Sunday, March 8, 2009

The Mushroom Restaurant, West Babylon NY

The Mushroom Restaurant
779 W Montauk Hwy, West Babylon, NY
We took a ride out to West Babylon, Long Island over the weekend to celebrate my mother-in-law Barbara's birthday. The entire family was there - Kris' dad Bill, identical twin brother Keith (yes, there are 2 of them!), older brother Kevin (photo, left), sister-in-laws Kathy & Colette, and our 2 nieces and 1 nephew. A huge group to feed on a budget so we opted for Chinese take-out from Barbara's favorite local restaurant, The Mushroom. I was put in charge of ordering (probably because I'm the only Asian person in the family) but I have to admit that Chinese take-out is still pretty foreign to me - who the heck is this General Tso anyways? (if you really want to know, check out The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee).

The Mushroom is always reliable - our order was ready in 10 minutes and nothing was missing. Generous portions at bargain prices - lunch specials start at $5.99 and include choice of rice and soup. The "Chinese" food tastes pretty good too. A few years back, The Mushroom added a Japanese menu along with a new sushi bar and hibachi area. I've noticed this Chinese/Japanese trend happening a lot in the Northeast lately. Getting sashimi from a chinese takeout place makes me a little nervous, but my brother-in-law Kevin ate his Sushi Combo A (with 4 pieces of raw Nigri sushi and a standard issue California roll) without incident. Everyone else ordered off the Chinese menu...

My Chicken & Broccoli lunch special - unadventurous but delicious (and I'm really picky about the sauce)


Kris had the Crispy Sesame Chicken (the restaurant's most popular dish)


We ordered a Pan Fried Noodles with Beef for everyone to share, prepared the way Kris likes it - extra crispy! Next time we'll only add half the sauce to control the saltiness.



The birthday girl had the Chicken with Asparagus (loved it!)


Evil sexy hairy twin Keith (and his goatee) had General Tso's Chicken and also tried Moo Shu Pork for the first time. 3/09/09 update: Keith would like to add his 2 cents about his meal: " I ordered the General Tso's Chicken and thought it was delicious. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. They could have added a little more heat to the sauce but it left my palate satisfied. The only real complaint I had with the dish was that it had only 3 pieces of broccoli in it. The fried rice was tasty but the added broccoli would have made the dish more complete. I also ordered the Moo Sho Pork. It was satisfying but not an all time favorite. The shredded lettuce, pork and vegetables reminded me eating an eggroll without the crispy crust. The BBQ sauce was very tasty though. Save the money and just order an eggroll. "Evil Twin"? I'm trying to figure that one out. The sexy twin is better. I would even take the hairy twin until I shave. "


And for dessert, a chocolate pudding cake from Shoprite


Irish Soda Bread from the Millridge Inn (dry crumb, dusted with confectioner's sugar)


Apple Stollen from the the Millridge Inn (like a giant apple danish)


Chocolate Chip Cookies (made by Colette) and Chocolate Brownie Cookies (made by Barbara)

After dinner and dessert, we headed downstairs to karaoke and dance the night away!


The Verdict: Good value Chinese take-out, $96 (including taxes) for 8 adults and 2 children at lunchtime


3/09/09 Update: Because I want to present a fair and accurate review of The Mushroom, I wanted to share this email I just received from my sister-in-law Colette:

"FORGOT TO TELL YOU, DID NOT WANT TO SAY ANYTHING ON SAT. MY FRIED RICE WAS GROSS. THE RICE WAS HARD, LOOKED LIKE WHITE RICE WITH TERIYAKI SAUCE ON IT AND IT CONTAINED HARD CHICKEN STRIPS AND PEAS, WHERE WAS THE SCALLONS, EGGS, ETC. I FIGURED THAT IS ONE OF THEIR EASIER DISHES. AGAIN, NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE MUSHROOM, THEY SUCK - NEXT TIME I AM PACKING A PB AND J SANDWICH."

Oh dear! I guess not everyone is a fan of The Mushroom!



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