Spokane, WA

There is a restaurant in Spokane Valley called HuHot that is a type of Mongolian Grill restaurant. I recently planned a surprise birthday party for someone with about a group of 15 in attendance. I had never been to HuHot, but I had heard rave reviews from friends and it was the birthday girl’s favorite restaurant.

When I called the restaurant ahead of time to see if it would be ok to decorate our table for the birthday festivities, the person I talked to was very nice and told me it would be no problem. She encouraged me to make a reservation so the space would be available as well (for some reason that skipped my mind before that point). We went on a Wednesday evening around 6:30pm and while the restaurant did have a lot of people eating there at the time, it wasn’t horribly packed. They already had the table set up for us when we got there and they allowed us to decorate with a banner and some balloons.

When the birthday girl finally arrived, it was time for us to get our food. The main staple at HuHot is their buffet grill where you can put virtually anything you want on your plate. You start by walking up to the first buffet table which has an array of frozen meat, with regulars such as chicken, beef and pork as well as a bit more exotic like spicy sausage and calamari. In addition to meat there is also a different assortment of noodles available to add to your dish. You grab a bowl and put as much meat and noodles in it as you want. The next buffet table is full of vegetables where you again get to choose what and how much you want in your bowl.

After you have your meat and veggies picked out then you proceed to the sauce area where you can load your dish up with whatever spices and sauces your heart desires. They have pre-made sauces available (like teriyaki) or you can mix up your own. What’s very helpful is that they rate the sauces based on their level of spiciness so people like me who can’t handle spicy foods can pick a sauce that isn’t spicy at all.

Your last stop for your meal is the grill, where the cooks will take your dinner concoction and throw it on the grill and cook it right in front of you. It’s pretty interesting to watch, especially when they create a huge flame on the grill (which is usually only done when they are cleaning the grill). When they are done they put your meal on a plate for you and you have your own custom made stir fry type dish.

The grill buffet is the main staple at HuHot, but they also offer typical Asian style appetizers like egg rolls, wontons and potstickers. They also offer salads big enough for a meal themselves and desserts. A dinner buffet at HuHot costs $12.29 with as many trips to the bar as you can eat (they won’t allow you take any home however). Lunch does not run as expensive and only at lunch do you have the option to only buy a single trip through instead of unlimited, so lighter appetites may want to aim for lunch here.

HuHot has many locations around the country, but the one located in Spokane is the only one in the Northwest. It is located at 11709 E Sprague in the Valley. You can find a full menu, nutritional information on all their food and directions on their website at www.HuHot.com. (Don’t forget to sign up for their e-mail club for free offers, like a free dessert on your birthday or periodic coupons throughout the rest of the year).