The Real Chow Baby

Funky Laid Back Atmosphere

MsToney (casual diner), 14 Dec 2011, 13:12

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Tuesday night, what to eat? Chow Baby!!! Never heard of it? I hadn’t either. The Real Chow Baby, referred to by people in the know as simply, Chow Baby, is a dining experience that can be enjoyed by all. With its funky colored walls, inviting open spaces, and a playlist straight from a very diverse 80’s music file, I felt right at home with the atmosphere. Our waitress, Brie, was quick, all smiles and helpful as she politely explained how one actually eats at Chow Baby.

First, there were two drink menus and a full bar. What to drink, what to drink? I settled on the Miami Blue and it was so tasty I enjoyed another one before the evening was over. I am not a beer drinker but my brother is and he ended up with the biggest beer bottle I have ever seen, a 22oz Flat Tire. Good drinks but how do we eat?

Next, the appetizer menu! Again, this menu is full of choices: calamari, vegie egg rolls, vegie steam rolls, crab rangoon, shrimp tempura and many more. We decided on the chicken pot stickers and we were not disappointed. They were crispy as well as tasty and the dipping sauce consisted of more than just salt. Plus there were plenty on the plate.

As Brie explained, Chow Baby has an eight step process to ensure that each person gets exactly what they want to eat, nothing more, nothing less. We were given a small paddle to write our names on, which at some point we both misplaced but thanks to Brie we had new ones in a jiffy. The paddle is to be placed in you black bowl along with your choice of low mein, flat noodles, brown or white rice. It is also at this first station you get to pick colored plastic sticks in order to indicate: shrimp, salmon, soup, salad, wrap, vegetarian and Roti bread. I opted for Roti bread (because I had never had it) and shrimp. Let me just say that the Roti bread is delicious.

Next you make your way to the buffet-style line and fill your little black bowl with your choice of over 70 FRESH ingredients; literally everything from asparagus to zucchini. Part of the fun is trying to keep the food in your bowl as well as watching the other dinners do the same. The bowls seem little compared to the number of options one has to choose from. Next stop, protein!!! At the meat station you get an even smaller red bowl to get your chicken, beef, tilapia, and whatever else your palate desires. Last but certainly not least is the spice bar and as with everything else there are plenty of choices to pick from.

Having handed our overflowing bowls off to the grill masters we watched them go to work on a 60-inch flat top grill. While we waited to taste our creations Wes, the friendly bartender, got us another drink. The food at Chow Baby comes off the grill and hits your table in less than 60 seconds and it is still steaming.

When you decide what is going into your stir fry there is no way you can be disappointed . . . the food at Chow Baby is hot and tasty.

Things I Liked:
• Atmosphere
• Price
• Service
• It’s All You Can Eat

Things I Didn’t Like:
• Nothing