China Lights - Oriental Cuisine

My review of China Lights Restaurant is my 3rd of three reviews for Mongolian BBQ/Chinese buffets.  While China Lights does not offer a Mongolian BBQ, I am including it in the series because of it's vast buffet.

There is a menu at China Lights, but I have never looked at it.  There is no need to look at a menu when there is such a large buffet with such a huge selection.  There is sushi, kimchi, soup, seafood, and all of the Chinese dishes you would expect in this buffet.  It is vast, and all encompassing.  If you don't see something that appeals to you, just wait!  The staff is constantly bringing out new dishes and refreshing the selection.  They even have a decent selection of desserts...including soft serve ice cream!

I am not suggesting that China Lights offers the best versions of the dishes offered in their buffet, but I have not been disappointed by any of their offerings.  Sometimes quantity and selection is important.  When you are in this situation, go to China Lights!

China Lights:

Address - 9220 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage and 12110 Business Blvd, Eagle River

Phone - 907.522.5888 (Anchorage) and 907.694.8060 (Eagle River)

Website - www.chinalightsak.com

Overall Recommendation:  I have only ever been to the Anchorage location, but I have to say that it is the best buffet featuring Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes.  You can't find a larger selection and variety than China Lights.

Ding How Mongolian BBQ

The Ding How Mongolian BBQ review is the 2nd of my three part series of Mongolian BBQ and Chinese buffets.  The Ding How is a very clean, bright restaurant with a kind of upscale feel.  There is a buffet and a Mongolian BBQ.

I think that restaurants that feature a Mongolian BBQ offer Chinese buffets for people that don't like vegetables (LOL).  There are some good things in the buffet, like broccoli beef, but your best bet is the Mongolian BBQ.  

The Mongolian BBQ offers all of the fresh vegetables, pork, beef, chicken that you come to expect from a good Mongolian BBQ.  The service is friendly, but I have sometimes run into a language barrier.  That said, when you are on the east side of Anchorage, and feeling like some asian cuisine, there isn't too much better.  I say give it a try.

Ding How Mongolian BBQ:

Address - 1241 Muldoon Road, Anchorage 99504

Phone - 907.345.0033

Overall Recommendation:  Very good Mongolian BBQ.  Fairly typical, so-so Chinese buffet.

Twin Dragon Mongolian BBQ

This is my first entry in a series of Chinese food reviews.  The chinese buffet is a ubiquitous thing in Anchorage, and there are a few Mongolian BBQ's in town as well.  I thought I would go ahead and review them in a quick series for comparison.

One of my favorite places to go for a quick, healthy, and tasty meal is Twin Dragon.  They are located near downtown, but they don't seem to be too long of  drive from most of Anchorage.  The inside is a bit drab and aged, but it is clean and casual, and with a friendly staff.

Twin Dragon features not only a Mongolian BBQ, but a Chinese buffet with a limited number of offerings.  In my opinion, it is not worth filling up on the average buffet.  On the other hand, the Mongolian BBQ is quite good.

The BBQ offers the usual beef, pork, and chicken, as well as all of the fresh veggies that you normally  associate with a Mongolian BBQ.  There is no secret formula that I am aware of, just fresh food that is cooked fast and healthy.

Twin Dragon Mongolian BBQ:

Address - 615 E 15th Ave, Anchorage 99501

Phone - 907.276.7535

Overall Recommendation:  Go for the BBQ, leave the buffet.

VIP Restaurant - Korean

As a swim coach I have families with kinds of different ethnic backgrounds.  I have had a Korean family on my team who eats at the VIP once a week, and they rave about it.  Recently I took my wife and we gave it a try.

banchan

The ambience is pretty generic, but the service was fast and friendly.  We had not really had Korean before, so my wife tried the bibimbap while I tried a spicy squid and vegetable dish.  We were both very pleased with the meal.  To be honest, I was sweating through mine, but it was a pleasant heat that I got from the food.

The dinner came with an array of banchan, which is a variety of small dishes with vegetables, pickles, etc.  I would pick from the banchan and augment a bite of my squid dish.  With so many choices, it was like getting a different palate sensation with each bite.

Bibimbap

The bibimbap (mixed meal) came in a bowl with vegetables, an egg, and beef.  You literally mix it together yourself and go to town!  My wife loved it!  There are a variety of bibimbap to choose from, and I can't imagine any of them are bad.

Both of use were both stuffed afterward, but without much guilt.  Most of the meal is vegetables, and pretty healthy.  Not to bad for someone who is watching what they eat.



VIP Restaurant:

Address - 555 W Northern Lights Blvd, #105, Anchorage, AK 99503

Phone - 907.279.7549

Overall Recommendation:  When Korean families I know rave about the authenticity of the food, I know it must be good.  I think it is a stand out for ethnic food in Anchorage.  Be adventurous and give it a try.

Pagoda - The Best Restaurant in North Pole and maybe all of Alaska

The Pagoda Restaurant is the "must eat at" place to go when in North Pole.  It has been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and it is a perennial winner of the local "People's Choice" awards for the best Asian food in the Fairbanks area.

The building started out as an Arby's back in the 80's.  In the late 80's the Arby's went out of business and the Pagoda was born.  Since then it has always been a the first place I want to go to when I go home.

My wife and I went to visit my family over the holidays.  When I called my mom to let her know when we were going to arrive, she immediately offered to take us directly to Pagoda.  If she had not offered, I would have asked anyway.  We literally drove straight from the Fairbanks International Airport to Pagoda in North Pole.

My parents go to Pagoda regularly, and the waitstaff knows their orders when they walk in the door.  My father likes his Mongolian Beef with a little extra kick, and my mother has the Mongolian Chicken.  I ordered the Beef with Fresh Broccoli and my wife had Ginger Chicken.

I ordered my Beef and Broccoli spicy, and then started in on the Hot and Sour soup.  It really hit the spot, and it definitely has a kick.  I love this soup.  The meal comes with your choice of soup (hot and sour, egg drop, or won ton), pork fried rice, and an egg roll.

I can tell you that the egg rolls are very good and so is the rice, but the portion of Beef and Broccoli is so large, and delicious, that I did not have any room for the sides.  The savory sauce and extra spice balanced perfectly and the broccoli and carrots had the perfect tenderness.  I highly recommend this dish, but I like everything on the menu.

I think you would be hard pressed to find something on this menu that you will not like.  I can't wait to visit my family again, just so that I can go to Pagoda for dinner or lunch!


Pagoda Restaurant:

Address - 431 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, AK 99705

Phone - 907.488.3338

Website - pagodanorthpole.com

Reservations - None. First come, first serve.

Overall Recommendation - Go!  Right now!  This is good stuff.  The waitstaff is super friendly.  The portions are generous.  The food is great.

P.F. Chang's - Good enough to look past the trendy

I am one of those guys who fights the "trendy" restaurant chains.  Give me a great local restaurant over a chain any day.  That said, P.F. Chang's ain't too shabby.  It offers fresh asian flavors...even if it is to the masses.  During our trip to Seattle, we needed some sustenance after some mall shopping.  Right there in the mall was a P.F. Chang's, so we through caution to the wind and went for it.

We started with the Spring Rolls.  They have a nice blend of hot mustard, sweet, and savory sauces that they blend for dipping that is dyn-O-mite.  For my main dish I went with the Chang's Spicy Chicken.  It was also tasty.  The chicken was tender and savory with just a hint of spice.  I actually save the dip from the spring rolls and dipped my chicken....pow!

The dining area has nice mood lighting, but it is definitely not a quiet space.  The wait staff is working hard and fast, but our server was friendly and did a great job tending to our table.  All in all, not bad for a chain.

P.F. Changs:

Website - www.pfchangs.com

Reservations - Can be made online, or you can sit and wait.  Tables seem to turn over quickly, and there is usually plenty of seating.

Overall Recommendation - I still like to frequent the "local" restaurant, but if you want decent chinese food, P.F. Chang's will do.