Sixthirtyone

Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Alicia Smith

Media Credit: Alicia Smith

Media Credit: Alicia Smith

Sixthirtyone recently discovered the Genghis Grill, a new Mongolian stir-fry restaurant on Cherry Street, just west of Utica. Manager Dino Nithianandan sat down with Sixthirtyone and explained the concept of his restaurant.

Genghis Grill offers a unique dining experience. Customers begin with a bowl and select their own stir-fry ingredients, picking out exactly the types of meat, vegetables, spices, sauces, and starch that they would like in their meal. All of the produce is fresh, and while refrigerated, is never frozen. Genghis Grill is sensitive to food allergies, and offers many vegetarian dishes. According to Nithianandan, Genghis Grill offers more than thirty unique types of vegetables. Looking for bok choi, water chestnuts, or baby corn? Genghis Grill can add any of these to your bowl.

After much discussion of the vegetable options available to the customer, Sixthirtyone wanted to know the most popular types of protein at Genghis Grill. As might be expected in Oklahoma, beef led the list, followed by shrimp and chicken. It is interesting to note that crab, scallops, and pork are also offered and are tasty additions to any noodle bowl.

When a customer walks into Genghis Grill, he or she is given a bowl by the server and heads to the buffet line. There are five steps to do next:
1. Choose a protein - beef, shrimp, chicken, etc.
2. Add seasoning. Genghis Grill offers a variety of spices, from salt and pepper to special dragon salt.
3. Select vegetables to add to the bowl.
4. Select a sauce. The Grill has 15 types of ethnic Asian sauces from which to choose.
5. Pick a starch ranging from Udon noodles to fried rice.

The customer then hands the bowl and sauce over to the chefs. The ingredients are then stir-fried on a large, round, open grill by "grillmasters" who use wooden utensils to quickly fry the ingredients. In a few minutes, a steaming rice bowl or noodle bowl is delivered from the grill to the customer's table. Everything about the ordering and preparation process empowers customer choice and encourages experimenting with new ingredients or combinations. The bowls Sixthirtyone enjoyed on a recent visit were a meal unto themselves - rich, spicy, and savory. One caution: while the self service spices and sauces may tempt a new customer to indulge, it is wise to follow the posted instructions and begin with only one spice and one sauce - too many competing flavors can prevent the customer from enjoying any of the individual spices or sauces.

Besides having a grill and spacious seating area, Genghis Grill also offers a full service bar with Asian beers such as Supporo, Tsingtao, and Asahi. Glasses of beer start at $6.99, and refills with the Genghis Grill glass are $3.50. Catering is also available from Genghis Grill - popular dishes include Teriyaki Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork, and Stir Fry Beef.

Stepping back from the food and dining experience, Sixthirtyone asked Mr. Nithianandan about the history of the Genghis Grill concept. In business since 1997, Genghis Grill makes its corporate office in Dallas and has a total of 40 stores around the country, from Texas to Minnesota and Nevada to Tennessee. There are 27 stores in Texas alone, and 16 around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Cherry Street location in Tulsa is part of an expansion into the Oklahoma and Arkansas markets.

Genghis Grill hours are 11am to 10pm, and on Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm.

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