Chinese Buffets.......

Chinese Buffets appear to have taken over. There's almost one on every corner. We used to have great Chinese restaurants here, but since the invasion of the buffets it seems a plethora of soggy, lukewarm, spiceless run of the mill generic Chinese food. When I go to a Chinese buffet and see pizza and french fries on the buffet, I pretty much know how it's going to be.......

I have noticed the same thing in Knoxville, TN with the exception of the Mandarin House which has consistently won the best buffet for several years running. Somehow they are able to gauge customer usage and their buffet is mostly always fresh and abundant. They do a lot of business and I believe that helps keep products fresh and hot. They are expanding rapidly and I sure hope that does not destroy their quality.

There are many others and they tend to be as described in the above post.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

There are a ton of the buffets in my area. I haven't been to any of them because I've heard the same negative comments. But we did go to a Thai restaurant this weekend that does a very involved Sunday buffet. It was fabulous! No where on the scale of the Chinese places as far as quantity, but the quality was above and beyond what we expected.12 different entrees, 5 different salads, 3 noodle dishes, seafood, chicken, rices,and several different curries. In addition to tons of fresh herbs and 16 different condiments. I'll be going back.

Yep - our town (Austin, MN) has seen the passing of several decent small Chinese places. The first buffet ran them out of business, the second larger buffet ran the first buffet out of business.

The general rule for great Chinese dinning seems to be the smaller, the darker, the more dirty the joint, the better the food.

In Tampa,we have several Chinese buffet's and the one's that have stuck around have very good food indeed. One of them,the 'New China' on Dale mabry HWY,in North Tampa has hot and cold mussels,sushi and for an extra $4 at dinner,you get the seafood items lacking at lunch such as U-peel shrimp,crab legs(!)and clams. turnover keeps everything fresh. Who would have thought that Tampa would have good Chinese? As to 'invasions',where exactly do you live? I've never heard of any chinese place(let alone an invasion of them)that led the charge for mediocrity with french fries. If you don't like the buffet,order off the menu,if that food is miserable as well,why go in the first place?

I'm in Lexington, KY. It used to be, they'd have the buffets on Sunday but now there are all these buffet places. There are still some Chinese restaurants I like here, but sadly some of them have given in to the "buffet" thing and IMO it's not been a good thing in terms of the food quality. Quantity, yes, but quality no. That's just my opinion.

Most of the Chinese Buffets in my area don't have a menu, they are entirely buffet. The co-workers I've talked to that have eaten at several different ones said they all served pizza, steamed burgers and fries as well as pasta! And someplaces have put smaller menu only places out of business, because so many people seem to want a whole bunch of mediocre food for a certain price than better food with fewer choices. But the one in Tampa sounds interesting.

My wife is from Shanghai and she absolutely loves these places. It's all about $$$ in her mind.

Yes, the one in Tampa sounds interesting. There's one here like that, and when you go there you're basically the only non-Asian diner. It's not a huge buffet, but what they have is very good but they have many tofu based dishes, and my husband doesn't care for tofu. But, they keep their buffet small and it is quality. When I started this thread, was just addressing the huge buffets with the pizza, french fries, etc.

In Cincinnati, it seems as if every other time a restaurant closes, it reopens as a chinese buffet or a tex/mex place...burritos, enchiladas, or chimichangas with refried beans and rice...that kind of place.

As a result, we too have a plethora of chinese buffets and mexican places.

I still like the buffets on occasion because I can get a better variety of stuff than I can at a ala carte place for a much better price. Ala carte, eggroll + some spring rolls + crab rangoon + rice + entree + soup might run me 20 bucks or more. Lunch buffet, with beverage: around 6-7 dollars, with coupons sometimes lowering that price.

There are a few around here but the only decent one is 35 Chinese on Kildaire Farm Road and that is if you go when they first open and everything is fresh. The flip side is if you ask for the "Chinese" menu and have someone interpet (sp?) it for you , you will get authentic Chinese. We actually prefer a place on high House road for sit down or take out, their name escapes me at this moment.



Dennis in Cary

Here in Columbia SC, these places are popping up like weeds. Many in these parts seem to favor the most fried food for the money. Basically they are lukewarm varients of fried chicken in different sweet sauces, lots of wings, and lots of egg rolls. I generally think they are awful compared to good Chinese restaurants that serve individual dishes. Also will NOT do Chinese buffets as they routinely make horrendous scores on Sanitation Exams here. One of the larger ones even sets out sushi - God knows what it is or how long it has been sitting - and not in chilled environment. Have also seen pizza, spaghetti, slices of grey ham sitting in puddle of luckwarm water, and "prime rib", which was deemed by person brave enough to try as being decidedly "not cow". UGH. Just say NO to Chinese buffets and go to proper Asian restaurant or better yet, try making it yourself!

quote:

Originally posted by CarolinaBill

Here in Columbia SC, these places are popping up like weeds. Many in these parts seem to favor the most fried food for the money. Basically they are lukewarm varients of fried chicken in different sweet sauces, lots of wings, and lots of egg rolls. I generally think they are awful compared to good Chinese restaurants that serve individual dishes. Also will NOT do Chinese buffets as they routinely make horrendous scores on Sanitation Exams here. One of the larger ones even sets out sushi - God knows what it is or how long it has been sitting - and not in chilled environment. Have also seen pizza, spaghetti, slices of grey ham sitting in puddle of luckwarm water, and "prime rib", which was deemed by person brave enough to try as being decidedly "not cow". UGH. Just say NO to Chinese buffets and go to proper Asian restaurant or better yet, try making it yourself!

It depends very much on the quality of your local sit-down Chinese restaurants. I'm used to the Chinese food in San Francisco. Frankly, I preferred to cook my own (or, in the case of dumplings, buy Trader Joe's frozen ones) rather than eat the Chinese available in restaurants near my home in Arizona. But recently a take-out place opened up (I guess that's a little different than a buffet, but not much) and it's pretty darned good. Maybe it has something to do with the Stanford ball caps the kids behind the counter wear (I've asked repeatedly about that and only gotten an enigmatic smile but I like to think someone in charge has a Bay Area connection).

Frankly, I judge Chinese places in part by what they call "Chow Mein". The words literally mean stir-fried noodles. Those crispy things from Chun King that come in cans have nothing to do with it. When that's what a Chinese place serves (along with a soggy mass of veggies in corn starch paste) as "chow mein", I'm inclined to run.

SUPER CHINA BUFFET ON MAPLECREST ROAD IN FORT WAYNE INDIANA. I love it. you guys got to try it if u live near ft. wayne or are in ft. wayne

Honestly, I've never been to a Chinese buffet that was worth a second visit. If I want all-you-can-eat Asian food, I go to a Mongolian BBQ place.

quote:

Originally posted by Saint Matt

Honestly, I've never been to a Chinese buffet that was worth a second visit. If I want all-you-can-eat Asian food, I go to a Mongolian BBQ place.

I go to an INDIAN buffet. The majority of Indian places in SF now have buffets at lunch time and since Indian food can be pricey (but worth it IMHO), the buffets are a bargain.

The first ones I ever saw were about 11 or more years ago while traveling through the Montreal area, of all places, on vacation. I honestly had never seen one in the U.S. before. I thought it was a wonderful idea! Then about a year later they started popping up all over the place. The best one that was local was called Joy Palace, in wild and jungle-like Marlton, NJ (trust me, I'm kidding). It was run by a really nice family and was always packed. We used to eat until we were sick, and my daughter always saw someone she knew from camp or the JCC or school in there; it never failed. My boyfriend took me to one down in bustling Brooklawn, NJ. I can't even pronounce the name. This was the only one where you had to pay first. I actually liked their Italian selections lol. Then there were some absolutely disgusting ones we'd try, simply because they were so close. We always returned to Joy Palace, until one day when a sign appeared on the door saying, "Closed for Renovations". That was a year and a half ago and they never opened back up.

And recently I see they're all starting to close down, one by one.

The good part is that our local Shop Rite, which coincidentally happens to be in the same shopping strip that Joy Palace was, opposite their really good salad bar and right next to the deli section, now has a Chinese buffet! Take-out only, although I think you can take it to the new Starbuck's, also within the store (I'm not a Starbuck's fan at all) and sit at a table and eat. I never would, though; it's about ten minutes to my home from there. You can watch them preparing everything and it's just great to take it home on the way from work. You put it on the scale and it weighs it, and then you print out your own receipt. I've got a feeling that the cooks from Joy Palace now work in the Shop Rite 'Wok' section.

There are other Chinese buffets in the area but I'd rather not go to them.

There is a Chinese buffet in Consumer Square, in Columbus, OH that is very good. It is Mark Pi's Feast of the Dragon. Mark Pi is in the Guinness Book of World Records for his noodle making speed. He made 4096 noodle strings in 41-3/4 seconds on December 15, 1993.

The buffet really is all inclusive in that there is a salad bar with soup offerings, an appetizer section (egg rolls, Shrimp toast, Sesame meatballs, etc.) then the entrees which include the usual choices in addition to some non-Asian items, and a dessert section. It is $5.49 at lunch (beverage included) and $7.49 (or thereabouts) at dinner. The food is always hot as it should be and fresh. The restaurant itself is very clean. Mark Pi has had a number of restaurants in the Columbus area for many years and they have all been very worthwhile. We love this buffet.

The only other Chinese buffet we've tried was less than mediocre and not worth a second visit.

Donna

Ditto for Rochester. We have had an explosion of China Buffet restaurants the past two years. The only ones I enjoy tend to also have a Mongolian BBQ where you pick the ingredients from a choice of noodles, meats, veggies, and sometimes the sauces, and they cook it for you right there on a hot grill so it is fresh. These better places also tend to have sushi although it is basically California roll types, not actual sushi with raw fish.

If I want good Chinese food, I go to one of the restaurants which does not have a buffet and order off the menu. We still have plenty of these.

Our favorite place to eat in New Castle, PA is China Banquet, at 102 North Jefferson Street. Very large selection, including delicious crab rangoons, and even Alaskan crab legs. Nummmy!!! Because it's very popular, things move fairly quickly and are always fresh.

Of course, my fave Chinese buffets will generally include a Mongolian grill service - all I can eat *fresh* food, rather than all I can eat steamtable food.

There used to be a Chinese buffet here in Versailles, KY, and everything was covered in a horrid orange sweet sauce. It was the same if you ordered off the menu. If you're ever in Lexington, KY, the ones that have seemed to be the most consistant in terms of quality are Hunan and the Panda on New Circle Road. The Szeuchan Garden is good as well, but not as good as it used to be, IMO. It just seems these restaurants have given in to the buffet thing and the ones that were truly good are now mediocre, at best. No pizza, pasta, or french fries at the Chinese restaurant!

Andrea

There are a number of Chinese buffets in Washington DC that cater to the lunch crowd. For the most part, they are NOT all-you-can-eat (well, I guess technically they are, since you can help yourself to as much as you want, but they weigh your plate at the cashier and charge you by the pound, and you have to pay again if you go back for more). As with most buffets I have tried, some of the items are good and some are not, and its better if you get some of an item as soon as it has left the kitchen. Most of them do have some non-Chinese items, which I have found to be of about the same quality (i.e., inconsistent) as the Chinese foods. With so many good sit down Chinese restaurants in the area, I rarely patronize the buffets.

quote:

Originally posted by DLnWPBrown

There are a few around here but the only decent one is 35 Chinese on Kildaire Farm Road and that is if you go when they first open and everything is fresh. The flip side is if you ask for the "Chinese" menu and have someone interpet (sp?) it for you , you will get authentic Chinese. We actually prefer a place on high House road for sit down or take out, their name escapes me at this moment.



Dennis in Cary

We made it to "35 Chinese" at least once a week when we lived in Cary.

I don't believe I've ever seen a Chinese buffet here in New York; I'm not sure how that concept would fly here. But, where I grew up, pretty much all of the Chinese restaurants were buffets. In fact, a few years ago a visiting hometown friend and I went out for Chinese food, and he was so surprised it wasn't a buffet. I don't think he'd ever been to a more conventional sit-down version before.

While we have always had some halfway decent and a few quite good Chinese restaurants in western Wisconsin, these buffet places started popping up all over about ten years ago. I generally try them when I'm in too much of a hurry to order off the menu, but I've never seen a buffet yet that can match the best of the regular Chinese restaurants.

The thing I've noticed is that a lot of them follow the same path. They open up with lots of fanfare, trumpeting something new -- Mongolian BBQ, free dessert bar, frozen sushi [is that a contradiction in terms, or what?]. The buffet items always include sticky sweet/spicy General Tso's chicken, lackluster shrimp in lobster sauce, cashew chicken and bland pepper steak. And they start by putting lots of veggies in the dishes, then they discover that a great many of the diners pick out the meat and leave the veggies behind. So pretty soon those of us who actually LIKE vegetables find the buffet to be pretty slim pickings. After a few years, the place starts to look a little rundown. Then one day you discover they've packed up and left.

In Santa Clarita, Ca we have lots of chinese buffets but most are run of the mill and not that great. Recently a new one opened though that is a Chinese food lovers dream come true. They have over 120 dishes on the food lines and in the evenings peel and eat shrimp and steamed crabs are always on the tables. They also have things like steamed mussels, boiled seafood dishes, freshly prepared sushi, and some of the best soups I've ever had. You'll find the traditional offerings like wonton and egg drop soup but also a third soup that is more traditionally chinese and is usually very spicy. They do have an "american" food line with things like pizza and chicken nuggets but the owner told me thats just to keep families with kids happy. My favorite though is this crab type salad they have on the salad table that is a cross between a crab salad and a slaw. It has celery and I'm not sure what else but I usually go and fill up on the crab salad and boiled shrimp and then just nibble at the other offerings. We've been there over a dozen times now at different times of the day and each time it was excellent. Name of the place is Asia Garden Buffet and its in a building that used to be a Coco's restaurant.

There's three Chinese restaurants at one general intersection area here in Independence.

The Hong Kong Tea House - An actual restaurant, good food.
China Buffet - Buffet, which isn't too bad either.
Gold Lion - Actual restaurant, I've only been there once. I don't know if having a TV playing on one of the tables does anything to help or hurt a restaurant.

All of those are around the MO-78 and MO-291 area. If you enter the area on 78, you'd have to turn right into the parking lot (there's a huge Price Chopper next to the restaurant). HKTH is on Hub, which is off of Gudgell (which is south of MO-78). Gold Lion is in the strip east of 291 and south of 78.

As for the other restaurants.

I've never had Panda Express (in the Independence Center) although i've had Teriyaki from the Japanese place in the Center.

Wing Lee's (off of US-24, on Atherton) is a small buffet. And they had "Chinese-style donuts" (which was sorta like a donut without a hole and with sugar on it)

Cathay Express (US-24, east of Lee's Summit Road, before Salisbury) is a little place that appears to be similiar to a drive in. But I haven't been there.

Peking Express (US-24, east of Sterling, Northside of the highway) is pretty much Chinese fast food, with a drive-thru and all.

China One (formerly Apple Chinese, US-24, east of the High School, in the old Waid's building) wasn't too bad either. It's buffet-style.

Shanghai Boy (Noland Road, south of 23rd) hasn't been open either time i've went by. They have a drive-thru and a mix of Chinese meals and American fast food. Yes, Cheeseburgers and Chinese. Here's an article on their Lee's Summit location: http://www.thex.info/stories/0904/0904009.shtml

There's a few more here that I haven't been to. For a town of 110K, I don't know how many Chinese restaurants are to be expected.

Up until a few years ago, we had 6 or so chinese resteraunts (sit down and take out). Then the first Chinese Buffet moved into town. It created a little stir, and nothing more. A couple of years later, a Mongolean BBQ opened up. Again a little stir and nothing else. About 5 years ago, World Buffet opened. Their buffet line has over 150 items. One short line does have the pizza, hot dogs, etc for the kiddies. Three of the lines constitute the Chinese fare. It is excellent, well prepared, spicy, and the resteraunt itself is very clean. The bathrooms are spotless. They also have a regular menu and, the best part is they deliver from the menu. I have loved Chinese all my 60+ years, and aside from China Town in San Francisco, this is one of the best Chinese resteraunts.
Oh, and by the way, none of the other Chinese resteraunts have closed. This in a town of about 65,000.

IMHO the proliferation of the Chinese buffet in the U.S. is a sign of a weak economy. For example, I am lucky to live in the suburbs outside of Chicago, the economy is this area is very strong. Consequently, we have numerous dining establishments (including Chinese), although we have no Chinese buffets. People out here have the means to spend a bit more for a fresher and higher quality product.

On the flip side, we travel to Western MI quite often and I have noticed that this whole area is teeming with Chinese buffets. With the exception of a few vacation areas Western MI is very rural and very blue collar. This type of restaurant concept plays very well because the food is relatively cheap and hot. You get your drinks included in the price and tipping is nominal at best. A family who can't generally afford to go out to eat can usually swing the cost of a Chinese buffet a few times month.