BD's Mongolian Barbecue

Oh, I love to eat at Mongolian Barbecue. It's one of my favorite places to eat in Traverse City (Ann Arbor has a much better restaurant selection, and I haven't eaten at the one there since I moved there). Here's what I always get to eat for my first bowl: sausage, shrimp, green peppers, onions, and chili garlic sauce and all the spices that start with C (cayenne, chili powder, and Cajun - but not curry). Oooh, it's so good - kind of a really simple spicy gumbo. Here's what I get for my second bowl: vegetables, lots of 'em, and the same sauce and spices. I like my stir fry hot. Whenever I feel like I haven't been eating enough vegetables, I always think about going to Mongolian Barbecue, because I can eat all the tasty vegetables I want.
The atmosphere at Mongolian Barbecue, however, is less than great. It walks a fine line between an actual restaurant and "eatertainment" - the grillers make such a production of preparing the food, but I just want them to cook it and leave me alone. I don't need anyone to juggle my egg, you know? And the one in Traverse City is always so loud. When I worked at Bennigan's, I learned the secret to the radio volume at chain restaurants: the radio is set on some sort of sensor, so when the restaurant gets loud, the music gets louder, and when it's quiet inside because there's only one table eating, the music is softer. When people ask "Can you turn the radio down?" the answer is a legitimate "No." People just need to talk quieter. Anyway, MB is always loud when I'm in there because the cooks are yelling at each other, and then the customers talk loudly, and then the music gets louder... it's a vicious circle. If the food weren't so tasty, the atmosphere would keep me away forever.

Do you think that the Mongol horde really cooked their food that way?

Mongolian Barbecue - B-