One of my favorite styles of restaurant is the do-it-yourself stir fry slash Mongolian Grill setup. I was first introduced by Dave when he took me to Chang’s for lunch while we both worked in the same cube farm way back when. A few months ago, a coworker introduced me to The Real Chow Baby on Howell Mill Rd at 11th across the street from Slice. It has since become an almost weekly lunch locale for me and my fellow cube monkeys. I don’t have the time or energy for a full restaurant review other than to say that Chow Baby is doing almost everything right. The main reason for this post is to inform you that I AM VERY GOOD at Mongolian Grill. No, I mean very good. Behold, The Tony Bowl:

Noodles (Lo Mein or Soba or whatever isn’t fettuccine)
Broccoli
Snow Peas
Sliced fresh jalapenos
Red Bell Pepper
Pineapple
Sprouts
Minced Garlic
A bunch of cilantro
Chicken (with ~1TBof the spicy chili sauce)
Two ladles of Lime Ginger Basil sauce.

If you work in Midtown or downtown and have access to a car for your lunch break, a trip to Chow Baby is definitely worth it, but get there early. If you’re in the door anytime after say 12:15, you’re going to have to wait for a table AND wait in a helluva long line for food.

(The proprietors of Chow Baby will wince when I say this, but if you can’t get your lunch brigade mobilized in time, redirect yourselves up to Hot Stix in that new development at Lindbergh (the one with the Taco Mac). It is so similar to Chow Baby I can’t help but think of McDowellss from Coming to America when we eat there. I still prefer Chow Baby when we plan ahead, but Hot Stix is a worthy backup option.)