The first time I ever went to the Mongolie Grill was on a first date not long after moving to Calgary. I don't really remember how the date went because all I remember is being wowed by the fact that I could CREATE MY OWN STIRFRY and have somebody ELSE cook it in a restaurant! How awesome is that? I love everything about the premise and, in my mind, it will always be the original do-it-yourself stirfry place.
The reason I knock the rating to 3 is because I think that they really need to step it up. With other restaurants stepping in and jacking the idea, I believe that MG needs to do 3 things. 1 - get a facelift. It looks exactly the same as it did 7 years ago - not very cozy, kind of cold, thoughtless decor. 2 - Don't let raw meat & seafood sit out in the main area. It just doesn't seem tip top clean to me. 3 - I guess this goes with 1, but clean up the cooking area...sometimes walking by looking in, it just looks dirty. People want to see spic n span where their food is being cooked!
However, the stirfry is wonderful, portion control is great in this age of supersized everything, and you always know exactly what you're going to get (unless you majorly fudge up the sauce!)
It's trusty like the dog I've never had.