most recent visit with my lovely wife who decided to start with a cup of the soup of the day which was mexican chicken chili. Must say it was quite delicious with it's bounty of tender chicken, corn, black beans, tomato, and pepper. Had an excellent flavor and packed a nice little punch of heat too. I decided to start with a Carolina style Donkey Dawg, which comes fully equipped with mustard, onions, chili, and cole slaw. Now I must drop some knowledge on ya about this slaw, you ready, here it comes, it's yellow. That's right and no not yellow mustard yellow but a light yellow color and it's not from adding mustard to the slaw mix, but it is excellent and the best slaw I have ever eaten on a hot dog. But I digress, the chili on the hot dog isn't a thick pasty chili and it's not a thin flavorless chili water, it's the proper texture and has good flavor. My wife and I both feasted upon a "Pig Boy" and some hand cut fries, and let me tell you the fries are very tasty for hand cut. A lot of places you go that have hand cut fries, they sometimes aren't the most crispy fries or they are very greasy. The "Pig Boy" is a burger cooked on there well seasoned flat top and donned with crispy bacon and the cheese is put on the burger right when it's flipped and allowed to melt while the burger cooks. Robin (the owner/my personal favorite cook there) will place the top of the top bun on the grill and let it get nice and toasty while the cheese is melting. I also get grilled onions on my burger and they aren't the overcooked burnt onion slices they are tender tasty diced onions she piles up so nicely on the burger then serves it up with a smile. Both myself and the wifey have no complaints when it comes to the burgers here, and we showed the true sign of goodness in food when we fell silent to eat the tasty nuggets of goodness. The wifey is a fan of Taylor pork roll and says that they also have a very tasty Taylor pork roll sammich. I decided that I hadn't shoved enough in my face and going on a recommendation from the wife I opted for a homemade dessert in the form of a Keylime cake with icing. Now I am not a big fan of Keylime but occasionally I can get down and this was one of those occasions. It was very flavorful but not over powering in the keylime flavor, not to mention it had a crunchy outer crust while the center was super moist. Come to find out when they make a key lime dessert there they get keylimes delivered, now if that doesn't say tasty then I don't know what does.
Whenever your on the boulevard near First Colonial around lunch time or even breakfast time I recommend you swing thru Donkey Dawgs and give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
I pass the word about this place like a collection plate at a Sunday service and I'll be back like Terminator.
Kid friendly
non smoking
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
