Another Yelp event!
This time around we went to Bolay, a restaurant that serves bowls of food made fresh pretty much as you watch. They pride themselves on keeping the cooked food that is kept on the serving tables out front in relatively small portions so that you know that it is being prepared fresh.
Entering the restaurant there are tables, half-booths, and high-tables. It is counter service, but they do have one staff member wandering around clearing your plates for you as you finish them, which is nice, and they keep the place clean. There is also an outdoor seating area which we did not use… it is bloody hot out there!
I was one of the first to arrive, so I got to watch as others arrived and got themselves situated. Once pretty much everyone was there (there are always some stragglers) Matt made some announcements about what was going on, how we were going to go about things, and then introduced the manager of the restaurant. This turns out to be the sixth store in the franchise, and they are looking to greatly expand over the next couple of years as things catch on. I wish them success! We got a bit of history of the restaurant, and then it was time to eat!
I was one of the last to get in line (go figure, right? One of the first ones there, one of the last to get in line) so I got to see the process pretty well and noted that they are not well situated for handling huge crowds hitting them at once, which means that tour busses should probably steer clear.
Once I got to the serving area, I made my choices of cilantro noodles, broccoli, green beans, pork tenderloin, minted tomatoes, and a lovely spicy thai sauce to top it off. It was recommended to go with the cilantro pesto to compliment the noodles, but I like spicy. Eating the bowl, it was delicious, and I would go back here again for a lunch or something of that nature.
However, this is a Yelp Event… we aren’t rating just the food (it was excellent). We are rating the whole experience… and in that regard, I have to say this one fell a bit shorter than what I have experienced in the past. I just didn’t feel the camaraderie at this event that I felt at previous ones. We did discuss the food a bit, but things seemed… rushed. Don’t get me wrong, I think it was a good event, but it just seemed to be missing something that I can’t quite place my finger on.