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what is your fav buffet place?

what is your fav buffet place?
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  • what is your fav buffet place?
    Ponderosa
    3%
    1
    Shoney's
    No votes
    0
    Ryan's/Old Country Buffet/HomeTown Buffet
    9%
    3
    Golden corral
    12%
    4
    Souplantation/Sweet tomatoes
    18%
    6
    Chuck-A-Rama
    3%
    1
    KFC buffet
    3%
    1
    USA Steak Buffet
    No votes
    0
    Chinese Buffet (please specify!)
    6%
    2
    Other (Please specify!)
    45%
    15
    Total votes : 33
  • what is your fav buffet place?

    Post #1 - January 18th, 2012, 6:24 pm
    Post #1 - January 18th, 2012, 6:24 pm Post #1 - January 18th, 2012, 6:24 pm
    as the topic title says... what is your fav buffet place?
  • Post #2 - January 18th, 2012, 6:44 pm
    Post #2 - January 18th, 2012, 6:44 pm Post #2 - January 18th, 2012, 6:44 pm
    Why isn't "None of the Above" or "You've got to be Kidding" an option?
    "Goldie, how many times have I told you guys that I don't want no horsin' around on the airplane?"
  • Post #3 - January 18th, 2012, 6:53 pm
    Post #3 - January 18th, 2012, 6:53 pm Post #3 - January 18th, 2012, 6:53 pm
    what do people have against buffets???
  • Post #4 - January 18th, 2012, 7:09 pm
    Post #4 - January 18th, 2012, 7:09 pm Post #4 - January 18th, 2012, 7:09 pm
    The only buffet I can think of worthy of praise is the Sunday brunch buffet at Ray's Killer Creek in Atlanta. Two big rooms full of fatty, sugary, carby, proteiny goodness with a make your own Bloody Mary Bar. It's a hefty feed for $20 a head. There's no major food category missed (especially fatty) on it.

    It'll just make you scream,"Dear Jesus" when you see it.
  • Post #5 - January 18th, 2012, 7:16 pm
    Post #5 - January 18th, 2012, 7:16 pm Post #5 - January 18th, 2012, 7:16 pm
    remixedcat wrote:what do people have against buffets???


    Well for me the list above falls into 2 categories;
    1) never heard of, like Chuck-A-Rama
    2) would never go to, like Golden Corral
  • Post #6 - January 18th, 2012, 7:27 pm
    Post #6 - January 18th, 2012, 7:27 pm Post #6 - January 18th, 2012, 7:27 pm
    Is Chuck-A-Rama a real place? I've never heard of it. It sounds like something right out of a skit on SNL (wait, just googled and sure it enough, it is).

    There are couple of Indian Buffets I enjoy (Tiffin, India House) because many of the foods served on them are stew-like and hold up pretty well in that setting. I remember enjoying a few buffets in Vegas back in the day but it's been so long, I can't remember which ones they were...maybe breakfast at Bally's. It's all a blur. 8)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #7 - January 18th, 2012, 7:38 pm
    Post #7 - January 18th, 2012, 7:38 pm Post #7 - January 18th, 2012, 7:38 pm
    yeah chuck-a-rama is a real place... thought it was fake as well... it's mostly in utah.... LOL...
  • Post #8 - January 18th, 2012, 7:56 pm
    Post #8 - January 18th, 2012, 7:56 pm Post #8 - January 18th, 2012, 7:56 pm
    remixedcat wrote:yeah chuck-a-rama is a real place... thought it was fake as well... it's mostly in utah.... LOL...


    Eleven location in Utah and Idaho.

    Actually, I have heard positives about the place when I worked in Utah. However, there were a lot better all-you-can-eat options like teh Rodizio Grill for only $5 more and I never tried the place.

    There are some pretty good buffets in Las Vegas (Bellagio, M, Cosmopolitan and the like).
  • Post #9 - January 18th, 2012, 8:18 pm
    Post #9 - January 18th, 2012, 8:18 pm Post #9 - January 18th, 2012, 8:18 pm
    Not that big on buffets, but when I get a craving for starch in the winter I have been known to hit up the Red Apple on Milwaukee near Belmont. Pierogis, mashed potatoes, etc.

    I have relatives who are very excited about Sizzler's return to Chicago after a long absence. They like the model of ordering an entree and getting the buffet with it.
  • Post #10 - January 18th, 2012, 8:26 pm
    Post #10 - January 18th, 2012, 8:26 pm Post #10 - January 18th, 2012, 8:26 pm
    I really dislike buffets.
  • Post #11 - January 18th, 2012, 8:28 pm
    Post #11 - January 18th, 2012, 8:28 pm Post #11 - January 18th, 2012, 8:28 pm
    what is your fav fast food?
    McDonald's
    Taco Bell
    Panda Express
    Burger King
    KFC (non-buffet)
    Other (Please specify!)
  • Post #12 - January 18th, 2012, 8:31 pm
    Post #12 - January 18th, 2012, 8:31 pm Post #12 - January 18th, 2012, 8:31 pm
    PortPkPaul wrote:Not that big on buffets, but when I get a craving for starch in the winter I have been known to hit up the Red Apple on Milwaukee near Belmont. Pierogis, mashed potatoes, etc.

    I have relatives who are very excited about Sizzler's return to Chicago after a long absence. They like the model of ordering an entree and getting the buffet with it.



    ponderosa has that where you can order a steak and have the buffet its awesome ;-)
  • Post #13 - January 18th, 2012, 8:41 pm
    Post #13 - January 18th, 2012, 8:41 pm Post #13 - January 18th, 2012, 8:41 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:I remember enjoying a few buffets in Vegas back in the day but it's been so long, I can't remember which ones they were...maybe

    Hey! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! :)

    The most sumptuous buffets in Chicago are the ones they do in the high-end hotel restaurants for brunch on holidays like Mother's Day, Easter, etc. They're typically around $110 per person, plus beverages and tax/tip. Yes, around $110 for brunch, and that is not a typo. (Their regular Sunday brunch buffet is already around $70.) I know that's what they do at the Lobby in the Pen; they've done the same in the past at NoMI in the Park Hyatt and Seasons in the Four Seasons, but I don't know if those two will continue, now that both restaurants are in the process of re-concepting.

    My favorite buffet is the Sunday brunch at Shaw's, with great breakfast foods (thick-cut caramelized bacon, benedicts), great seafood (crab cakes, king crab legs), and great desserts (creme brulee, pot de creme). I posted a detailed report here.
  • Post #14 - January 18th, 2012, 8:55 pm
    Post #14 - January 18th, 2012, 8:55 pm Post #14 - January 18th, 2012, 8:55 pm
    Shaws buffet is pretty solid and Shan does a nice weekend lunch buffet.
  • Post #15 - January 18th, 2012, 9:04 pm
    Post #15 - January 18th, 2012, 9:04 pm Post #15 - January 18th, 2012, 9:04 pm
    Buffets have always appealed to the penurious among us, as they seem to represent a good deal for the buck. When I was in college back in the early 70's at UIC (then "Circle Campus"), there was a Sicilian restaurant on the south side of Taylor just east of Loomis, called Mategrano's. Saturday nights they had an all-you-can-eat-buffet for ten bucks or so. Combine that with jugs of cheap but tasty red plonk wine and you've got a winning combination for us poor students. I remember one particular evening there, after one of my famished buddies had gone up for his fifth heaping plate of pizza bread, sausage, eggplant, manicotti and any number of good things, we heard the hostess hiss (in a barely controlled whisper) to our waitress: "Get dese guys outta here! Dey're eatin' everyt'ing in da place!"
    Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm. ~Ambrose Bierce
  • Post #16 - January 18th, 2012, 9:45 pm
    Post #16 - January 18th, 2012, 9:45 pm Post #16 - January 18th, 2012, 9:45 pm
    There's a KFC buffet halfway between Chicago and Bloomington, IN that I was always fond of (in my life have never seen another one). Nothing like a mid-afternoon stop in the middle of Indiana to coat the stomach for the on-coming night of drinking or to recover from the previous night. Unlimited access to vats of dark brown gravy, washed down with fountain soda and some cigarettes between trips to the buffet. Paula Dean would be proud.
  • Post #17 - January 18th, 2012, 9:46 pm
    Post #17 - January 18th, 2012, 9:46 pm Post #17 - January 18th, 2012, 9:46 pm
    remixedcat wrote:what do people have against buffets???


    Generally, I prefer my food made-to-order, but, if I'm being honest, the biggest reason I stay away from buffets is because I always feel the need to overindulge when I'm in one. They were fine when I was in college and my metabolism could take it, but in my mid-30s, I prefer to have made-to-order dishes with reasonable portion sizes (which are often too big, as it is.) I avoid Brazilian steakhouses for the same reason. I just can't justify to myself eating that much food to make it worth it.

    That said, two of my favorites have been mentioned here: Tiffin and Red Apple (and Bobak's, back when they had the restaurant part of their store.)
  • Post #18 - January 18th, 2012, 10:02 pm
    Post #18 - January 18th, 2012, 10:02 pm Post #18 - January 18th, 2012, 10:02 pm
    I have never been a big fan of buffets. But I have to admit that I was totally impressed by the quality of both the food and service about a year ago at a Sunday brunch buffet and bar at Shaw's on Hubbard.
  • Post #19 - January 18th, 2012, 10:25 pm
    Post #19 - January 18th, 2012, 10:25 pm Post #19 - January 18th, 2012, 10:25 pm
    thing is not many sit down order entree restaurants have ham, baked potatoes, and steak and pasta all in the same place for one price ;-(
  • Post #20 - January 18th, 2012, 10:30 pm
    Post #20 - January 18th, 2012, 10:30 pm Post #20 - January 18th, 2012, 10:30 pm
    That's quite the first world problem.
    -Josh

    I've started blogging about the Stuff I Eat
  • Post #21 - January 18th, 2012, 10:53 pm
    Post #21 - January 18th, 2012, 10:53 pm Post #21 - January 18th, 2012, 10:53 pm
    alain40 wrote:I have never been a big fan of buffets. But I have to admit that I was totally impressed by the quality of both the food and service about a year ago at a Sunday brunch buffet and bar at Shaw's on Hubbard.


    Shaw's is maybe the only place in Chicago I've ever wanted to go for buffet. Have heard excellent things about it.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #22 - January 19th, 2012, 12:44 am
    Post #22 - January 19th, 2012, 12:44 am Post #22 - January 19th, 2012, 12:44 am
    Sawa's Old Warsaw Smorgasbord in Broadview, hands down.

    http://sawasoldwarsaw.com/
  • Post #23 - January 19th, 2012, 1:20 am
    Post #23 - January 19th, 2012, 1:20 am Post #23 - January 19th, 2012, 1:20 am
    When I do go the buffet route, I will go to either Sawa's or the Jolly Inn for some Polish. Recently, I was a guest at a new place in Forest Park called the Hibachi Sushi and Buffet at about 7600 Roosevelt. I was pleasantly surprised. There were a dozen food islands offering everything from the standards to sushi, stir fry and hibachi grilled items. The food was fresh and constantly being replenished. There were people constantly cleaning the serving areas and the tables. Best part: Kids don't eat for free. Any other (of the few) Chinese buffets that I have tried pale in comparison.
  • Post #24 - January 19th, 2012, 6:21 am
    Post #24 - January 19th, 2012, 6:21 am Post #24 - January 19th, 2012, 6:21 am
    Hi- You forgot to include Old Country Buffet in your survey. I used to take somebody there that really liked the place. If you are super selective about what you get, you can get a somewhat healthy meal. I know a lot of people like it because it is really reasonable. The food is passable as far as I am concerned, but it is not great.

    I took my parents a few times toto Fritz that's it that used to be in downtown Evanston for Sunday brunch, and my mother loved it. The restaurant was part of the Let Us Entertain you chain. The restaurant closed down years ago, but I really miss it. Thanks, Nancy
  • Post #25 - January 19th, 2012, 7:42 am
    Post #25 - January 19th, 2012, 7:42 am Post #25 - January 19th, 2012, 7:42 am
    I have horrible, scarring memories of the Smorgy Bob's my grandparents used to insist on eating at, memories that make me shiver a little at the word "buffet". However, I used to quite enjoy Fresh Choice restaurants, a California chain that offered salads, soups, pastas, fresh fruit, and some simple desserts such as tapioca pudding. At the time - over twenty years ago - this was a fairly novel concept, but now seems to be more standard. Even Home Town/Old Country Buffet has a similar setup (though far inferior food).

    I will say that when an Old Country Buffet opened up in my town these many years ago, it was a major source of entertainment for us stoner youngins. The clientele consisted exclusively of senior citizens enjoying their discount, and hordes of red-eyed youth ravaging the dessert bar like warthogs.
    As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
  • Post #26 - January 19th, 2012, 8:27 am
    Post #26 - January 19th, 2012, 8:27 am Post #26 - January 19th, 2012, 8:27 am
    We go to Sweet Tomatoes maybe once a year when I get a salad craving, other than that the only buffets we go to are Indian in nature. My favorite being Taste of the Himalayas in St Charles which features Indian and Nepali foods.
  • Post #27 - January 19th, 2012, 9:00 am
    Post #27 - January 19th, 2012, 9:00 am Post #27 - January 19th, 2012, 9:00 am
    Not in Chicago-land, but Motif at the St. Regis Monarch Bay. Ridiculous buffet, omelette station, pancake station (with dozens of choices), stir fry station, sun-dried tomato gnocchi, waygu beef sliders, a room full of desserts, a sweet crepe station.

    The best part, bottomless champagne, the real deal (Moet Brut Imperial), and my glass was never not full. At $79 a head, not cheap, but one of the best memories from my honeymoon. I should caution, though, being completely stuffed full of food and at least a bottle of champagne in at 2pm does not completely lend oneself to a romantic mood for the next few hours.
  • Post #28 - January 19th, 2012, 10:49 am
    Post #28 - January 19th, 2012, 10:49 am Post #28 - January 19th, 2012, 10:49 am
    bensmom9 wrote:Sawa's Old Warsaw Smorgasbord in Broadview, hands down.

    http://sawasoldwarsaw.com/


    Totally agree. It's the only buffet I'll even consider.
  • Post #29 - January 19th, 2012, 12:35 pm
    Post #29 - January 19th, 2012, 12:35 pm Post #29 - January 19th, 2012, 12:35 pm
    I like the Jolly Club on Irving for Polish buffet, Crazy Buffet in Elk Grove Village for Chinese and Taste of India on Elmhurst Rd for Indian. Truthfully, it's the only Indian buffet I've been to, so what do I know!

    OCB is great for breakfast, but it's getting spendy.

    The rest, I've never been to and/or heard of.
  • Post #30 - January 19th, 2012, 12:38 pm
    Post #30 - January 19th, 2012, 12:38 pm Post #30 - January 19th, 2012, 12:38 pm
    Sweet Tomatos is pretty good, my favorite buffet in Chicago is the Sunday Gospel brunch at The House of Blues. Fantastic southern style breakfast items with a kick ass Gospel choir getting everyone fired up.

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