Mango

Mango Restaurant
2733 Getwell
369-4334

When Jennifer Biggs, of the CA, reviewed Mango back in April, I immediately put it on my list of places to take the monkeys (Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8). Mexican, Middle Eastern, AND ice cream? Yes, please.

Last Saturday, we once again made the trek to Sky Zone and I made it a point to drive home via Getwell, so we could check out Mango. It's in a strip mall, and pretty easy to miss. I had to circle back after passing it.



The inside is very cute and your meal could easily be sidetracked due to the prominence of the ice cream counter.



Thankfully, the monkeys were actually interested in eating. I wasn't sure if we should sit down or order at the counter (since there's a huge menu on the wall), but a nice man, who I am assuming to be the owner, told us to have a seat.

The menu on the wall was very large, like I said, and contained pictures. Satchel immediately honed in on the hot wings. (Seriously, he has a problem. The problem being I ate hot wings throughout my pregnancy with him?)

The waiter/owner handed us all what he called "new menus."



I couldn't really discern the differences, so we proceeded with Satchel's order of hot wings. "You want hot?" the waiter/owner asked Satchel. I followed up with "Hot or mild?" He looked at us both like we were stupid, and said, "Hot."

"Oh, he's a big boy!" the waiter/owner commented.

Jiro wanted a cheeseburger, per usual. The waiter/owner who had previously tried to get us to order drinks rather than waters, noted that if Jiro was getting a cheeseburger and fries, he could have a free drink. I really didn't think Jiro needed a soft drink, but he put me on the spot. He listed the drinks for Jiro, who then selected fruit punch.

I really hoped to convince Satchel to get a mango burger, which actually comes with mango, but he would not be swayed. These dudes have gotten in a serious cheeseburger/hot wing rut. Much like the chicken nugget, hot wings and cheeseburgers are on a lot of menus.

Anyway, I wanted to try both the mango burger and the hummus with ground beef that Biggs highlighted, but there were lots of other things that sounded good too. I needed Warren so we could split a few things, but I was on my own. I asked the waiter/owner to make a suggestion and he suggested I try the shishawook platter. Sold!

While we waited for our food, the waiter/owner brought out a plate of chicharrones. Usually chicharrones are fried pork skins. I guess that's what these might have been, albeit a very processed version. They didn't have much flavor until I squeezed the lime and added a little hot sauce. Then they were a nice appetizer.



Our food came out soon after. I thought Jiro's burger looked very tasty. Bigg's noted that the burgers weren't hand formed, but based on the looks and size of the patty I had to wonder if maybe they took her suggestion and upgraded the meat.



Jiro was somewhat distraught that his burger had lettuce, tomato, and a shit ton of mayo on it.



I immediately performed surgery on it and somehow convinced him it was not ruined. Pshew! He was still a little cranky about it because it was slippery. I wrapped a napkin around it and that helped. He only made it through half of it, but it was a pretty big burger.



Satchel was pleased with his wings. He polished off the fries first and then dug in.



He managed to get through three before declaring it felt like he had needles in his tongue! I tried one and it was hot, but not crazy hot. I think I'll tell him to save his fries to help with the fire next time.

My plate was absolutely lovely.



The chicken was grilled to perfection. I let Jiro try it and he said, "Mmmm, it's like Daddy's chicken." The pita was nice and warm and I loved the garlic sauce. Also, the salad was fresh and flavorful. The rice was nothing special, which was fine, because I was too full to eat it. I let Satch have it in the hopes it would help with his mouth burn.

While we were eating, another family came in, and I noted that one of the cooks, who had brought out our food, was called over to take their order, in Spanish. (Our waiter/owner was the source of the Middle Eastern dishes on the menu.)

I thought for sure the monkeys would want ice cream, but I guess they were full. When I told Jiro I was going to see what they had, he said he would look too.

There were about twenty flavors of Blue Bell ice cream for scooping, milkshaking, or making sundaes.



And an assortment of pre-packaged treats.



There were also paletas from Paletas Lichitas in Nashville.



I only just realized they were from Nashville, otherwise I might have tried one. I ended up getting a chocolate/vanilla ice cream bar instead.



Jiro went for a Crunch bar.



We paid at the counter. Our total was a very reasonable $25.90 and there was no tip line, or tip jar.

The waiter/owner was very nice and wanted to know how we liked everything, how we heard about the place, and if we'd be back. Oh yes, we'll be back. I have many more menu items to try.

Leonard's

Leonard's Pit Barbeque
5465 Fox Plaza Drive
901-360-1963

So, I have this friend named Hope. We met in kindergarten at YMCA Camp. Then we ended up on the same soccer team in first grade. We played soccer for many years and eventually started going to the same schools in sixth grade and graduated from White Station together. In all of our years together I do not remember us ever eating bbq. Maybe a trip or two to Gridley's because my dad was paying, but eh.

Hope moved away for college and now only comes to visit Memphis once or twice a year. She rarely misses Memphis in May, so she is in town now. Over the past few years she has fallen in love with Leonard's. All she ever talks about is Leonard's. Leonard's Leonard's Leonard's. So yesterday, I took the monkeys (Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8) to Leonard's to have dinner with Hope.



(It was sunny.)

There used to be a Leonard's downtown, and I went once for lunch with Chip. Despite growing up in the Fox Meadows area, I really had no idea where this other Leonard's was. It's tucked behind the Krystal's on Mt. Moriah on Fox Plaza Drive. Judging from the kitschiness of it, I think it had to be there when I was little. Anyways, I loved the looks of it.




We arrived around 6pm and it wasn't very crowded. (Later we saw a large group of elderly people emerge from a party room.) Leonard's is known for their buffet, but we were not there on a buffet night. We took a seat next to the car parked in the dining room.



(Of course the monkeys tried to get in the car, but it was locked.)

A waiter came right over and took our drink order. There isn't any beer on tap and the flavors are fairly limited so I went with a Miller Light. Jiro ordered a root beer when I wasn't paying attention and I thought it was nice that the waiter okay'd it with me before bringing it. (Actually, he assumed Hope was Jiro's mom at first, which was even better.)



Yes, it looks like a beer, but it's root beer. Jiro guzzled it in about a minute and begged for a second but I said no.

Now, as for food. Satchel and Jiro were both starved and both requested chips and burgers. Sorry monkeys, no chips or burgers. Satchel actually looked at the menu and then requested ribs and fries. I read Jiro his options and he settled on chicken fingers and fries.



I ordered a bbq salad, but imagined it as bbq nachos. And a side of spaghetti. (Not bbq spaghetti, but regular spaghetti.) Hope got a pile of meat and some ravioli on the side. Not sure what's up with the Italian dishes.

We had plenty to talk about so it seemed like the food came out fairly quickly. I had just given the monkeys pens to draw on napkins with to keep them calm, but they weren't necessary. Both of their dinners seemed to be good portions.




The curly fries made me laugh and reminded me of the time I took them to Hooter's (which used to be down the street).



They talked about those fries for weeks. Heh.

My salad was ok. I mean, it wasn't nachos, but it was ok.



Without the pepperoncinis it would have been a total loss. I eventually covered it in bbq sauce, but once I started eating it I realized that the bbq sauce was nasty. (Shh! Don't tell Hope!) It had a singed flavor. At least to me it did.

Thank goodness for my side of spaghetti.



Hope seemed quite pleased with her dinner, so that's all that mattered, really.



(That's her "Are you really taking my picture while I'm trying to chow down on my favorite Q?" face.)

I should mention that my mom and sister were also in attendance and both ordered a half slab of ribs. Both agreed it was a huge serving and both seemed pleased. Tracey gave me one of her wedge fries.



Satchel, who was very dirty, and still hungry, after finishing his dinner wanted a second dinner of chicken fingers. He has a bad habit of wanting a second dinner after his first and then not being able to eat it, so I sad no. He then consoled himself by dipping crackers and bread into Jiro's honey mustard sauce.

Oh yes, the bread. They brought a basket out during the meal. They were delicious and buttery. My mom said they were Sister Shubert's rolls.

When we were all done, and the leftovers packed up, we went to the register to pay. For me and the monkeys it was $30 ($36 with tip). That didn't seem terrible, but I can think of a lot of other meals I'd rather spend $36 on.

The monkeys had spotted the $.03 lollipops on the way in, and their grandmother generously gave them a quarter to spend. That's was a pretty good deal.



And Hope, bless her heart, bought six bottles of sauce to take back to Virginia.



All in all, it was alright. Great atmosphere, good service, ok food. Next time, assuming there is one, I'll take Warren on a buffet day.

Rancho Grande

Rancho Grande
5359 Winchester Road
547-7885



We're pretty versed in the Mexican fare available in Midtown and along Summer Avenue and Macon Road. After noticing the ads for Rancho Grande in the Flyer, we decided to head over to Winchester and check it out. (I have a feeling there are all sorts of treasures over there.)

It's been open about 8 months, but clearly getting a real sign is not high on the "to do" list. Judging from the picture it looks like there used to be a Mexican restaurant there before, but I'm not for sure. (I'm also not sure, but I think this might have been a Pizza Hut way back when I grew up in Fox Meadows.)

From what I can tell, there are one or two other Rancho Grandes in Mississippi--Southaven and Olive Branch.



Inside, the place is huge. There's an enormous dining room and bar when you first come in, and an open kitchen and game room to the right. The decor is awesome. There are all sorts of things adorning the walls from flamenco dancers to Frida Kahlo.

Despite it being a Friday night, and this place clearly having enough space for a crowd, we were among just a handful of diners. (They had beer on the menu, but not margaritas. I've found that when there are no margaritas on the menu, there aren't many gringos in the restaurant.) We grabbed a booth in the main dining area and perused the menu, which was in both English and Spanish.



Among the offerings, we saw Menudo, which we took as a sign of authenticity. Our waitress brought out homemade chips, which were nice and warm, as well as a selection of salsas--both very good signs. I went ahead and ordered cheese dip for the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) as well as our drinks.



There were all sorts of things on the menu that I had never heard of and trying to decide on just one was hard. I ultimately went for the Tamales Rancheros (rather than other option--Tamales Gringos) and a shrimp tostada. Warren knew right away that he wanted a whole fish. The kids have become pretty standard taco eaters, and when not eating tacos, Satchel is happy to just eat rice and beans.

There was a bit of a language barrier with the waitress, but we got our order in and patiently waited for the food to arrive. As I mentioned, there were plenty of things on the walls to look at, some people watching, and soccer on a big screen TV.

Satchel and Jiro occupied themselves thumb-wrestling once we grew tired of trying to find a funny Pizza Hut video on YouTube.



Once the food came out, we all dug right in. My tamale was fried, which made it nice and crisp--a totally new texture in terms of all of the other tamales I've eaten. It was burrito sized and buried under a nice heap of shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, and crumbled cotija cheese. It was quite tasty.



I was also very happy with my shrimp ceviche tostada.



Warren was thrilled with his fish. Whole tilapia is a standard order for him at Mexican restaurants, but he thought this was above average. He liked that the fin was waving at him, and the fries on the side were a nice touch. "Fish and chips!" he exclaimed.



The monkeys' dinners didn't get photographed, so they must not have been too exciting. I know Jiro finished his whole taco and commented on the fact that it has two corn tortillas. "They gave me two taco buns," he said.

Once we were all done with dinner, we couldn't resist getting a dessert (although Warren said he could eat another fish). I described the Nieve frita--Corn Flake coated fried ice cream--and our choice was a no-brainer.



"It's gooder than cereal," declared Jiro. (Satchel still claimed his rice was the best dish of the evening. He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.)

When we were all done, the monkeys went with me to pay at the counter, because they could see it was lined with candy for sale. Most of it was candy they weren't familiar with, so their interest eventually waned. They attempted to get me to buy them a Hot Wheel off of a wall dispenser, but we finished with Hot Wheels many years ago.

Our total bill was $31.40, which seemed incredibly reasonable. On our way out, I noticed a sign that said kids eat free on Saturdays (off of the kids' menu) and if you bring a church bulletin, you can get 10% off on Sunday.

We made a bathroom run on our way out. They are located in the back of the game room side. Nothing special, but clean--no changing table that I noticed. The location could be potentially dangerous if you have a 6-9 year old who will beg you for quarters.

We'll be back--maybe on a Saturday night. I'd like to try their burritos, which they advertise as the best, and the botanos. And I'm pretty sure the original La Michoacana isn't too far away.

Ching's Hot Wings

Ching's Hot Wing's
1264 Getwell
743-5545

A few Saturdays ago, we ventured out to Ching's Hot Wings on Getwell. I'd heard a lot about it, but had never been before. I have a very serious chicken wing addiction, so I needed to check it out. I'll admit that when we pulled up, I was a little worried that it might not be a great place to take the kids, but once inside, everyone was all smiles and very cool.

There was a bit of a line at the window, so after a quick look at the menu--which was basically all chicken wings--I sent the dudes to sit down at a booth. I decided to get a couple of 5 piece whole wing combos--one mild hot and one plain--that included fries and a drink. Warren had asked for some jalapeno poppers, so I added those on to our order. The total was $19. The young girl behind the window instructed me to sit down and she said she'd call my name when it was ready.

I joined the dudes at the table and too in the atmosphere. I'd heard that Ching's was a big U of M hangout, but I wasn't prepared for flat screen TVs tuned to every game imaginable lining the walls of the very small dining room.


I think this picture can somewhat give you an idea of how into sports we all are.


Every once in a while, Warren would comment about something happening in the football game playing behind me, which I thought was funny. (Funny because he watches maybe 3 hours of sports a year.) He mostly scrolled through the Huffington Post, the monkeys drew, and I took notes.

About twenty minutes passed and they still hadn't called my name. It was definitely pretty busy, but twenty minutes is my threshold for waiting for food. Plus, we had tickets to Peter Pan at the Playhouse and I was getting concerned that we might be late. I went to the window to check on our order and a very helpful man told me it would just be a minute or two. And it was.

At first one of the girls mistakenly gave me a huge party pan and for a minute I felt really embarrassed about over ordering. Once I realized it couldn't possibly be ours, I went back to the window and got what we actually ordered.




The poppers were nothing special, probably frozen and fried.

The hot wings were spicy but not too hot, maybe a tad on the salty side. The fries had a special seasoning on them that was also salty and Warren said the mix had curry in it too. We also liked that the carrots were blanched or marinated.

The plain wings were covered in the same seasoning as the fries and Jiro took one teeny tiny taste and said he didn't like them. I was pretty shocked since he is a major chicken wing fan like me. No amount of coaxing could get him to eat any, and he similarly rejected the fries. I think he may have taken one bite of bread.

Luckily Satchel liked the wings and happily ate them up.


And as you can see from Warren's fingers, they were deliciously messy. (Each table has a canister of Clorox wipes!)


We pretty much had to eat and run in order to make the play, so there was no time to check out the bathrooms or anything like that. I'm not sure the monkeys will want to go back, but I dragged Warren there just a few days later for lunch. Then I decided to do a little write up for the Flyer. If you decide to check it out, I suggest you go all the way and get some Orange Mound Punch and get several flavors of sauce. (They'll mix and match for you.)

Asiana Garden

Asiana Garden
5992 Mount Moriah Rd
795-6147

Asiana Garden has been open for about twenty years. I remember going with my dad and again with my friend's parents when I was in college. I have no idea why it took me so long to go back! It's just one of those places that we always drive by, say we should go to, but then never do.

Warren and I were trying to think of a good restaurant to go to before seeing The Last Airbender last Thursday with the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6), and it finally seemed like the perfect time to go to Asiana Garden. 1. It isn't too far from the Paradiso and 2. We like to eat Asian food all the time, but especially before movies featuring Asia, anime, etc. The monkeys only cared about the movie and begged to skip dinner.


Inside, we had the choice of sitting at a regular table, or at a table with a small grill in the middle where we could cook our own dinner. We of course chose the latter. The nice waitress brought waters and menus right over. I noticed a wall of photos and went to look at them before ordering. Back at the table, I reported that the dumplings looked really good. We also agreed to get the spicy Korean pork to cook at the table, and I couldn't resist the Bi Bim Bop. I asked our waitress if the spicy pork would be too spicy for the kids and she said yes, and recommended the Korean beef instead. Once we had ordered everything, I asked if we had ordered enough and she suggested maybe getting one more dish. So we added the spicy pork back on! (Tip: don't ever ask the waitress, who might also be the owner, if she thinks you've ordered enough food!)

The waitress soon rolled it a cart full of food. The spicy pork and Korean beef came with a multitude of sides including rice, spicy pickles, kim chi, shaved daikon, squid, miso paste, and romaine lettuce leaves each on their own plate. It was immediately clear that we'd come to the right place! (Most meals at home involve multiple small plates and dishes.) The monkeys tore into the rice and would occasionally agree to taste something Warren held out to them on a fork. (The squid and shaved daikon were approved by the monkeys.)


While the meat cooked, we feasted on the items in the little bowls, and on the super hot dumplings. They had pork and cabbage inside and came with a soy and chili dipping sauce. Satchel ate one and Jiro ate half of one.


My Bi Bim Bop also came out nice and fast. I liked the addition of seaweed on top. My favorite part is the crispy bits of rice that cook onto the bottom of the bowl. (This comes out super hot, you pour spicy sauce on top, and then mix everything together.)


Every so often the waitress or another young waiter would come over and check on the meat. When they cut it with scissors, we knew we were getting close to chow time.


Warren liked making little Asian tacos with the accoutrements. Our waitress instructed us to eat the meat on the lettuce. "It's tastier that way," she said.


Satchel and Jiro both loved the food and getting to see it cook. Satchel was freezing, as usual, and the warmth of the grill warmed him up. It was sunken in the table so there was no danger of getting burned, but a few years ago when the monkeys were a bit wilder, I probably would have opted for a regular table. (They can cook the meat in the kitchen and bring it out.) They also offer a portable grill option. I didn't see that, so I don't know if it would be safer or more dangerous.

There were a lot of families dining when we were there. Most notable was the fact that the customers were from many different cultures. We saw hispanics, Asians, and Indians. I'd say that's a pretty good sign of the quality of the food and service.


Satchel pointed out that there wasn't a single candy/gum/toy machine by the front door. I consider that a plus. A quick trip to the bathroom revealed it to be very nice, but no changing table. Our multiple leftovers were put into two styrofoam boxes.

Our total was $52, which was definitely more than we had planned on spending, but again, we over-ordered. We could have easily skipped the Bi Bim Bop and the dumplings and still had plenty to eat.