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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2009 5:44:41 GMT
Do buffets represent a danger to you?
Do you pile your plate with everything it can hold, afraid that you might not get enough? Do you force every last bit of food down because you can't stand to see it go to waste, or do you.... er.... waste it?
Do you go through this routine 3 different times, with the starter buffet, the main course buffet and the dessert buffet?
As for myself, I do not go to buffets often, so I confess that it is hard to limit myself. There is clearly some unconscious animal mechanism at work along the lines of "I'd better take what I can now, because what if there isn't any left in 5 minutes?"
One positive thing that I can say about buffets other than the fact that no one is likely to leave the table hungry is that it does permit people to taste things that they have never eaten and would never order spontaneously. Also, when you like something just a little bit but don't want a full serving, buffets are perfect for that.
As I write this, I just left the breakfast buffet and let's just say that I don't think I'll be having any lunch today -- especially since I normally eat almost nothing for breakfast anyway.
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Post by bazfaz on Oct 24, 2009 7:00:24 GMT
I went to a nice Hot Wok place in Islington in London. You paid a fixed price and then helped yourself as often as you liked. So you could begin with squid and prawns - take it to the counter , tell the cook what style you wanted it cooked in - and then it was done in a flash in huge woks. You could do this with meats and vegetables ad inf. There were 3 or 4 men wielding the woks so you never had to wait long. Shame really because you chatted to the other diners while waiting. Or chatted up the other diners....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2009 10:58:01 GMT
I don't encounter buffets that often. When I do ,I try to avoid the tendency to pile it up. I do like to try out different foods if it's a cuisine I'm not too familiar with. We have a wonderful Indian food buffet at a restaurant here,lunch time only. In fact there's two of these,I always forget about the other one,which is actually better. The others are largely Asian and I find myself overwhelmed at times with the huge selection. Sometimes,large displays of food turn me off for some reason. Maybe it's because I can't imagine all that food being consumed and wonder what's going to become of it. Either thrown away or recycled in some way. Both of which I find unsettling.
I do love breakfast buffets. Only do them once in a blue moon.
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Post by bazfaz on Oct 24, 2009 11:25:18 GMT
About food wastage...
I heard of a New York restaurant that weighed the food people left on their plates and charged them for it. That stopped people piling their plates high then leaving it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2009 11:41:35 GMT
They need to do that in Las Vegas but it will never happen. The buffets are everywhere there and the waste is phenomenal. Maybe some measures have been taken in recent years but my good friend who is a chef was out there to help launch a new restaurant a few years ago and the stories he told me were astonishing. Obscene.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 24, 2009 11:44:16 GMT
Buffets bother me - I know that at the wok one, I'd just stuff myself with squid and prawns. But I no longer have enough appetite - or rather capacity, as I certainly love food - to make going to them worthwhile. And while I eat a bit more breakfast than kerouac - I need some protein in the morning - I don't eat a big brunchy thing in the morning either.
It is always hilarious to watch when an entire school sporting team of teenagers invades a buffet!
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Post by imec on Oct 24, 2009 14:00:19 GMT
I love a good buffet! I don't pile my plate though, and I don't put stuff on my plate that doesn't belong together. I always survey the buffet for what I would consider to be the best items before proceeding. I make several trips - make it a multi-course affair as it were.
My 2 most memorable buffets:
1985 - The evening BBQ buffet at the Oriental Hotel, Bangkok. Beautiful large terrace on the river bank; beautifully presented food, with most of the meats grilled to order by a small army of grill cooks. Service - impeccable. Most memorable dish: This was our first meal outside of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (where pork is forbidden) in 5 months - there was a whole leg of pork that had been slowly roasted over a fire of some sort - I can still taste the silky smoky meat nearly 25 years later.
2004 - The sunday "Sterling Brunch" buffet at Bally's, Las Vegas. Many of the brunch buffets in LV are truly disgusting - not this one. This is set up in what I gather is an insifnificant steakhouse off the main casino. Not just your usual breakfast fare; a cold seafood bar; sushi and caviar bar; great grilled items like rack of lamb, beef tenderloin, split and grilled maine lobsters. A noteworthy feature is that Perrier-Jouet Champagne is poured throughout (included in the price!) - one of the reasons we made the experience last over 3 hours. Most memorable dish: The mountain of cold Stone Crab claws with drawn butter (I'm sure I made 2 or 3 trips for these and couple of JUMBO shrimps eact time). Reservations are a must.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 24, 2009 14:44:49 GMT
My method is identical to Imec's. The aspect of buffets that has always appealed to me is the ability to see the food and serve myself a small amount before committing to it. One of my favorite restaurants in Oaxaca is a wonderful buffet place partly open to the outdoors. It has a separate section for grilled meats (you can select and grill your own, if you prefer), a huge and wonderfully varied salad section, a taco stand, a dessert bar which always includes homemade ice cream, and of course hot dishes. People dine very leisurely there, with extended families or other groups spending hours. See it here. (be sure to scroll down for all the pictures) |
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 24, 2009 17:59:37 GMT
My method is identical to Imec's. The aspect of buffets that has always appealed to me is the ability to see the food and serve myself a small amount before committing to it. One of my favorite restaurants in Oaxaca is a wonderful buffet place partly open to the outdoors. It has a separate section for grilled meats (you can select and grill your own, if you prefer), a huge and wonderfully varied salad section, a taco stand, a dessert bar which always includes homemade ice cream, and of course hot dishes. People dine very leisurely there, with extended families or other groups spending hours. See it here. (be sure to scroll down for all the pictures) We were invited by Lucía Gómez to eat at La Escondida (owned and operated by her father), but we could never quite get together when we were in Oaxaca last time. So; Bixa, you have recommended it. That's more incentive to try again. EDIT: Now that I've opened the link, I'm amazed at the size and extent of the place. Up to now, I'd only seen their own website, which in comparison, is quite restrained. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 24, 2009 18:04:05 GMT
Wow -- I hope you have a chance to go anyway, but if your friend Lucía offers again, grab the chance. Her father is a very gracious gentleman. He is extremely portly and always recognized as he moves among the tables greeting the diners and making everyone feel special and welcome.
I have heard that all the food that is left every day is delivered to an orphanage. Whether or not that is true, everything served there is extremely fresh and tastes just-made.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 25, 2009 2:33:18 GMT
that is important for salads in a hot country! (or, well, anywhere)...
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Post by Don Cuevas on Oct 25, 2009 10:29:28 GMT
that is important for salads in a hot country! (or, well, anywhere)... Yes. We've been to buffets (really salad bars) in the U.S. where the sliced beets or the peaches were actively fermenting. The real danger of buffets is to your health. Sloppy refilling by staff and the sloppier mishandling of utensils by customers. Ugh. |
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Post by auntieannie on Oct 25, 2009 11:24:12 GMT
I am no fan of buffet meals. I love food and can eat good portions, but usually ony take what I think I will eat/what I really fancy at the time and therefore don't really cover the price of the buffet in the first place.
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Post by hwinpp on Oct 26, 2009 3:33:32 GMT
I like buffets too.
Here most local style buffets will charge double price if you have any leftovers on your table.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2009 10:03:19 GMT
I wonder if the number of regular buffet imbibers is down due to people being more flu phobic.
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