Buffets ruining good food

[Craig234]

Garrett's popcorn of Chicago: $131 for a tin.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Woah that better be damn good popcorn lol.

 

[zerocool84]

Minnesotans have a pathological fear of spice.

WI is worse.

I would figure the places that get cold as hell would want spicy foods. I guess not.

 

[rh71]

I decided to go to an "asian" buffet after so many years and it was truly disappointing. Asian buffets were my mainstays in high school and college years. Cheap abundant food and thats it. More than a decade later, happened to be a few weeks ago, I went in on a whim and it was disgusting. Everything is drowned in sauce which is either too salty or too oily. Fried food like general tsos or sesame chicken have been sitting in the steaming dish for too long and the breading falls off. pepper steak which is dry and floppy veggies. The only decent thing was pork fried rice, lo mein and some sort of stir fried string beans. Even the soup sucked.

I didnt dare try the sushi. I lifted the salmon off of the rice and realized it had been out for hours; a dried cuticle had formed on the salmon exposed to air. And then we have the "american" food buffet. Gray meatloaf with some motor oil looking gravy. French fries and onion rings.

The desert buffet was disgusting. Various single serving cakes and cookies. You could do a better job at home with a convenience store package of betty crocker cake mix and value frosting. Chopped bananas in a wierd red pudding. The jello seemed like it was made with double the amount of gelatin powder so it was very "chewy" jello. The fruit was decent but I stayed away from the tapioca and chocolate pudding. Even the soft serve iced cream tasted adulterated, like they cheapened out on the ice cream flavor. Very bland ice cream.

I try not to be a food snob and can enjoy food from all walks of life. Street food to high end. But your typical buffet is just bullshit and barely tries to make anything palatable. In the end I felt bad for wasting so much food. A few half hearted bites and I just couldnt stomach more... It didnt hit the wallet too badly but in all what a waste of 45 minutes and 16 dollars.

That stuff usually runs $10.99 around here but more on a weekend night because of some seafood they throw out there. It's pretty much take-out food, but left out for all you can eat. Only go to those if you're starving and just passing by with few other options. They are also popular for Florida residents & tourists.

 

[Chaotic42]

I would figure the places that get cold as hell would want spicy foods. I guess not.

No, they just drink a lot.

 

[feralkid]

I would figure the places that get cold as hell would want spicy foods. I guess not.

Germans and Scandinavians like it bland. Fortunately there are Hmong there now to add some spice.

 

[Zanovar]

Wtf is that? cod?looks like something that dived out of that guys stomach in alien.

 

[sdifox]

Wtf is that? cod?looks like something that dived out of that guys stomach in alien.

Looks like chicken wings, deep fried and sauced.

 

[GobBluth]

Hometown Buffet is not the worst buffet around, but it's a good example of the problem.

How do they ruin 'foods that are hard to ruin'?

Macaroni and Cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, tater tots and much more.

You might think 'I like those!' But somehow they make them where you eat it and think 'this is not at all enjoyable to eat. I didn't think you could ruing this food that badly'.

Macaroni and Cheese: a very watery sauce, little flavor. Grilled Cheese: cheap thin bread, cheap cheese. Fried chicken: sort of burnt, no flavor, not tender, little meat. Tater tots: flavorless, just off.

Food after food. At least it's not all. Jello is ok. They have a sausage type meat that seems horribly bad for you but is tasty if highly salty. Corn is corn. Their orange chicken isn't horrible. But they ruin a lot.

You named it, ingredients. Also, when you're in the food service industry, you generally cannot afford to buy quality produce. You'd be upside down so fast your head would spin. Like anything else, quantity thumps quality every time in an industry that makes money based on how many plates go through the dishwasher. If you want quality food from a restaurant, don't go to a buffet and be prepared to spend some money.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The mistake is in the premise. One does not use "buffet" and " good food" in the same sentence.

 

[ponyo]

The mistake is in the premise. One does not use "buffet" and " good food" in the same sentence.

I've had plenty of good food at buffet. Now great food at buffet? Not that I can think of. But great food is very hard to come by at any restaurant.

 

[spacejamz]

The mistake is in the premise. One does not use "buffet" and " good food" in the same sentence.

there are some $50 prime rib buffets in Vegas that beg to differ....

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I've had plenty of good food at buffet. Now great food at buffet? Not that I can think of. But great food is very hard to come by at any restaurant.

It's entirely possible that I'm too picky. I have a few favorite restaurants but most things my family like best I roll myself, so to speak.

Two and a half inch porterhouse with wild rice and chestnuts.

there are some $50 prime rib buffets in Vegas that beg to differ....

There are sure to be exceptions so I'll amend my statement to "almost never"

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Dang it, that was a good meal

 

[Craig234]

there are some $50 prime rib buffets in Vegas that beg to differ....

Differ about what? The good Vegas buffets in my experience as I said range from some very good items to a surprising number of 'bad' and 'ok' items.

 

[Craig234]

You named it, ingredients. Also, when you're in the food service industry, you generally cannot afford to buy quality produce. You'd be upside down so fast your head would spin. Like anything else, quantity thumps quality every time in an industry that makes money based on how many plates go through the dishwasher. If you want quality food from a restaurant, don't go to a buffet and be prepared to spend some money.

Yup. I just thought some cheap basic foods wouldn't be done that badly. I'm not surprised the produce is poor quality. I was surprised some of the bacon was fine.