imagineannie

Being a “foodie” I’m usually skeptical about Asian buffet places with steam trays fill of soggy General Tsao’s and nothing fresh. Asian Buffet is not fine dining, and you have to choose carefully to get the best they have to offer, but if you do….it’s a great place to get really good food at bargain prices AND the service is friendly and efficient.

I avoid all of the standard egg roll, sweet and sour stuff and focus on what they make that is fresh and interesting. The dumplings are excellent, and there are usually three kinds – potstickers, steamed pork dumplings and shrimp and pork dumplings. I could actually make a meal of those, along with a couple of pieces of the restaurant’s California Roll and some “chicken on a stick,” which I love.

The entrees are varied; there are a lot of fried-things-in-sauce to please an American palate. The General Tsao’s Chicken is actually pretty good, with a distinctive sauce and visible pieces of sliced, fresh jalapeno, and the Coconut Chicken is tasty although it is very heavy and calorically lethal. I always have the Cashew Chicken, which is subtle and lovely with tender chicken and crunchy vegetables, and the green beans which are ultra fresh – we often see them sitting at a table in the back trimming a fresh crate of green beans while we’re eating lunch.

My husband says all the fried things – egg rolls, spring rolls, chicken thighs, Crab Rangoons – are tasty, and he loves the thick chili sauce they offer, which they have told us is made in-house. It’s a great place to take kids (they have macaroni and cheese, meatballs and a soft serve machine) and a family of four can eat a LOT for less than $25.00, even less if the kids are little since children pay based on their age.

One last thing – although most of what they serve is made on the premises, we discovered a metal screw in an eggroll one day that had been purchased ready-made by the restaurant. The young man who helped us could not have been more sorry, and have us a certificate for a free lunch for two. That kind of attentiveness, concern and responsiveness coupled with good food makes this an easy pick….almost every Saturday!!