Meal 32

Sesame Chicken

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- Something on 4 wheels will soon be a fun investment for you!

We had a guest come along with us on this outing to Dragon city and I promised him that he could write the review for his meal.

Favorable Quote: "It seems like the only reason it has the name it does is because of the unevenly spread sesame seeds over a total of two pieces of chicken"

The sauce it was in had a molasses-like texture with a well proportioned tart taste to it. As some may say, "General Tso's w/o the Red Pepper." Chicken pieces were rather large and a tad overcooked, but still a great meal. Also, the dish having only one other dish that consisted of the same taste variation was refreshing compared to most other dishes of Modern Chinese Culinary. It possessed a peculiarity about it that, for lack of a better word, indefinitely separated it from the rest of the menu. The above decent taste and nonconformity of the dish earned this meal a thorough 8.5.

-Jarrod Creameans-

Meal 31

Mon Go Beef

 Rating: 6.5(Mediocre-Succulent)

Fortune of the day- An interesting musical opportunity is in your near future.

The Mon Go Beef was just another ordinary meal at Dragon City. The dish was lacking originality and complexity. It favored many of the other plates, consisting of the identical ingredients and occupying the same basic texture and taste. Fashioned out of the common vegetables found in Chinese dishes, there were carrots, baby corn, onions, green bell peppers, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Strangely enough, there was no broccoli, which would have maxed out the foliage in this fare. The onions were not cooked thoroughly living a slightly bitter taste to them. They usually do a wonderful job cooking the food but finished this meal a little too soon. I recommend this meal to anyone who is too afraid to take chances because I guarantee this meal will not deviate from its 6.5 rating. 

Meal 30

General Tso’s Chicken

 Rating: 10(Godsent)

Fortune of the day- Believe in yourself!

As most of you know, General Tso’s Chicken is the dish that started it all. It is extremely hard to find the right words to describe this meal. There are none that come to mind that can even remotely express how we feel about this astonishing and majestic meal meant only for the gods of men. I found this quote to best suit our sentiment:

Tell the heavens and the earth to celebrate and sing! Command every mountain to join in song! For General Tso’s has arrived.

                                                                                               -Isaiah 49:13

Many would disagree with this quote, mainly for the last part but I promise you it is in the bible. God not only sent is begotten son but also this tasty dish thus earning the ultimate Godsent!

Meal 29

Hot & Spicy Shrimp

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- A day without sunshine is like night.

The Hot & Spicy Shrimp was basically the Szechuan dish of shrimp. Seemingly the same sauce as the Shredded Beef Szechuan, the Hot & Spicy Shrimp had a tangy yet spicy flavor, twisting our tongues into a delectable predicament. Containing the most perfect collection of vegetables, this hearty dish of onions, bell peppers, celery, and carrots did extremely well in not overloading the plate. It was a wonderful combination of sweet, zest, fiery savor that placed it above many of the other dishes. This meal was by far the best shrimp dish that we have encountered along the way ergo earning an 8.5.

Meal 28

Roast Pork in Garlic Sauce

Rating: 7.5(Succulent-Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- You will have a long, adventurous life.

Now with most of the information we have gathered, it is no longer a difficult task deciding what is in the meals at Dragon City. The Pork in Garlic Sauce, for anyone who has kept up, is the same as the Chicken with Garlic Sauce, minus the “Chicken” and the word “with” in the title. It had all the fixings such as water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoli, celery, cabbage, carrots, green peas, and bamboo shoots. I know it’s overwhelming but you can pick through them. The sauce was the same with a sweet and tangy spin, making for a decent meal. If you are more of a pork fan than you are a chicken or plain broccoli fan, then I highly suggest taking the succulent to ballzy route on this one.

Meal 27

Hunan Roast Pork

Rating: 8(Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- A lie prevails, until the truth arrives.

Yes, this dish is the same as the Hunan Chicken and Hunan Beef. It was expected as were the other meals. It had the same vegetables like carrots, cabbage, broccoli, water chestnuts, baby corn, and green peas. The main difference between the roast pork and the chicken or beef was the sauce. The sauce on the roast pork was much thicker, presenting a consistency of barbeque sauce. This heftier coating added a different taste, only obtaining an 8 instead of an 8.5.

Meal 26

Hunan Beef

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- ¡Usted es el más grande en el mundo!

First of all, let me say that the fortune of the day is in Spanish because this is what we pulled out of our fortune cookie. I could tell you what it says but it is so darn easy to translate things these days with Google and things like that, that I don’t see why I should! Now that’s done, we can get down to business. The Hunan Beef was eerily similar to the Hunan Chicken; it really freaked us out. Actually no it didn’t. We expected the two meals to be almost identical with the exception of the beef and chicken. This dish had the same vegetables which included (in case you didn’t read Meal 25) water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoli, celery, cabbage, carrots, green pepper, and bamboo shoots. If I missed anything, please take note of it and send me an email to let me know. This meal was also spicy with little flakes of red pepper floating around in the sauce. It too provided as a great nasal cleansing. As with most meals, if they would have exempted some of the unwanted vegetables, than it would have been rated higher than an 8.5

Game 2

Fox’s Pizza Den (5.6) Vs. Pizza Chef (5.6)

Even though this is just the second game of the Pizza Playoffs, I challenge any teams to come as close as these two did. As you can see by the score it was a perfect tie, making it extremely hard to judge. For the price, both Fox’s and Pizza Chef scored a 5. It cost around $11 bucks for a medium one-topping pizza. As for the cheese, Pizza Chef pulled through with a 7 while Fox’s only scored a 5.5. Both teams were lacking on their sauce but Fox’s outscored their opponent with a 6 with Pizza chef only earning a 4. The crust for Fox’s and Pizza Chef were very close with Fox’s gaining a 6 and Pizza Chef a 6.5. With all of these scores tallied, that left us with a tie. Fortunately we consider delivery and preparation time. Pizza Chef did not deliver and it took them longer to cook the pizza thus crowning Fox’s Pizza Den the winner.

Meal 25

Hunan Chicken

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- Read between the lines.

Remember meal 5, the Chicken with Mixed Vegetables? Well take that meal and throw some red pepper in there and you have yourself a Hunan Chicken. Like many of the other dishes, this plate had every vegetable under the sun from baby corn to green peas with water chestnuts, broccoli, celery, cabbage, carrots, and bamboo shoots in between. The chicken shredded and mangled like it usually is. The sauce was fairly dark and rich with red pepper flakes scattered throughout. It gave the dish a distinctive taste, setting it aside and declaring it different.  Even with all of the unwanted veggies, this dish left my palate exposed, earning an 8.5

Meal 24

Curry Chicken

Rating: 8(Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- A good worker deserves a good salary.

The Curry Chicken definitely earns a top choice award for leading us off the beaten path. This Guru, of a seemingly Indian cuisine, brought a lot of kicks to the chop sticks. After diluting some of the vegetables, this dish was not overpowered too greatly only containing carrots, onions, baby corn, green peas, celery, and water chestnuts. The curry is what brought this one home, adding a completely new dimension of flavor. It was moderately spicy, clearing out the sinuses and making way for a distinct taste. Curry, commonly thought of as a type of spice, can mean many things. Its basic definition states that it is a collective seasoning of different types of hot spices (including curry powder), thus making it extremely difficult to tell you exactly what was in the Curry Chicken.  All I can say is that this meal had my taste buds "Bollywooding" and karate chopping, earning a ballzy title. 

Meal 23

Chicken w. Garlic Sauce

Rating: 7.5(Succulent-Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- Remember that time is money.

If you enjoyed the Broccoli with Garlic Sauce then chances are you are going to adore the Chicken with Garlic Sauce. Yes it has a slightly lower rating but that is only because of the unwanted vegetables like baby corn and water chestnuts. What really gave this meal its bang was the sauce, which was the same sweet and tangy, garlic induced phenomenon that enveloped the broccoli in the previous meal. The added celery, cabbage stocks, carrots, green bell peppers, and bamboo shoots made for a much needed variety. The chicken was nothing special, cooked like all the other chicken dishes only this one had garlic sauce obviously. A lot of these meals have an overwhelming amount of vegetables. If Dragon City would limit the quantity, yet keep the medley, then Chicken with Garlic Sauce would have earned a higher rating than 7.5. 

Game 1

Pizza Works (6.7) vs. Dominos (7.4)

This was a fairly challenging match as both teams were well prepared. Pertaining to the cost, it was a very close call. All down the board, the score only varied by one point. Dominos earned a 6 while Pizza Works earned a 6.25. Remember that the cost is determined by quantity and not necessarily the price of the overall value. The cheese was rather close as well but Dominos pulled through with a 7.25 to Pizza Works’ 7. As the price, the sauce only varied by one point with Dominos obtaining a 6.75 and Pizza Works grabbing a 7. The deciding factor in this game came down to the crust. Hands down, Dominos won with its crust boasting a 9.5 while Pizza Works only showed a 6.75. So what’s the verdict? Pizza Works loses to Dominos by a short margin. 

Meal 22

Kung Pao Chicken

 Rating: 6(Mediocre)

Fortune of the day-You have a charming way with words. Write a letter this week.

“Why put peanuts on a perfectly good meal?” I want to ask Dragon City. It seems it would have been perfectly acceptable with a vacancy of goobers but instead they beefed up the Kung Pao Chicken with more protein than you can possibly govern. This pallet of feed exhibits a fine display of traditional Chinese vegetables flaunting diced celery, water chestnuts, and carrots along with green bell peppers and baby corn. When you get down to the actual chicken, it’s really not too shabby, advocating an interesting blend of sweet and spicy zest. Two components made this meal undesirable and that was the peanuts and water chestnuts. Kung Pao Chicken is a strange enough of a name. Literally called pinyin gōng bǎo jī dīng, it obtained its name from Ding Baozhen, an official in the late Qing Dynasty. After the Cultural Revolution, it was deemed politically incorrect being then known as “fast-fried chicken cubes” and was not reinstated until the 1980’s. Maybe you will like the salty peanuts in contrast to the peppery chicken but we found it frankly, marginally Mediocre.

Meal 21

Shredded Beef Szechuan

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- Now is the time for peace in your life. Go along with other’s ideas.

Chances are I haven’t pronounced this dish correctly yet. Having said that, who cares? This platter with surprise matter was more than expected for even the heartiest of eaters.  The Shredded Beef Szechuan’s sauce danced around a tingling, yet welcomed spiciness in my mouth, providing a sultry base on which a pyramid of epic deliciousness was constructed. This lunch special boasted its fair share of veggies including, but probably not limited to, onions, green bell peppers, carrots, and celery.  Intertwined within the surplus of vegetables was a healthy portion of beef.  Two factors made this dish a great success: 1.) the shredded vegetables took the shape and place of noodles creating an appeasing texture. 2.) The sauce leaves you begging for more rice as it blended beautifully with the golden field in the Styrofoam container.  All things considered, this was the Ballziest Cat’s Meow on Main Street, earning it a rating of 8.5.

-Ethan Constant-

Meal 20

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce

Rating: 8(Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- You will advance socially, without any special effort.

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce sounds like a dull and banal meal consisting solely of a tree-like vegetable. Actually the dish was a delight, leaps and bounds better than Vegetable Delight. Even though it had just one ingredient, this plate gave our palates that perpetual piquancy that we have been pursuing. The trunks of broccoli were entirely too large. It was difficult to shove an entire piece into your mouth. Do not fear though, the sauce made any inconvenience the meal provided seem small and insignificant. The sauce was thicker than others being rather sweet; it caught us off guard. After the sweetness wore off, the spiciness shown through but this was expected since we have entered the spicy meals off the lunch menu. Of course there was a hint of garlic but come on, its in the title.  This contradictory made for an extremely appealing taste earning a solid 8.  

Meal 19

Shrimp w. Lobster Sauce

Rating: 6(Mediocre)

Fortune of the day- Next summer, you will dance to a different beat.

The Shrimp with Lobster Sauce is actually a soup. I know it is hard to believe granted its name does not signify that its soup in any fashion. This is the first soup we have encountered at Dragon City and it is safe to say that it was actually so-so. It was notably watery with peas, carrots, shrimp, and what was either egg or lobster. This mystery matter was elongated and gooey but decent nonetheless.  Overall it was slightly salty but not strong enough to harm a slug, giving it a pretty good taste. It reminded us of Egg Drop Soup which is a Chinese soup composed of beaten eggs boiled in a broth, in most cases chicken broth. The Shrimp with Lobster Sauce would have earned a higher rating if it had contained more pieces of shrimp. There were only three crustaceans floating around in the brew. Once they add more substance, this meal will be more preferable but until then  it shall stay as Mediocre.

Meal 18

Shrimp w. Chinese Vegetable

Rating: 4.5(Passable-Bearable)

Fortune of the day- Your hidden creative talents will soon be revealed.

Shrimp with Chinese Vegetables bore close resemblance to Meal 2, the Shrimp Chow Mein.  Like the Shrimp Chow Mein, this dish had an extremely gooey texture. The vegetables were too crisp to be boiled so I would say the sauce obtained its drippy caliber from some other means. Vegetables reigned over this meal once again with water chestnuts, celery, peas, carrots, cabbage, and bamboo shoots making up 95% of the grub. The shrimp was decadent but being covered in placenta made it slightly less attractive. It had a taste but the impact was not sufficient enough to be remembered therefore earning a 4.5 on the Jaxon Scale. 

Play-In Game and Grading System

If it wasn't evident, CiCi's Pizza won last place. It was the restaurant that you guys voted on to be excluded from the Pizza Playoffs in order for Pizza Works to take its place. A good idea was thrown my way though. Just because CiCi's Pizza was the most disliked, it would not be fair to allow Pizza Works to take its place. It was decided that a play-in game would determine which pizza joint would join the tournament. Yesterday we ordered both CiCi's Pizza and Pizza Works and put our taste buds to the test. It was a tough battle yet Pizza Works reigned over its opponent.

So how was this victor determined? Well we have a grading rubric that looks at multiple components. It compares the cheese, sauce, crust, and price of both pizzas. Each section is given a rating from 1-10 and we add them up. We take the average and see which one has the overall higher rating. If it comes down to a close one, delivery and time it takes to prepare comes into play. With CiCi's Pizza, you will not find a cheaper pizza in town. You can get 3 medium, one topping pizza for $9.99. It cost that much for just one medium, one topping pizza at Pizza Works. So keep dropping by and see which pizza place will take the trophy.

Meal 17

Vegetable Delight

Rating: 4(Passable)

Fortune of the day- Don’t worry about money. The best things in life are free.

Baby corn, broccoli, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, green bell peppers, carrots, celery, cabbage, and peas; no I did not just list every vegetable known to man. Actually these were all the edible plants that infiltrated the Vegetable Delight. It was a huge plate of green, white, greenish, and a tad of orange foliage cooked in soy sauce. There was no mystery to the dish, the name says it all. A vegetarian would kill to have this meal. Everything was cooked correctly, the peppers were moist, broccoli was crisp, and water chestnuts were…well water chestnuts. The meal was not necessarily bad, it just didn’t surprise us with a ton of tang or even a crumb. Until the veggies grab a tantalizing taste we have to tag it as Passable.

Pizza Playoff Bracket

This is it everyone. We chose 8 pizza joints in town and randomly selected the slots at which they compete. It's not completely official though. We have to check out Pizza World and see if it is still in business. If it is, we will replace the least liked pizza place currently listed on the bracket with Pizza World. Check out the poll and cast your vote but do so soon because we start this thing this Thursday. Remember to check in regularly and follow our progress. Also, let us know what you want us to do next. We are going to start hitting this thing hard and get more restaurants and more challenges posted for your dining decisions. Have fun and don't forget, bon appetit.

Meal 16

Chicken w. Cashew Nuts

Rating: 4.5(Passable-Bearable)

Fortune of the day- Need some adventure and enjoyment? Take a vacation.

If you have read the previous post, then the contents of this one is pretty self explanatory. The chicken with Cashew Nuts was oddly similar to the Shrimp with Cashew Nuts. It beats all I’ve ever saw! Now if you have not been able read the earlier post or are just too lazy this dish contains a heaping amount of diced water chestnuts and celery. There is also baby corn and I think some cashews. The dish went as according to plan. The oodles of celery and water chestnuts made the dish more difficult to dispose of in a digestive sense. I am not a shrimp guy, but for this meal I believe it tasted better than the chicken. The chicken appeared to have been fried then set in the dish to soak up the juices making it extremely soggy. Not really appetizing for my taste buds. If you are a water chestnut, celery licking, soggy chicken kind of a person, this dish was meant for you. If not, I would steer clear of this 4.5, possibly going for a Chicken Lo Mein or Sweet and Sour Pork.

Meal 15

Shrimp w. Cashew Nuts

Rating: 5(Bearable)

Fortune of the day- A vacation to sunny shores is soon in store for you.

Where do I begin with this dish? Should I try to explain why there were more water chestnuts and celery than cashews or should I expand on the deceitful behavior of the texture. In the words of LeBron James, “What should I do?” In this case, it is rather simple, I’ll go with both. The dish’s name is Shrimp with Cashew Nuts so obviously those two items will be involved. It is also safe to assume that other ingredients will be sprinkled throughout the meal. In this case, those other ingredients (celery, water chestnuts, and baby corn) drowned out any chance the cashews had of any significant flavor. The dish should have been called Shrimp with Diced Water Chestnuts and Celery with a Hint of Cashew Nuts. If you haven’t noticed, water chestnuts appear quite frequently in these dishes and it got me wondering why they are so popular. I did a little research and stumbled upon some interesting facts. First of all, the water chestnut is not a nut but an aquatic vegetable. It’s widely popular because of its abundance and its submissive flavor. Also, did you know that some believe that water chestnuts can sweeten your breath? Tic Tac, there’s a new dog in town! The texture startled me as well. I know cashews are not the softest nuts to be chewing on but in this case they were abnormally tough. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just means you will have to work a little harder consuming your food. The shrimp was cooked fine and the assorted elements made for an interesting taste but not one I will order again.  As I have said before, these are my opinions and according to my fancy, this dish did not tickle it achieving only a Bearable.

Meal 14

Chicken Lo Mein

Rating: 8.5(Ballzy-The Cat’s Meow)

Fortune of the day- Someone in your life needs a letter from you.

Most would think that the Chicken Lo Mein would taste very similar to the Roast Pork Lo Mein and I am here to tell you that they do. Unlike most other poultry dishes that had the consistency of chicken skin, this chicken was chunky and hearty. It too was fabricated in the same manner as the previous Lo Mein with onions, cabbage, and celery. Everyone knows that it’s the noodles that make this dish so special but what’s the difference between Chow Mein and Lo Mein. Most would assume that they are two different types of noodles when in fact they are the same but prepared differently. Both are parboiled Chinese egg noodles but the Chow Mein gets an extra stop at the frying pan giving it a crispier texture. If we understood the vocabulary we would know that because Lo Mein means “tossed noodles” while Chow Mein means “fried noodles.” I personally prefer the tossed noodles because it allows the flavors to soak in giving it a broader taste. Even though it looks like a can of Night Crawlers, this wormy dish “shore” brings the fishes, obtaining a whopping 8.5 on the Jaxon Scale!

Meal 13

Roast Pork Lo Mein

Rating: 8.5(Blazzy-The Cat’s Meow) 

Fortune of the day- You will always have good luck in your personal affairs.

The Roast Pork Lo Mein was simply savory. This meal is undoubtedly a good choice when looking for something to appease your hunger; it is such a filing dish best described as Chinese Spaghetti. Lo Mein is noodle based, which I love any kind of pasta. The onions, celery, and cabbage always give any feast an assorted array of flavors. The sauce that holds this character together is the key to the Roast Pork Lo Mein. I have done some research and I am not positive but I think it was prepared in oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is used in many Chinese dishes including noodle stir-fries. It is made of sugar, water, salt, oyster extract, cornstarch to give it a thicker consistency, and darkened with caramel. The noodles are heavy and fulfilling thus rising suspicion that they were cooked in this sauce. Some critics might agree that spaghetti should be left to the Italians but Jaxon Says no way, placing an honorable 8.5 next to its name.

Meal 12

Roast Pork w. Mixed Vegetable

Rating: 5.5(Bearable-Mediocre)

Fortune of the day- A distant friendship could begin to look more promising.

Once again, why was this meal not listed closer to Chicken with Mixed Vegetable? I think Heaven’s Kitchen was just trying to throw us a screwball. It’s possible that the restaurant intended us to believe that it was a totally different meal since it was not listed adjacent to the chicken. I am here to uphold the justice of consumer chow-down. These two meals were duplicates only varying in their meat products. The roast pork was more preferable but the sauce and vegetables overwhelmed any chance of originality. It too was cooked with all the vegetables known to China. Again, why not remove some foliage and allow the meal to flourish with its intentional flavor? This dish would work better as Roast Pork with Broccoli but until that time, it will be given a 5.5.

Meal 11

Sweet & Sour Pork

Rating: 8(Ballzy)

Fortune of the day- You will be called upon to celebrate some good news.

It’s hard to find anything negative to say about Sweet & Sour Pork. It is a standard meal that you won’t find much variety in. Every place generally serves the same dish. The only suggestion…I’m sorry, I caught myself writing the same thing for Sweet and Sour Pork as I did for Sweet and Sour Chicken! Forgive me but the meals were seemingly identical. I almost posted the same picture because I could not differentiate between the two. The appearance and the taste were carbon-copied clones. The only nonconformity the pork possessed was the texture. The chicken was doughy, sort of like dumplings but the pork was firmer. It reminded me of actual pork meat instead of deep fried skin! As the same with the other dish, the Sweet & Sour Pork could use some variety. The tangy sweet and sour sauce was delicious but some vegetables would be fine too. Eating just pork and rice was slightly boring but it tasted A-okay, rightfully earning an 8. Quite Ballzy I would say.

Meal 10

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Rating: 8(Ballzy) 

Fortune of the day- Your fortune is not something to find but to unfold.

It’s hard to find anything negative to say about Sweet & Sour Chicken. It is a standard meal that you won’t find much variety in. Every place generally serves the same dish. The only suggestion I would make is throw in some green! It was strictly nuggets of chicken fried with a bed of rice. You need at least three sections of the food pyramid on your plate to satisfy the stomach. As always, the sweet and sour sauce is what makes the difference. Without that bowl of scrumptious, sweetened dipping condiment, Sweet & Sour Chicken would just be…well chicken. I used to be hooked on this meal like House was to Vicodin so be careful.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you when you find yourself hiding leftovers in a shoebox in your closet. If Dragon City would have made it original, it would have gained a higher rating but since it was expected we could only grant it a Ballzy 8.

Meal 9

Beef w. Broccoli

Rating: 6.5(Mediocre-Succulent) 

Fortune of the day- You don’t get in life what you want; you get in life what you are.

Beef with Broccoli; where do I start? I guess I could start by suggesting to Dragon City that they place this as number seven on the lunch menu special allowing it be right below Chicken with Broccoli. These two meals were very similar with the exception of the beef. I hope we don’t stay on this trend of alikeness because it’s variety that we are in search for. Anyways, the meal was honest, tasting the same as meal 6. It too was prepared with broccoli, carrots, and bamboo shoots, leaving only the meat product with any originality. There seemed to be quite a bit more broccoli on this occasion but I don’t mind granted I can’t get enough of the "treelets". It was cooked perfectly as were the other meals this week. It doesn’t matter if it’s chicken or beef, I’ll suggest it to any customer looking for a relatively safe meal, tagging it a 6.5.

Meal 8

Chicken w. Pepper Onion

Rating: 7(Succulent) 

Fortune of the day: You will overcome many obstacles.

I could literally copy Meal 7’s description and paste it for the Chicken w. Pepper Onion, subbing in the chicken for the steak of course. The two meals were identical except for the farm animal they decided to throw in the wok. In the title they switched pepper with the meat product and produced the same dish. Don’t get me wrong, it was still quite pleasurable to consume, it’s just difficult to find something special in this dish that I have not already told you about in Meal 7. Just in case you missed Meal 7 (which you shouldn’t because it’s posted directly below this one) the dish was cooked with green bell peppers and onions. They too were prepared to perfection adding an important flavor to the meal. The soy sauce based sauce was once again salty but with the right quantity. Given that no factor put my taste buds into a Full Nelson yet it was effortlessly devoured, it gets the same as the previous meal, a decent 7.

Meal 7

Pepper Steak w. Onion

Rating: 7(Succulent)

Fortune of the Day- You have only begun to scratch the surface of your real potential.

Today’s meal was rather ordinary. The name literally says it all. Pepper Steak with Onion had green bell peppers, steak, and onions. It was cooked together in a soy sauce base. The sauce had agreeable ingredients making it slightly salty but who doesn't like salt?  The onions and peppers were sautéed to near perfection with a crunchy outer shell and a soft, semi raw interior. The casually cooked veggies brought a lot of flavor to the table. I would say the Pepper Steak with Onion is an American stereotype of Chinese chow but nonetheless was real enough for my fancy gaining a succulent 7 on the taste scale. 

Meal 6

Chicken w. Broccoli

Rating: 6.5(Mediocre-Succulent)

Fortune of the day- Rely on long time friends to give you advice with your present question.

As you may have guessed, Chicken with Broccoli was very similar to Chicken with Mixed Vegetables. The main difference between the two was the vegetables obviously. This dish was cooked the same, stir-fried with chicken, except there was more chicken and only broccoli, a few carrots, and a hardly any bamboo shoots. You might think it would have tasted the same yet paradoxically it did not. The only explanation we could come up with was maybe the absence of vegetables left room for our palates to expand on the flavors. No matter the reason, the dish was a delight and got a check in our book for a 6.5.  

Meal 5

Chicken w. Mixed Vegetable

Rating:  5.5(Bearable-Mediocre)

Fortune of the day- Life is a series of choices. Today yours are good ones.

Chicken with Mixed Vegetables, the traditional Chinese cuisine, at least the American interpretation that is. This plate had a harvest of vegetables. The carrots, broccoli, and onions would have sufficed in their attempts to overload a vegetable lover’s enthusiasm. Instead, they decided to turn a vegan straight by throwing in baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and red and green bell peppers. Some people might enjoy the plethora of foliage in a meal, but when it hinders the flavor of what people love the most (protein), then it becomes a little cumbersome. What little chicken existed tasted quite alright. It was stir fried along with the veggies making it slightly crispier than previous meals. The sauce had a quirky vibe to it; being salty and sweet at the same time. This could work if one component was sweet while another was salty but since it was mixed together, it threw my taste buds into a stupor, not knowing what to think. As it was stated, the only beef with that chicken, besides the abundance of vegetables, was that it was too sweet to be that salty giving it a total rating of Bearable to Mediocre.

Meal 4

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Rating: 5(Bearable)

Fortune of the day- You find beauty in ordinary things. Do not lose this ability.

Moo Goo Gai Pan was definitely a mystery dish. The only indication its name provided was the texture. As my friend Ethan pointed out, it was very Mooey and Gooey. The meal, like the Chow Meins from the previous explorations, consisted of boiled chicken along with water chestnuts, peas, celery, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots. One major difference in the Moo Goo Gai Pan that separated it from the other boiled beast from the east was the garlic flavor. That oomph of garlic gave the food a more distinguished taste and for that we thank Dragon City. I am personally not a fan of celery and water chestnuts. If these two items would have been omitted, the Moo Goo Gai Pan would have earned a higher rating but since they were not, we had to give it a Bearable 5.

Meal 3

Pork Egg Foo Young

Rating: 6(Mediocre) 

Fortune of the day- You are next in line for promotion 

The Pork Egg Foo Young was basically an Asian breakfast egg omelet. It consisted of two fried egg patties with onions, cabbage, and of course pork. The after taste was unfortunately better than the initial but it gave you reason to continue eating. With the Pork Egg Foo Young came a light and tangy sauce which was very delicious. It reminded me of the onion soup that you get as an appetizer at a Japanese restaurant. I wouldn’t say the sauce saved the dish but it did make it undoubtedly more appealing. I would place this as a breakfast meal but it did its job as a lunch special gaining a rating of 6 or Mediocre rating.

The New Challenge

     Well guys, the 37 Week Challenge is going great! We have heard a lot of good feedback from our friends. Some people have brought it to our attention that we need multiple challenges to do throughout the week. I’ll have to admit that waiting until Friday is too long and not to mention that I do not have the patience for it. My friend Ethan has come up with two easy and relatively cheap challenges that we can take part in and post on our blog. The first one is the Value Menu Showdown. That is where we take a certain number of fast food restaurants and try everything on their value menu and compare the cost and taste, giving our overall opinion of their true value. The second is the Pizza Playoffs. This is very similar to the Value Menu Showdown except it will be the same type of pizza from different restaurants. We also have a third option. This one will be another restaurant challenge where we order every meal of their lunch special and give our opinion of it. Don’t worry, we are still taking on the 37 Week Challenge. The other challenges are to go along with the current challenge so that we cover more options.

    Off to the side of the page you should see a poll. We have set this up so that the followers can decide on which challenge we should conquer first. Go ahead and click on the one you think would be more interesting or which one you would benefit most from. You all are the ones reading the blog and we want your input. So if you have any other challenges that you think might be fun, let us know about it and we will be more than happy to give it a go. Thanks everyone and bon appétit!

37 Week Challenge Amendment

Well guys, I know I said this was a 37 week challenge but I think I’m going to have to make an amendment to the deal. If you think about it, 37 weeks is 71% of the year or a little under 9 months. That is a long time. A lot of things can happen during that period, such as fall, winter, and spring break, and I don’t want to spoil my challenge. That is why I have decided to post 4 menu items each week, cutting the time frame to about 2 months. I know your next question and no, I’m not going to order 4 meals each Friday and try each one. That is where my friends come into play. Ethan Constant, Dustin Hundley, and Gustavo Sanchez are going to be my guinea pigs. We will all order a different meal, going down the lunch special on the menu, try each one and compare them. We will discuss the meals and come to a conclusion with an overall rating. This way every meal will be tested and evaluated in a shorter period of time. Thanks and don’t forget, bon appetit folks!

Meal 2

Shrimp Chow Mein

Rating: 3(Slightly Edible)

Fortune of the day- The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter.

      As you can guess, the Shrimp Chow Mein was very similar to the Chicken Chow Mein except for it wasn’t. Yes, it had the same ingredients; celery, onions, cabbage, and shrimp. It too was boiled together. The main difference between the Shrimp Chow Mein and the Chicken Chow Mein, besides the chicken obviously, was the texture. The taste was nonexistent but the texture made up for it, in a bad way. I felt like I was consuming a toiletry product as though it was cooked in KY-Jelly. The cabbage literally dripped from my fork! Let me be frank…it was bland. It was not that it tasted bad; it just didn’t have a taste; no spices, no herbs, nothing. It is possible that I caught the chef on an off day or the food was not as fresh as usual. A lot of factors play into a meal but today they seemed to attack it. Do not fear my friends; the pork fried rice saved the day! For this week’s meal, I’m throwing down a 3 or Slightly Edible.

Meal 1

Chicken Chow Mein              

Rating: 7.5(Succulent-Ballzy)

    

Fortune of the day- All the news you receive will be positive and uplifting.

 This dish took me by surprise. I thought it was going to be heavy, loaded with chicken and noodles. In fact it was light and simple. At first glance it looked like a wet mash of baby food. The texture reminded me of boiled okra. As it turned out it was delicious. The chicken was boiled along with the celery, onions, cabbage, and a certain spice giving it a delightful kick. The taste is very persistent as it seems to have permanently stained my palate. I will tolerate it, only because I enjoyed it so much. I’ll give the Chicken Chow Mein a solid 7.5 overall or as we would say succulent to ballzy!