What's For Dinner - Caturday, Jan 14, 2012

Our local Chinese Buffet fits that description exactly.....

Clean, friendly, great staff, great looking food, but pretty much tasteless.


I've NEVER been a buffet fan, but so many people raved about this place, we decided to try it. Unlike other Asian restaurants that order buffets, this place is buffet ONLY - there's no regular menu - which is probably why they're able to keep the buffet tables so fresh & nice.

I had the Hot & Sour Soup - which was actually "hot", as in spicy, & "sour", as in vinegary. I was surprised. Not a lot of "stuff" in the soup, but still tasty. And a kudos to folks who aren't onion fans, they have a bowl of freshly sliced scallions by the soup station so folks who like them (as I do) can add their own. Hubby had the Egg Drop Soup, which he said was "okay". I mean - it's pretty hard to screw up Egg Drop Soup - lol!

Probably the highlight of my meal was the cold Calamari Salad, which consisted of tender squid rings in a hot (quite hot, actually) Chili-Garlic sauce. Everything else was pretty much below average. Hubby said the same about his selections.

But again - for a totally buffet place - hot dishes were HOT; cold dishes were COLD; & everything was refreshed regularly.
 

Luckytrim

Grill Master
Gold Site Supporter
I go there every other Friday for lunch;
I pig out on the mussels and pick'npeel shrimp, then a bowl of H/S soup.....
hardly ever anything else.............
 
Ugh - I tried ONE of the mussels. It DEFINITELY had an old taste - like a cardboard-box taste - probably from the fact that since they're New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels, they're shipped frozen in cardboard boxes. It was awful. The "Seaweed Salad" was NEON green & sweet - not what seaweed salad is supposed to be. "Baked Clam" was SO AWFUL, that I took one bite & set it aside - I can't even say it was all breading. I don't know what it was except for grease. Horrid.

They didn't have any "pick'npeel" shrimp when we were there, but since I can make those fresh & MUCH better at home, we never eat them at restaurants. For one thing "pick 'n peel" shrimp is a restaurant bonanza, because they can make they DAYS before & still legally serve them. Sorry - not for me.

As for the rest of the stuff, the "Kung Pao Chicken & Shrimp" was just passable, & all the other "fried" options (chicken, shrimp, pork, etc.) were fair passable. I mean really - all they have to do is have fresh oil. Everything tasted like it had come from the frozen section of the supermarket.

If you really want to compare really GOOD Chinese food with Mandarin Buffet, try going to "Dragon Chef" in Culpeper. Then you'll realize the difference.
 
Luckytrim - I don't think you even know what restaurant I'm talking about. This place isn't a chain restaurant. They're not all the same. I'm talking about "Mandarin Chinese Buffet & Sushi" in Warrenton, VA. What are you talking about?
 
Actually - no, they're not. This one by us is the first one I've come across that's clean & up to health standards - hot foods are hot, cold foods are cold, & everything is replenished constantly.

First "buffet" I've come across where I didn't feel like I was going to be poisoned. But not one I'd go out of my way to attend. Cleanliness doesn't equal good food.

I'll stick to my mantra re: steering clear of buffet places. ;)
 

Luckytrim

Grill Master
Gold Site Supporter
I saw an article a while back that insisted that the overwhelming majority of the east coast Chinese Buffets were really owned by Mob Families, as a vehicle for laundering their ill-gotten cash.............. don't know, but wouldn't doubt it............. this one goes "bust" about every two years, re-opens with a name change, but all the faces are familiar.............
 
Frankly, I don't care who owns "Mandarin Buffet & Sushi", since I have no plans on returning.

Next time I speak with my "mob connections", I'll have to ask them about it - lol!!!

Oh, but before you get your panties in a twist about it, it's EXTREMELY COMMON for restaurants to change ownership - several times - & yet still keep the same staff. That's not peculiar at all.
 

Luckytrim

Grill Master
Gold Site Supporter
my "panties" in a twist ?

interesting terminology............:oops::yum:

but I digress..............
 
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