Lawrence, Kansas: HuHot Is HoHum With Nary A "Crab" In Sight

HuHot Mongolian Grill

2525 Iowa Street

Lawrence, KS 66046

Phone number: (785) 551-7100

Website: huhot.com

Prices: $$$$

Just opened next to Planet Fitness on Iowa, Lawrence finally has a Mongolian barbecue ... HOOAH!

About $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner, it's "all you can eat" which should go over well with KU students or anybody else for that matter. The place is big, but the bowls you put your meat, noodles, veggies and sauce in are very small and my main complaint. My recommendation, take two bowls, one for meat and one for noodles and veggies, that way you get a full plate of food rather than a half.

We tried A Taste of the Bounty appetizer ($9.99), with three each crispy egg rolls, Asian potstickers and krab rangoons, whatever the hell they are, accompanied by a rather boring sweet and sour dipping sauce. The egg rolls and potstickers were rather flavorless. The "krab" (note the spelling folks because there ain't a microgram of "crab" in these puppies) rangoons taste only of Philadelphia cream cheese in the center, again boring, bland and blah. Do not waste your money on any of the appetizers. 

They have a nice variety of traditional meats (beef, chicken, pork) for the Mongolian Barbecue, adding some novelty with meatballs and sliced sausage, mild and hot. The veggie selection is somewhat inadequate with the basics that I like (mushrooms, onion, cabbage, and bell peppers), but not much else other than carrots and a few others. You get white rice, soup or salad for the extra $5 at dinner, but do not get your hopes up. Go for lunch and save your $5.

The food is decent, but not anywhere near the best Mongolian barbecue I have had and I have had it many times for less than $15. However, as Bob Barker would say, "The Price is Right", so sachet your little behind over to HuHot and try some of their mediocre Mongolian, then to Planet Fitness to work off some of them Krab Rangoons.

CombatCritic Gives HuHot An Initial 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of HuHot Mongolian Grill on Yelp

Title: Lawrence, Kansas: HuHot Is HoHum With Nary A "Crab" In Sight

Key Words: HuHot Mongolian Grill, Chinese, Asian Fusion, Mongolian, HuHot, grill, barbecue, Lawrence, Kansas, Iowa, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Lawrence Kansas: Adios Fuzzy's!

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

1115 Massachusetts Street

Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone number: (785) 841-8226

Website: fuzzystacoshop.com

Prices: $$$$

I am a loyal Fuzzy's patron and disabled veteran and have ordered on the phone for pick-up for nearly four years at their Lawrence, Kansas location. 

I just made a batch of guacamole and called to order our dinner, but the young man on the phone said" we're too busy right now and are not accepting take-out orders". Seriously? Too busy to take my money? What kind of operation are you running in Lawrence?

I have given Fuzzy's high marks on my popular blog and Yelp, Zomato and Tabelog reviews, but that has now come to an end as I will never set foot or call-in to Fuzzy's again. 

Adios amigos!

CombatCritic Gives Fuzzy's Tacos (Lawrence, Kansas) 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My "WALL OF SHAME"

One Bomb Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Fuzzy's Taco Shop on Yelp

Title: Lawrence Kansas: Adios Fuzzy's!

Key Words: Fuzzy's Taco Shop, Fuzzy's, Fuzzy, taco, shop, Lawrence, Kansas, KU, University of Kansas, university, Massachusetts, street, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: FUBAR = "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

Lawrence, Kansas: A Good Value With $7 Discount, Not So Great Without

Bayleaf Indian Restaurant & Bar

947 New Hampshire Street, Suite 120

Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone number: (785) 840-0855

Website: bayleaflawrence.com

Prices: $$$$

We have been wanting to try Bayleaf since they opened, but had not until tonight. The food was ready as promised, 20 minutes exactly after I ordered on Eat Street. The place was empty at 5:35 on a Saturday, a bit odd, but the friendly server gathered our order post haste, listing the contents by memory exactly as we ordered them ... meat samosas - check, beef vindaloo - check, palak paneer - check, plain and garlic naan - check. She handed me my bag and I left.

With the $7 Eat Street discount, the tab came to just a tad under $32, not bad. But $39 for one appetizer, two entrees and some bread - no soup or salad, no drinks, no dessert - without the coupon it would not be a great value.

The Meat Samosas ($4.95), savory pastries with a chicken and vegetable filling and two dipping sauces (a red sweet and sour and a mild green) were big and good. The Naan (Plain - $2 and Garlic $3) were large and as fresh and good as any I have eaten.

My wife's Palak Paneer ($10.95) with fresh spinach and homemade curd cheese in a mildly spicy sauce was also as good as any we had during my four months in India. The Beef Vindaloo ($14.95) had plenty of beef and a few potatoes in a tomato and onion curry that was delicious. Both the palak paneer and beef vindaloo came with basmati rice, but $14.95 for a medium size curry and rice is a bit on the pricey side. At $8.95 and $11.95, they would have been a much better value, but the Indian restaurants in Lawrence seem to think they can get away with charging $15 for a curry and rice, so they do. That is why we do not eat at the two Indian restaurants (across the street from each other) in town all that often.

OK, maybe I am spoiled, but having eaten similar, but much better, meals for two in India for $10-$12 max, I find it difficult to shell out nearly 4 times as much stateside. If it were not for the $7 Eat Street discount, we probably would not have bothered, but I am glad we did because the food at Bayleaf was very good. Having lived in England for three years and traveled India for four months, I am used to good Indian food at reasonable prices. The Indian restaurants in Lawrence need to drop their dinner prices if they hope to fill their tables, which they are not doing currently.

I am basing my rating on a dinner for two for $31.50 (7 rating  - with coupon), not $38.50 (5 rating  - without coupon) ...

CombatCritic Gives Bayleaf Indian Restaurant 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Bayleaf Indian Restaurant & Bar on Yelp

Title: Lawrence, Kansas: A Good Value With $7 Discount, Not So Great Without

Key Words: Bayleaf Indian Restaurant, bayleaf, Indian, India, curry, naan, Lawrence, Kansas, KU, university, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits and Grins"

Norman, OK: End Your Day At Days Inn In Norman, The Ramble On

Days Inn Norman

2543 West Main Street

Norman, OK 73069

Phone number: (800) 329-1073

Website: wyndhamhotels.com/days-inn

Prices: $$$$

On the outskirts of Norman and close to I-35, this Days Inn was a massive step-up from the Days Inn I remember. As Harry Carey would have said ... "Holy Cow!"

I was extremely impressed for $60+ per night. The lobby was upscale, nice and clean, and the staff behind the counter were helpful and polite. 

The room was spacious with AC, two queen beds, desk and chair, chair and ottoman, big screen LCD TV with cable and a bathroom with granite countertops and a jacuzzi bath. The wi-fi was fast and reliable, so we could not have asked for more in this price range.

The hot breakfast was good, not great, with waffles, powdered eggs and sausage patties, toast, cereal, and the like as well as decent coffee. The place was cheap, clean, convenient, and an excellent value.

With not a lot to do in Norman and in a nondescript recently developed area on the outskirts, this is a quick inexpensive stop on your way somewhere else, in our case Texas.


CombatCritic Gives Days Inn - Norman 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

"What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17 - 650,000+ Views A Year

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie - Over  1,890,733 Review And Photo Views

... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Norman, OK: End Your Day At Days Inn In Norman, The Ramble On

Key Words: Days Inn, days, inn, Norman, OK, Oklahoma, university, University of Oklahoma, Sooners, OU, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, hotel, motel, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: