This may sound weird (or not), but as far as I can remember, I've only had Mongolian BBQ exactly twice in my life. Once was at a hole-in-the-wall in Newport Beach/Costa Mesa, which I already forget the name of. The second time was in Cambridge, MA, ten years ago. I was in town on business and my co-workers took me to Harvard Square on a particular snowy night to eat at a place called FiRE + iCE. It was, without a doubt, the most popular joint at the time for locals.
I remember it succinctly because of that name. And I remember the sleekness. It looked nothing like that dive in Newport Beach/Costa Mesa. This was bright, corporate, and I sorta dug it — especially because it was refuge from the bleary weather outside.
The food, I didn't remember much about. In truth, I think I recall it being no different than our local Mongolian joint, except a little pricier. But when I heard that an outlet of FiRE + iCE opened this past weekend at the Anaheim Garden Walk, it triggered a rush of memories. Most of which was about how friggin' cold it was, there in Cambridge, and how welcome the sight of food sizzling on that ginormous hot plate was.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.