Bang!'s Second Chance

The first time I went to Bang! I wasn't all that impressed. I don't know if it was because I had heard so much hype about it, or because the service wasn't that great, or even because we didn't order the right things, but the second time around made up for it. I met my friend Meg for dinner there the other night. We sat outside (which I loved - except for the major mosquito bites I woke up to the next morning) and I noticed that they have new menus. I think they may have cut out some of their menu items and scaled it down a little. We tried a mushroom ravioli/dumpling thing, pork tacos, coconut rice, and a vegetable noodle dish. Each one was really yummy and I love the tapas/family style way of eating.

Two thumbs up for Bang! the second time around.


They also seem to have really good cocktails...at least they looked good :)

China King Buffet

We did it. We finally visited the Charlottesville establishment that everyone has been talking about - China King Buffet.

The Buffet is off of 29 in the same shopping center as Whole Foods. The decor is typical of a Chinese Buffet and it is hard not to stare at the ceiling that flashes little white lights like stars - classic. For $12 a piece, 4 of us tried just about everything the Buffet offered including the Mongolian BBQ which I really liked. Make sure you request "not spicy AT ALL". I requested "a little spicy" and felt like my tongue had shriveled up and disappeared. It was hot!

Charlottesville may not have the most gourmet Chinese food options. But China King Buffet is pretty fun and definitely worth checking out - especially the ceiling!

Lee's Grill

This is a small restaurant just east of 14th and University on the Corner. It has very good cheap Asian food. It has Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes. I had a Vietnamese beef noodle soup and Betsy had a grilled beef dish. Both dishes were very good, and at the right price this place will become a once-in-a-while lunch stop for me. The service was excellent and the waitress made us feel very comfortable. I think they do take out too, so it might give us a break from Asian Express.

AsianExpress Take 2

We tried AsianExpress for a second time tonight. This time, I tried the sushi (shrimp tempura roll) and Charlie had the Hunan Beef. Both were delicious! Take out/delivery sushi - I'm set!

AsianExpress

We got Chinese take-out the other night from AsianExpress. It's on Main St. close to the hotels and Amtrak station. We have to agree with the rating given in "The Best of Charlottesville" - the food was good and pretty cheap. I am big fan of lo-mein and AsianExpress made it really well. They also serve sushi - which we'll have to try next time.

There seem to be a wealth of Asian restaurants around, from cheap takeout to more upscale pan-Asian or Indian. Hopefully we can find a Thai place as good as our favorite place in DC (Regent Thai), but that is a very high standard. I think next up for Asian is another visit to BANG! or a visit to one of the Indian places on the mall. But in the meantime, AsianExpress will probably become our go-to cheap take-out place.