campus loop

Like I said earlier, I've been getting through the huge number of restaurants across the street from Mt. Sac, and progress has slowly been made.
There are several places to eat at Mt. Sac, the most notable being Carl's Jr, Mountie Grill, and Campus Cafe. I opted for the Cafe, since I didn't want a burger. I've been to the Cafe several times, and have been disappointed with each visit. They have this "buffet" offer, where you pile as much as you can on a small oval plate for around 7 bucks, which is a pretty good deal, if the food wasn't so bad. The problem is that nothing is very fresh since it just sits there under heat lamps or steam trays, granted they do change it up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At least I hope they do for lunch and dinner. During this visit, I opted for the beef burrito for around $6. It came with rice, beans, beef(?), cheese, and your choice of several salsas and jalapenos, to which I got pico de gallo, salsa verde, and jalapenos. They've also got two types of red salsa...one I'm guessing is mild and the other hot. Sour cream or guac is a dollar extra. The lady gave it to me for free.




Horrible. I'm referring to both the picture and the burrito. The beef was not good. It didn't taste like Taco Bell's ground beef, nor did it even taste like those taco seasoning packets you can buy at the market. I don't know what it tasted like. I suspect they may have used leftover beef from something else, and cooked it up for the burrito meat. Needless to say, it wasn't very good, although if you put enough Tapatio on it, it won't matter what it tastes like anymore. Overall, I would recommend it if you're looking for a filler and don't have enough time to go across the street because it's pretty big(after trying to wrap it and having the tortilla rip, she wrapped the whole thing in another tortilla), but taste wise, it's not very good. The chicken is a bit better, but it's pretty dry. The service, however, has always been friendly. But all in all, this place has me missing UCSD dorm food.

Campus Cafe (Located on the West Side of Campus)
Not sure about the hours. The day I went, they closed at 7pm. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Across the street, near the Day and Nite bookstore, is a place called Chop Chop Grill. I'm really not sure what kind of food this place is. I'm going to say Japanese/Fusion. They serve up a variety of menutems , such as rotisserie chicken ("slow roasted in our secret blend of spices for a sensational taste""), curry dishes, rice bowls, noodle soups, pastas, salads, paninis(with asian style meat in it), crepe rolls, and snacks. They also have a good drink and dessert menu. You order on a computer touch screen what you want. I decided on the grilled chicken plate, which came with an appetizers, entree, choice of green sald or veggie of the day, and choice of steamed rice, brown rice, or stir-fry noodle. Fried rice $0.49 extra.

Again, apologizes for the picture. 5-10 minutes later, my order came out. I got the veggie of the day, which turned out to be green beans and little pieces of garlic cooked in butter. The appetizer was a piece of corn bread. The total cost of the meal was $5.58 and a soda $1.79, plus tax. The veggies were good and I liked the little pieces of garlic. The green beans were probably the frozen ones, but they still tasted all right. The rice wasn't that great. It was too buttery for me. The chicken was average I'd say, and the sauce, was just a regular teriyaki sauce. The portions aren't very big, but I was content after, and the prices are fair. I'd be willing to try this place again, just because they have such a large menu. The rotisserie chicken has also got me wondering what it tastes like. It seems that they tightly control the sale of their chickens, as they write, "...only available between 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Only limited quantities are made each day. to ensure that you get your rotisserie chicken, please come early or reserve one with us!" Is it that popular?

Chop Chop Grill
www.mychopchopgrill.com
1253 N. Grand Ave
Walnut, CA, 91789

Lastly, a couple weeks ago I went to a place called Krazy Noodle Thai BBQ. I had been to this place once before, but no pictures on that visit.


Tom Yum Kai (Chicken). Spicy and sour soup with chicken and mushroom. $7.95 (serves 4)
I first had some Tom Yum at Spices Thai in Mira Mesa, and haven't found a place like that yet, which has me wondering which soup is the right one? Theirs is a bright orange, from their liberal use of coconut milk I believe, but everywhere else I've tried it, it's more of a transparent orange. Anyhow, the soup was good. It had pieces of chicken, which I found to be dry, tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro, onions, and green onions. I noticed that the onions weren't cooked completely, a step above raw. I didn't mind that very much. At least I knew that the veggies weren't sitting around in the soup all day, like Taco Nazo(which is having a seasonal tamale sale btw). There was a very strong lemon grass flavor in the soup. I'd say that this was good, and definitely better than The Boat or Coconut Bay's Tom Yum.


Rad Nah (crispy or soft noodle) with your choice of meat. $6.95
Crispy noodles and Beef was chosen. I had never had Rad Nah before, so I was curious to see what the gravy would taste like. The gravy was too sweet for me. I didn't like it. I would be willing to try this dish again some place else, to see what the gravy tastes like there. What is the actual gravy supposed to taste like and made out of? I looked it up just now and one of the ingredients is yellow bean sauce. The beef was a bit chewy, but the taste was pretty good. It had been marinated in something before hand, which tasted a bit like bulgogi, but sweeter. The vegetables consisted of some baby corn, carrots, bok choy (?) and bamboo.


Pineapple fried rice $7.50
This came with some tomatoes, chicken, shrimp, egg, your random assortment of fried rice veggies, and big chunks of pineapple. This was definitely different to what I was used to having. It wasn't very sweet, and it tasted like it was flavored with curry. It was good, but I prefer the fried rice to be sweeter. I think we got two pieces of shrimp. The chicken was good, and better than that of the soup. I'd go here again because I have yet to try their pad thai and pad see ew.
The portions were a good amount and this was too much food for two people. I sat in class wanting to go to the bathroom and make myself throw up. But what can I say...I'm a pig, and I really wanted some soup. And here's my thing about Thai restaurants. Why can't I get a side of soup for myself? Can't you just ladle a bowl and charge me a buck or two for it?



Krazy Noodle Thai BBQ
20795-3 E. Amar Road
Walnut, CA
Monday - Sunday 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM

After this feast of gluttony, I walked back to school, and saw a car accident, in which the person must have ran a red, and hit another car full on, around 40 mph. Fortunately, both people seemed okay. No matter how good of a driver you are, you never know what can happen.

Writing about Chop Chop Grill makes me want to go back there, so a future post of the place will probably come. Happy lazy Sunday to you all. I love Sundays....only day where I can sleep in!

I end with a picture of my dying basil plant. Hang in there little buddy...