That Food Guy
Saturday, June 01, 2013
OEC Japanese Express
St Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 345-4088
HTTP://www.oecexpress.com
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| OEC Take-Out Tempura Chicken Plated At Home To See What An In Restaurant Serving Would Look Like |
OEC Japanese
Express March 4, 2013
2438 66th
St NoSt Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 345-4088
HTTP://www.oecexpress.com
It surely is a nice day when you have a pleasant surprise.
Today was one such day. A year or so ago I received a flyer in the mail
advertising OEC Japanese Express. It was an interesting concept; a storefront
fast food Japanese emporium. At the time I did not think I had ever encountered
anything like that before. It was on my list of things to do but often was put
aside for other things that came to light; maybe someday…
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| What is in the bag? This is what I got when I ordered a Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box to-go. |
It was the wife’s day out today. She was on a shopping trip
with her girlfriend. That left me free to find my own lunch. I rummaged through
some of my papers and found the flyer for OEC and decided to give it a try. I
wasn’t sure what I’d find. In my mind I was comparing it to several storefront
Chinese restaurants in the area which are very bare boned; edible but really
nothing to brag about. On the way to OEC Japanese express I was reminded of the
old axiom of location, location, location. OEC is located on one corner of a very
busy intersection. Access has to be planned ahead of time and casual drive-by
encounters with OEC would be rare. In spite of being a difficult to access
location, OEC has prospered and is still in business. That is always a good
sign. Looking up OEC Japanese Express on the Internet I could only find one
reference and that to the store in St. Petersburg. This restaurant is
apparently not part of a chain and is a unique entity which may explain why the
employees seem so dedicated to their store.
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| The Bento Box - The teriyaki chicken and vegetables. |
The store is more than just a takeout counter. It is also a
small sit down eat in restaurants as well. It is subtly decorated and does have
a bit of the feel of Japan. I know more than entered the door then I was
approached by the hostess. I informed her it was a takeout order. She has
guarded me to the counter and provided me with a menu to make my selection. The
menu is very complete. It features most of the items you would find in a more
traditional sit-down restaurant. My selection was the bento box on the lunch
special for $11.99. For the main course of the bento box you have a choice of
teriyaki chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon or white fish. I selected the teriyaki
chicken ($11.99 Choose from It is served with a California roll, house
salad, white rice, and you have your choice of shumai or an eggroll). I
chose the pork eggroll. The bento box gives the opportunity to sample many of
the dishes at one time; the sushi, the rice, and the other traditional entrées.
I was curious about how they would package the bento box to go since it usually
requires a special plate.
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| The Bento Box - The California Roll |
After I placed my order I sat down in one of the booths and
looked around the restaurant, taking in my surroundings. There are several booths
along one wall and tables and chairs occupied the rest of the area. I also
noticed a few tables outside for alfresco dining. There is also a sit at sushi
bar with about a half a dozen stools. From my vantage point I could watch the
sushi chefs preparing foods for the day’s customers and I also had a peek
inside of the kitchen and could watch many of the activities as they prepared
my order.
One of the sushi chefs was preparing cucumbers. He was
peeling the cucumbers into a paper thin strip. He worked his way around the cucumber
making a long continuous strip. It w3as one continuous cut until he reached the
seeds which were then discarded. I was amazed at his skill with the knife and
thoroughly entertained while waiting for my order; his skills were excellent.
From what I could see the kitchen, it was neat and tidy and very clean as was
the rest of the restaurant. It was a little before noon and there were only
three other customers in the restaurant (the small open-air patio outside had
several customers but they had apparently already been served). My order was
completed in a very short time. Neatly packaged in a plastic bag it was brought
to me by the hostess. I hurried home to see just what I got.
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| This is what I got when I ordered Tempura Chicken and California Roll to-go. |
The accessories included two pouches of soy sauce, a pair of
disposable chopsticks, and just in case, a fork. The house salad was in a small
Styrofoam container by itself. The main part of the salad was coarsely grated
lettuce, some finely grated carrot and a slice of tomato. It was accompanied by
a small container of a mild dressing similar to 1000 island dressing. Lettuce
was crisp and not discolored. The slice of tomato was from a nice ripe tomato
that had good flavor. The dressing, though mild and taste, was a good
accompaniment to the salad. The eggroll was also in its own little Styrofoam
container with a small container of what appeared to be duck sauce. The eggroll
was neatly wrapped crispy and fried to a nice Golden Brown. The filling was
flavorful and consisted of a mixture of pork and cabbage. The dipping sauce was
slightly fruity, slightly sweet with only a hint of sour. It also was a good
accompaniment to the eggroll.
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| The Tempura Chicken with a crispy - flaky crust. |
My curiosity about how they would serve the bento box
without satisfied. It is served in a compartmented plastic to-go bento box; a
nice touch. The main food compartment contained the teriyaki chicken. Under the
chicken were some vegetables consisting of broccoli, carrot, onion and scallion
and some nice slices of mushroom. To say the vegetables were under the chicken
is not mean they were skimping a chicken. The chicken was all white meat, cut
in small bite-size pieces and was a very generous serving. The teriyaki sauce
was thinner than I would have expected, it didn’t cling, but had an excellent flavor.
I saved some of the steamed white rice to sop up the teriyaki sauce after I had
finished my chicken and vegetables. The white rice was an ample serving as well
overflowing its compartment into the small compartment that would normally be occupied
by the wasabi and beni shoga. The next compartment contained the California
roll. There were six slices. The rice layer was very thin; the filling of crab
and avocado and daikon was more than ample. The California rolls were freshly
made but some of the ingredients may have shared space with sashimi and had
just a slight taste of fish. Other than that, the California rolls were
excellent. The last bento box compartment contained a small Dixie portion Cup
had the essential wasabi and beni shoga. Thinking of other bento boxes that I
have sampled, I recall that that one of the compartments would usually have a
small selection of vegetable tempura. What I mean to say is that although this
bento box selection was smaller than others I have tried it contained all of
the items listed on the menu in ample quantity.
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| California Roll with Masago (capelin roe) |
What started out as a curiosity quest ended up being a voyage
of discovery. OEC Japanese Express is close by, is very clean and
well-maintained, provides ample servings of good tasting, well-prepared food at
a fairly reasonable price. I do believe that OEC will become one of my favorite
places to go for a fast bite to eat when I don’t have time to cook at home. To
anyone who asks, anyone who likes Japanese food, I would say yes, try OEC
Japanese Express for a bit of sushi or other traditional Japanese dishes
prepared for the American palate. I enjoyed this encounter very much and I will
be going back again. I do believe I’ll try the tempura next…
A Revisit to OEC
Japanese Express March 17, 201
Over the next week or so I remembered fondly my first
encounter with OEC Express. Enough so that I was back again for lunch and would
now sample the chicken tempura ($8.99
Served with white rice. It includes containers of tentsuyu dipping sauce and
another creamier sauce). I was a bit on the hungry side so I also ordered a
side of California roll ($3.95 8-pieces Crab,
cucumber, avocado and masago in place of the usual tobiko. Includes a container
of beni shoga and wasabi). The California roll tasted good; it had a fresh
smell. The filling was more than adequate which made the rice layer a bit thin.
The rice was perhaps not as sticky as it should have been and the roll was, how
should I say, tender and I had to handle them very carefully. Other than that
small bit, the roll was excellent, the dipping sauce flavorful. The chicken
tempura had a bit of different coating than I would have expected for a tempura
batter. It was more like a fried coating
on Southern-fried chicken, crispy and flaky. It was more a difference of style
than substance in the long run because the coating was excellent, light and not
greasy. The chicken inside was cooked through to perfection; hot, steamy and
still moist. The tentsuyu sauce was favorable but seemed a bit thin. The creamy sauce was mild in flavor but I
really can’t say what the main flavor was; not as prickly as a 1000 Island nor was
it as pronounced in flavor as a Ranch dressing.
I alternated between the two but looking back I would say I preferred the
tentsuyu; perhaps I am just a traditionalist. The side container had a nice serving
of sticky white rice. I was able to eat it with chopsticks. Two single serving
packets of soy sauce were included.
Both of these dinners were package to go for take home. That is not the best way to showcase your food
product. However, the packaging shows care in preparing the food to go. The end
product is tasty and attractive. OEC Japanese Express will certainly be on my
list of favorite places to go.
You can call
in to order ahead, take out, eat in or perhaps linger at the sushi bar. For a
minimum order of $15 they offer free delivery in the local area. OEC Japanese Express
has a website at
HTTP://www.oecexpress. com ; there you will find
information about the restaurant including the unusual name, directions to get
there, their menu, and some pictures of the foods they prepare.
Labels: beni shoga, California Roll, chicken, Express, Japanese, OEC, rice, tempura, teriyaki, wasabi
¶ 11:35 AM 0 Comments
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monterey Mexican Grill and Bar
The wife ordered a combination dinner, number 25; (One burrito, one enchilada with beans and
rice, $7.99) The meal was served on a large platter plate, the entrees
sharing about half the plate with the rice and beans. The burrito and the
enchilada were well covered with a sauce, enough so that it was hard to tell what
was underneath the sauce. The beans were of a very soft texture with some
melted cheese on top. The rice was a bit different from most in that it was yellow-colored
or saffron-style rice instead of the more common red rice one would expect. The
wife said the rice was rice and the refried beans were just refried beans. They
were not bad, there was just nothing exceptional about them. She said the burrito and the enchilada were
good tasting but it was necessary to push away the sauce to be able to taste
them; the sauce being somewhat strong and of a slightly different flavor.
I also ordered from the combination menu, a number 8; (One enchilada, one tamale, rice and beans;
$7.95) Also served on a large oval platter plate, the entrée sharing the plate
with the rice and beans. The beans were
of a soft consistency with some melted white cheese on top. The taste of the
beans was basic, nothing special. The cheese added little and I was unable to
appreciate whether the cheese was a hoops cheese or perhaps a jack cheese.
Again, the rice was yellow. It was cooked adequately with a good rice texture but
I hardly tell it form cooked white rice. The enchilada and the tamale were
covered with a brown sauce with cooked ground meat; a bit different than the
typical presentation photo on the menu. Although the sauce was a good accompaniment
for the tamale it was a distraction from the enchilada and I can only guess it
was a basic cheese enchilada. I could
taste the masa in the tamale but I am not sure of the filling. All in all, the
meal was filling, adequate but certainly nothing exceptional; on a par with
what one would expect from a popular chain restaurant serving
Southwestern-style food.
Monterey
Restaurante Mexicano - “Monterey
Mexican Grill and Bar”
One would not normally seek out Southwestern-style food in
Woodstock, Georgia. Yet here, on Highway 92, there is The Monterey Restaurante
Mexicano. We were visiting the wife’s cousins and we all went out for Mexican;
it would seem that the Monterey is the usual when the urge strikes. From the logo and a cursory internet search
this store is part of a chain of about eighty restaurants owned and operated by
the Raul Leon family, a growing enterprise since the 1970’s serving Georgia,
North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. If I am wrong about
this please let me know so I can correct this entry.
Here would be a good place to further explain my judging
process and criteria. I do not judge the food against an established fixed
absolute standard. To do so I think is a bit snobbish; rather what I do is
judge on what I would expect from the restaurant serving the food. For example,
I would compare McDonalds, Wendy’s and Burger King against one another and find
that they were all pretty good for fast food restaurants. But those same
hamburgers would not rate very well at all if I were to be served on in a Red
Robin Gourmet Hamburger Restaurant. I expect so much more of Red Robin than I
do from the others. That brings us to Monterey, a restaurant, part of a large
chain that serves Southwestern-style food. Most of the food is pre-prepared and
more of a heat and serve rather than chef prepared at the time of order. The dishes will have similar trimmings,
Mexican rice and refried beans on the side and the entrée well slathered in a
sauce. Pretty much the food from one restaurant will be indistinguishable from
the food served at another restaurant; we know what to expect and we can judge
accordingly.
So, then the question is how does Monterey compare top other
popular Southwestern and Mexican-style food bistros? Quite well, actually;
considering service, serving time, presentation and the taste of the food it is
as good as one would expect from a similar restaurant. The maître d' greeted us at the door and we
were quickly directed to our table (our cousin’s two sons had preceded us and
had already taken a table). Chips and
salsa were already on the table. As soon as we were seated the waiter was there
to take our beverage order; no waiting there.
The chips were warm and the baskets exchanged for full ones almost
without having to call for a waiter. The salsa had a bit of a kick. It was more
of a sauce rather than a chunky salsa like a popular bottled brand.
The menu is extensive offering a large variety of Southwestern-style
dishes featuring beef, chicken and seafood. A patron can order ala carte,
vegetarian, from a child’s menu or one of the combination dinners. There is
even a section of smaller serving, lower priced items on a luncheon menu. A
very popular southwestern entrée is fajitas. The menu features a large section
devoted to the fajita. Although we didn’t sample them this time I look forward
to trying their offering of fajitas on the next trip through Woodstock.
The wife ordered a combination dinner, number 25; (One burrito, one enchilada with beans and
rice, $7.99) The meal was served on a large platter plate, the entrees
sharing about half the plate with the rice and beans. The burrito and the
enchilada were well covered with a sauce, enough so that it was hard to tell what
was underneath the sauce. The beans were of a very soft texture with some
melted cheese on top. The rice was a bit different from most in that it was yellow-colored
or saffron-style rice instead of the more common red rice one would expect. The
wife said the rice was rice and the refried beans were just refried beans. They
were not bad, there was just nothing exceptional about them. She said the burrito and the enchilada were
good tasting but it was necessary to push away the sauce to be able to taste
them; the sauce being somewhat strong and of a slightly different flavor.
I also ordered from the combination menu, a number 8; (One enchilada, one tamale, rice and beans;
$7.95) Also served on a large oval platter plate, the entrée sharing the plate
with the rice and beans. The beans were
of a soft consistency with some melted white cheese on top. The taste of the
beans was basic, nothing special. The cheese added little and I was unable to
appreciate whether the cheese was a hoops cheese or perhaps a jack cheese.
Again, the rice was yellow. It was cooked adequately with a good rice texture but
I hardly tell it form cooked white rice. The enchilada and the tamale were
covered with a brown sauce with cooked ground meat; a bit different than the
typical presentation photo on the menu. Although the sauce was a good accompaniment
for the tamale it was a distraction from the enchilada and I can only guess it
was a basic cheese enchilada. I could
taste the masa in the tamale but I am not sure of the filling. All in all, the
meal was filling, adequate but certainly nothing exceptional; on a par with
what one would expect from a popular chain restaurant serving
Southwestern-style food.
Not but two table away behind where I was sitting there was a troubadour, a one-man band so to speak, with
a guitar, a synthesizer and a big
amplifier. He had a pleasant enough singing voice but more noticeably he was
loud. Dinner was a session of trying to read lips in order to have a dinner
table conversation. For me personally that pretty much placed a pall over the
evening’s meal. The people sitting at the table behind me were caught up in the
performances and were happy clap-along, sing-along to the performance. The restaurant is divide by a glass panel
wall the nearly bisects the dining room. I would have been much happier over
there, the music performance muted by the glass wall. Or better yet, the tables
out in front of the restaurant would have been a perfect place to partake of our
meal in the warm Georgia evening.
What does set this particular restaurant apart is the service.
In a word, exceptional; the moment you walk in you are greeted, escorted to
your table and seated. Only moments elapse before you are given menus and your
beverage order taken. The waiter returned in an appropriate time to take our
dinner order and offer refills. The meals arrive soon after. I did notice on e of the waiters was the specialist
in delivering the hot platters to the tables. He had a patchwork of oven mitts
and cloths to protect his arms from the hot platters stacked nearly to his
chin. He made the deliveries frequently even to the outside patio, someone
racing to open the doors just in time. That was a unique show. When the wife
wanted a take-home container I flagged a waiter from a different station. He
returned in a moment with the requested container. The waiters all worked
together from delivering the sizzling hot platters to bringing trivial items requested
by the patrons no matter at whose table they were seated. I came away feeling well cared for and
pampered.
The big question is would I go back to The Monterey? I will
have to say yes, the next time I am in Woodstock. As I stated, the food was as
one would expect, good but not exceptional. The service was exceptional. Next
time, however, I’ll ask for a table in the outdoor patio and I’ll
seriously consider the offerings of the fajita menu.
Labels: beans, burrito, enchilada, Georgia, Mexicano, Monterey, Restaurante, rice, sauce, Southwestern, tamale, Woodstock
¶ 12:37 PM 0 Comments
