Buffets

"Dan Levy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Charles Gifford" <[email hidden]> wrote in
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link.net...

Quoted message said:

I got stopped even earlier Terry. Why would one go to
Las Vegas and eat

at

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

buffets? The place is chock-a-block with every famous
chef's

restaurants.

Quoted message said:

Never been there myself and I think gambling is unwise,
but I thought I'd heard that some of the casinos serve
free snacks to their customers. How much gambling the
customer has to do in order to be fed, however, is
something I don't know.

It's free drinks while you're gambling, doesn't matter what
game, doesn't matter what you drink. I guess the cheapest
way to drink is to play a couple of keno numbers and enjoy
the libations. I won't touch on the most expensive way is.

Jack Sands

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

I'm in the "can't stand 'em" category. First of all, the
idea of eating food that's been sitting in steamers for
God knows how long is not exactly enticing. And, yeah, I
know they often have cooks standing about to do things to
order <shrug>, but most of the stuff appears to be just
laid out for hours. I also have a problem with the
visual...

[pulling on asbestos britches here]

...of people just *grazing* and piling plates yea high -
it just looks like an overeating festival to me. Granted,
I'm a fairly abstemious eater, but I find buffets just
repulsive.

Okay, flame away. I have my protective britches on!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"

To quote an old adage, "If I am going to pay for my food in
a restaurant, it is going to be served TO me."

Quoted message said:

I got stopped even earlier Terry. Why would one go to Las
Vegas and eat at buffets? The place is chock-a-block with
every famous chef's restaurants.

In the casinos, the breakfast buffets are generally about 4
bucks each and the one I went to at the Sahara had Lox and
Roast Beef on it.. To go eat at Emeril's probably costs an
arm or leg and I doubt those celebrity places even serve
breakfast.

I live less than a mile from two chinese buffets. One I like
because they do have crab legs and fried on the menu and I
can have a meal strongly rooted in seafood. The only problem
is that eating at those places causes me severe digestive
problems. If I'm backed up, I know I can always go to the
chinese buffet and within twenty minutes after leaving the
restaurant my constipation problem is solved.

Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man

"The likelihood of one individual being correct increases
in a direct proportion to the intensity with which others
try to prove him wrong" James Mason from the movie "Heaven
Can Wait".

"Mpoconnor7" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I got stopped even earlier Terry. Why would one go to Las
Vegas and eat

at

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

buffets? The place is chock-a-block with every famous
chef's restaurants.

In the casinos, the breakfast buffets are generally about
4 bucks each and

the

Quoted message said:

one I went to at the Sahara had Lox and Roast Beef on it..
To go eat at Emeril's probably costs an arm or leg and I
doubt those celebrity places

even

Quoted message said:

serve breakfast.

I live less than a mile from two chinese buffets. One I
like because they

do

Quoted message said:

have crab legs and fried on the menu and I can have a meal
strongly rooted

in

Quoted message said:

seafood. The only problem is that eating at those places
causes me severe digestive problems. If I'm backed up, I
know I can always go to the

chinese

Quoted message said:

buffet and within twenty minutes after leaving the
restaurant my

constipation

Quoted message said:

problem is solved.

Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man

"The likelihood of one individual being correct increases
in a direct proportion to the intensity with which others
try to prove him wrong" James Mason from the movie "Heaven
Can Wait".

Chinese & Mexican restaurants do the exact same thing to me!
<VBG> kili

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

The question is a little like asking who likes restaurants
and who doesn't. If your experience with restaurants is
good, you like them. If you've been to bad ones, you don't.

I haven't been to many buffets, but I think of them kindly.
There was a hotel in New Orleans many years ago that did a
wonderful brunch. Instead of the guy slicing meat, they had
a woman with a wok. The vegetables were sliced and in bowls
on the table. You pointed to what you wanted in your stir-
fry, and she made your order fresh.

I'm also a big fan of Indian lunch buffets. Indian stews
lend themselves wonderfully to slow cooking in a steam
table. There are several restaurants around here that offer
all-you-can eat Indian lunch buffets. My appetite is never
big enough to make money on the deal, but I do feel well fed
and like I got my money's worth.

When Jim's job took us to San Jose a few times a year, we
stayed in a hotel that did a nice job on breakfast. In
some ways it was simple, but it was the perfect business
breakfast. They had a table of baked goods including some
fancy pastries and croissants but also plain bagels and
whole wheat bread, butter, cream cheese and jam, serving
size boxes of package cereal, thermoses of coffee, tea,
hot water, cream, whole and skim milk, and big bowls of
freshly cut fruit. That was it, all self serve and all
refreshed by a staff that was kept busy during the morning
rush. I loved it.

The worst buffets are the ones where some hotel is trying to
save on serving staff for breakfast. Invariably there's
those doughnut shaped rolls that are trying to be bagels but
are really bad white bread, the bacon under the hot lamp,
the drying out eggs, the sorry looking fruit. Sometimes
there's that greasy french toast.

No, I can think of a worse one. I've said before how my
in-laws and I have different opinions on what makes a good
meal. Jim and I keep trying to take them out to what we
think is a good restaurant, and they keep being unhappy.
Finally, we asked where they'd like to go, and they took
us to the buffet dinner at some club. I had to keep
telling myself that they go here on purpose and not
because they're forced. As near as I could tell, they
bought big boxes of batter fried and frozen foods,
defrosted and put them under a hot lamp. I couldn't name a
brand, but this is the sort where the batter tastes of
pure salt. They'd also battered the tails on the shrimp so
I found myself chewing up shrimp shells. Everything else
was like what others have described in this thread
including the ubiquitous roast beef with server. My in-
laws are of a generation that values all-you-can eat.

--Lia

Charles Gifford said:

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

Quoted message said:

I got stopped even earlier Terry. Why would one go to Las
Vegas and eat at buffets? The place is chock-a-block with
every famous chef's restaurants.

Because the food at some Las Vegas buffets is superb. The
buffets at Belagio, Aladan, Monte Carlo, and Paris
casinos offer excellent food with high turnover and
reasonable prices.

Kajikit said:

Quoted message said:

but the scene was like 5 army chow-halls in one room.

Quoted message said:

The buffets at Treasure Island are pretty good. There was
a high turnover so the food stayed pretty fresh, and it
certainly didn't look 'pawed over' to me. We didn't have
any trouble eating it.

If you're referring to the Treasure Island casino in Las
Vegas, it does not offer a buffet.

Jack Schidt® said:

I know the other kinda buffet you mean.....they should
open a buffet chain called Cafe 212, as everything is
either boiled or steamed to death, food for those who
don't chew.

For those who enjoy Sunday brunch, the Paris buffet has an
excellent deal. I think they offer it on Saturdays too. The
Paris buffet for brunch has what seems like endless smoked
salmon, an omelet station, seafood quiche, different kinds
of blintses, and superb desserts.

Dan Levy said:

Never been there myself and I think gambling is unwise,
but I thought I'd heard that some of the casinos serve
free snacks to their customers. How much gambling the
customer has to do in order to be fed, however, is
something I don't know.

I have been to Las Vegas many times. I assure you, there is
plenty to do in Vegas for those who do not gamble. For those
that do gamble, all the casinos offer free alcoholic and
soft drinks. No casino that I have ever been to in Vegas or
anywhere else offers free snacks to gamblers; only free
drinks. I never accept alcoholic drinks when I gamble
though; I usually just order bottled water or soda. Gambling
and alcohol do not mix, which is why the casinos offer free
alcoholic drinks to players.

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

I'm in the "can't stand 'em" category. First of all, the
idea of eating food that's been sitting in steamers for
God knows how long is not exactly enticing. And, yeah, I
know they often have cooks standing about to do things to
order <shrug>, but most of the stuff appears to be just
laid out for hours. I also have a problem with the
visual...

[pulling on asbestos britches here]

...of people just *grazing* and piling plates yea high -
it just looks like an overeating festival to me. Granted,
I'm a fairly abstemious eater, but I find buffets just
repulsive.

Okay, flame away. I have my protective britches on!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

No buffets, thank you. For all the reasons you cited, plus
if I wanted to serve myself I could do it at home.

Felice

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

I'm in the "can't stand 'em" category. First of all, the
idea of eating food that's been sitting in steamers for
God knows how long is not exactly enticing. And, yeah, I
know they often have cooks standing about to do things to
order <shrug>, but most of the stuff appears to be just
laid out for hours. I also have a problem with the
visual...

[pulling on asbestos britches here]

...of people just *grazing* and piling plates yea high -
it just looks like an overeating festival to me. Granted,
I'm a fairly abstemious eater, but I find buffets just
repulsive.

Okay, flame away. I have my protective britches on!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"

I have seen and eaten at some lovely Sunday Brunch buffets.
IMHO there is a very big difference between those and, well
"Hometown Buffet"

Dimitri

x-no-archive: yes

Charles Gifford said:

I got stopped even earlier Terry. Why would one go to Las
Vegas and eat at buffets? The place is chock-a-block with
every famous chef's restaurants.

You can't go to Nobu every day.

That said, I dislike buffets for all the sorts of reasons
that have been mentioned, plus the fact that they're usually
crowded. You get people walking around with full plates, not
looking where they are going. It's just a pain.

Naomi D.

"Dimitri" <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

I'm in the "can't stand 'em" category. First of all, the
idea of eating food that's been sitting in steamers for
God knows how long is not exactly enticing. And, yeah, I
know they often have cooks standing about to do things to
order <shrug>, but most of the stuff appears to be just
laid out for hours. I also have a problem with the
visual...

[pulling on asbestos britches here]

...of people just *grazing* and piling plates yea high -
it just looks like an overeating festival to me. Granted,
I'm a fairly abstemious eater, but I find buffets just
repulsive.

Okay, flame away. I have my protective britches on!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts
had been as full as the waitress', it would have been a
very good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"

I have seen and eaten at some lovely Sunday Brunch
buffets. IMHO there is a very big difference between those
and, well "Hometown Buffet"

Dimitri

We have the "Old Country Buffet" in the Phoenix area, which
is often frequented by "snowbirds", our perennial out of
state winter visitors/residents. Many, of not most, of the
snowbirds are elderly and we have dubbed the restaurant the
"Old Folks Buffet". It's not the cheapest meal in town, but
at least they get a good bang for their buck.

Personally, most of my feelings about most buffets are
negative and for most of the previously posted reasons.

Wayne

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Dimitri" <[email hidden]> wrote in

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have seen and eaten at some lovely Sunday Brunch
buffets. IMHO there is a very big difference between
those and, well "Hometown Buffet"

Dimitri

We have the "Old Country Buffet" in the Phoenix area,
which is often frequented by "snowbirds", our perennial
out of state winter visitors/residents. Many, of not
most, of the snowbirds are elderly and we have dubbed
the restaurant the "Old Folks Buffet". It's not the
cheapest meal in town, but at least they get a good bang
for their buck.

Personally, most of my feelings about most buffets are
negative and for most of the previously posted reasons.

Wayne

Same ownership - buffet.combuffet.comOpen ↗

Eating at the Ritz..

The Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove turns its exceptionally
rated culinary talents to one of America's favorite weekend
pastimes, Sunday Brunch. Served indoors in the hotel's
signature restaurant, Bizcaya Grill, and outside overlooking
a lush courtyard waterfall, Sunday Brunch features an
abundant array of culinary specialties from around the world
and is accompanied by free-flowing champagne and mimosas
from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Executive Chef Roberto Holz varies the menu each Sunday to
combine new specialties and seasonal favorites with such
mouthwatering selections as baked grouper with wilted
spinach and tomato vinaigrette, beef tenderloin with
caramelized shallots in a red wine reduction, cannelloni of
duck confit with lemon and thyme, mushroom, spinach and
asparagus risotto with marinated shrimp and roasted garlic,
marinated lamb chops with fresh herbs and more.

Ever-changing culinary offerings are complemented by cuisine
of the world, featuring a different region each month:

March: Spain August: Russia

April: India September: Hawaii

May: Tuscany October: Germany

June: Mexico November/December: Provence

July: Caribbean

A dramatic of fresh seafood and salads features oysters on
the half shell with mignonettes, gazpacho shooters, Bacalao
salad with sweet potatoes, antipasti displays, roasted
asparagus with Serrano ham, exotic cheeses from around the
world, fresh shrimp and smoked salmon. For traditionalists,
the restaurant offers French toast, a selection of bacon and
house-made sausages and omelettes made to order,

Working with Executive Chef Roberto Holz, 32, formerly of
Hotel Arts, Barcelona, Spain (a Ritz-Carlton Hotel), is
Willis Loughhead, 31, Restaurant Chef for Bizcaya Grill. The
restaurant recently received an "Exceptional" rating from
the Miami Herald.

Sunday Brunch at The Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove is served
from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $45 for adults; $25 for
children under 12. Reservations can be made by calling 305-644-
4670. The hotel is located at 3300 S.W. 27th Avenue, in the
heart of Miami's most historic bay front neighborhood.

Dimitri

<pulling on the extra heavy duty asbestos britches here>

OK.... all I'm gonna say is that buffets are merely the
result of the average American's desire for quantity
over quality.

You all get what you deserve.

"Terry Pulliam Burd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was just strolling through the Las Vegas thread re:
restaurant recommendations and saw a *lot* of buffet
recommendations. Just out of curiosity, who hereabouts
like buffets and who can't stand 'em?

I'm in the "can't stand 'em" category. First of all, the
idea of eating food that's been sitting in steamers for
God knows how long is not exactly enticing. And, yeah, I
know they often have cooks standing about to do things to
order <shrug>, but most of the stuff appears to be just
laid out for hours. I also have a problem with the
visual...

[pulling on asbestos britches here]

...of people just *grazing* and piling plates yea high -
it just looks like an overeating festival to me. Granted,
I'm a fairly abstemious eater, but I find buffets just
repulsive.

Okay, flame away. I have my protective britches on!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"

Bob Westcott said:

<pulling on the extra heavy duty asbestos britches here>

OK.... all I'm gonna say is that buffets are merely the
result of the average American's desire for quantity over
quality.

You all get what you deserve.

Are you trying to say that buffets are the only type of
restaurants in America? Or that there are no buffets in
other countries? Or, no good buffets? What.

nancy

Quoted message said:

There is a very good Thai Sunday brunch buffet here in
Chicago (there are many, actually), but a few years back we
just stopped going. The food is great, fresh, and varied,
but the behavior of some of the "diners" turned me off. One
guy took a *whole* newly - replenished platter of rock
lobster tails and dumped them on his plate...there were
kids running around putting their grimy fingers in the food
(some of the adults did this, too)...people with truly
piggish table manners....

I won't tell you the squicky things I've seen at places
like Olde Kuntry Boofay and the like...gross!

No more buffets for me.

Besides which, when I go out to eat I want to be served
at the table. Hundreds of days of the year I have a
buffet - it's called "Greg's Kitchen"...lol. Wanna give
my gams a break!

I do sometimes go to a local place for all - you - can -
eat fish n' chips on Fridays and Wednesdays. But they serve
you, so that's acceptable to
me....

--
Best
Greg>

Do you believe it is just concidence that a buffet and a
trough look very much alike ???

Rosie

Alex Rast said:

I can understand why they have the slicers - if everyone
took the massive amounts of meat, that would pretty much
kill their price structure - but I suggest an alternative
- a tiered price structure whereby if you wanted all-you-can-
eat on the meat, you paid commensurately more.

There's an idea I can get behind. I never get my money's
worth at a buffet, I wouldn't mind if I could only go up
once, fill up my plate and that's it, for a lower price. Of
course, it would be a logistical nightmare to keep track of.

I just remembered a buffet I used to go to ... they had it
every Friday night, and they called it a smorgasbord. Not a
sneeze guard in sight. One of the swankiest restaurants in
these parts. Wonder if they still have that. At any rate,
the food and service was top notch. I always ended dinner
with a big pile of strawberries Romanoff.

Speaking of sneeze guards, I wonder just how well they work.
For instance, the other day I decided I would like to make
tacos for dinner, but I really didn't feel like buying a ton
of lettuce. So I went to the salad bar and got some, then
got some other salad stuff. Well, if I wanted to get
something from the back of the thing, I had to stick my head
under the sneeze guard to reach it. No, I did not sneeze.
But you get what I'm saying. Stupid thing was in my way.

nancy

Nancy Young said:

Alex Rast said:

I can understand why they have the slicers - if everyone
took the massive amounts of meat, that would pretty much
kill their price structure - but I suggest an alternative
- a tiered price structure whereby if you wanted all-you-can-
eat on the meat, you paid commensurately more.

There's an idea I can get behind. I never get my money's
worth at a buffet, I wouldn't mind if I could only go up
once, fill up my plate and that's it, for a lower price.
Of course, it would be a logistical nightmare to keep
track of.

I eat often at a Brazillian cafeteria. You serve yourself
from the steam table and cold table, take your plate over to
the skewers line and get served roast beef, chicken, and/or
sausage from the man in front of the fire, then place your
plate on a scale and get a check from the lady who also gets
drinks from the fridge behind her. For people who want no
meat at all, there's a lower per pound price.

I think this could work at a buffet. Two prices. One is for
all you can eat of everything offered. The other is all you
can eat of everything except the expensive items on the
special table.

--Lia

Dimitri said:

Sunday Brunch at The Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove is served
from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $45 for adults; $25 for
children under 12. Reservations can be made by calling 305-644-
4670. The hotel is located at 3300 S.W. 27th Avenue, in
the heart of Miami's most historic bay front neighborhood.

So that's 27th Avenue and Bayshore Drive? Or corner
Tigertail? Or Bird? I lived in a little apartment on 27th
Ave and Bird Road from 1985-1993 and can't remember my old
address to save me. I haven't been back to Miami in ages and
am trying to figure out where the Ritz-Carlton
is. I was there long enough to see the townhouses that got
put up when my apartment was torn down (and think of my
old dog buried in the backyard there).

--Lia