"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
news
> Heya all,
>
> Yes, I am a sucker for buffets/cafeteria style places. I grew up in
> the South where they were legion and were actually very good.
>
> On Monday, I was making my way back to Pismo Beach, and stopped for
> lunch in Barstow, CA. Yes, I know Barstow is not known for fine
> dining, or even decent places to eat. However, I was starving, since
> I had missed my breakfast stop.
>
> I started casing out what might be decent, when I spotted a newish
> restaurant/buffet in a mostly deserted mall. It was called Our Town
> Buffet, and I thought it might be worth a look.
>
> The door to the place was a tiny bit ratty looking, but I pushed it
> open anyway, and went in. There was a hostess, who turned out to be
> the hostess, and the only waiter/waitress. A few buffet tables were
> there,..and a room full of tables, of which most were empty. The
> hostess explained it was an all you can eat place, with dessert and
> drinks included in the price..which was decent.
>
> I decided to chance it.
>
> The selection was half okay...in that the Mexican food was good
> (except for the meatballs, which were tough and overcooked). The
> vegetables looked like they were from a can or cooked from frozen. The
> salad bar was a dinky little affair...with lettuce and a few
> lackluster toppings. There was a fruit station, with cutup melon, and
> a few other lackluster cut up fruits.
>
> Okay. I tried out the bbq style ribs, the meatballs (which the
> hostess said were spicy), a chile verde which was great, some
> enchiladas, and a chimichanga. There were also taquitos on the steam
> table. I skipped the vegetables and the salad and fruit bars.
> The ribs were actually pretty good, although I think they were cooked
> in some sort of bottled sauce. The enchiladas were pretty good as
> well, as was the chimichanga. The hostess offered me something to
> drink, and I chose a soft drink.
>
> By the time I was getting full, the hostess offered me dessert. I
> asked what was available, and she gave me a list of jello, rice
> pudding, a strawberry cream cake and I forget what else. I decided on
> rice pudding. Oh, there was also ice cream, which was storebought.
> Big mistake. The rice was either overcooked and just added to a
> watery pudding, and was gritty. Not the creamy rice pudding I
> wanted. I ate a few bites, then said I was too full.
>
> During this time the hostess talked to me, as I was about the only
> person in the dining room. She said they had only been open a few
> months, and that they made everything in house, except for the ice
> cream. She was extremely proud of this..and said they were looking
> for business...that they needed customers. I noticed that the cooks
> were mostly Hispanic, and I think that attests to the fact that the
> Mexican dishes were okay.
>
> It was a mixed sucess lunch. I am thinking of writing them a note,
> and mentioning what they could improve on, cause this looked like a
> put together operation..a homegrown type of place. Definitely not a
> chain. I think it has the potential to be good.
>
> Aside from all of this, it got me thinking, and I entertained myself
> all the way across the desert with my thinking. I wondered how if I
> were to do something like this, what I would serve, and how I would do
> it. Say, a smallish place, with all food prepared in house.... Not
> elaborate food, but really good food. Good enough, so that word might
> get out that it was a find, a really good place to find good food. I
> know this is possible, cause of some of the places that are found in
> the South.
>
> I thought I would put it out to all of you, and ask what you would
> serve, and how. For instance, I can see the above mentioned rice
> pudding being a good choice, but only if it were done really well....
> Say a Mexican rice pudding.. Or a rice pudding with dried fruit in
> it...
>
> Same with the other foods mentioned above. I could see the meatballs
> being good, and being light instead of heavy and overdone.
>
> So, you all..what would you put on the menu for a homegrown buffet?
> Mind you, this food would have to be all made on premises.. Mind you,
> none of this is in my plans: it is a theoretical but fun (at least to
> me) exercise, which was entertaining to me.
>
> I had an idea for fresh hot breads... Say big fluffy, yeasty rolls.
> Maybe spoonbread. Or good cornbread. Maybe popovers, if I were to
> get an established clientele, since they are not good after a bit.
> They need to be hot and fresh. Oh, and homemade biscuits...different
> kinds... Say regular ones some days...maybe sweet potato biscuits
> some days, depending on what else is on the menu.
>
> For main dishes, I was also thinking it would be a good idea to have
> at least one vegetarian/vegan dish on the steam table. A lot of
> dishes can be that way, and still be enticing to omnivores too.... As
> for others, maybe something like Chicken Country Captain, with coconut
> rice served as well.
>
> Maybe a few varied well made salads, on the salad station. Maybe
> something like the old classic Perfection salad. A type of
> slaw...changing from time to time. Say a mayo based one, then maybe a
> sweet and sour slaw, or a spicy Asian slaw. Maybe something like
> Waldorf salad.
>
> Desserts. I can think of tons. A really good poundcake, with maybe a
> berry compote, or a dried fruit compote served alongside. Or to take
> a tip from Chez Panisse, an almond cake served with the above. A tart
> or pie... I love tarts, so those might be my choice-maybe a fruit
> tart, or a lemon tart. Something chocolate... A pudding of sorts...
>
> All this would depend on how much of clientele there was. I would
> think starting small would be smart..with maybe only a very few
> selections. Then, as the customer base grew, start adding more, and
> more things that need to be eaten soon.
>
> Oh, and I was thinking (since I love appetizers myself) an appetizer
> station!!
>
> So, you guys wanna play along on my theoretical exercise?
>
> Christine

There used to be a place here in Edmonds called Angie's Little Italy. She
did a buffet on Fridays that was out of this world! There was a small salad
bar, soup and several different Italian dishes. I can't remember now if she
put pizza on the buffet or not. Probably so since people seem to like it.
It was never a favorite of mine so I'm sure I took other options rather than
that. I can't remember if there was dessert or not. I was never a big
dessert eater so likely wouldn't have taken it if there was any.

I think the reason her buffet worked so well was that she had it only one
day a week. So people looked forward to it! Of course you could get her
excellent food any other time, but the buffet was a good way to try small
amounts of a variety of things and for a good price!

Another buffet I remember well was in Eastern WA. I can't remember the name
or the city. It was either Yakima or Wenatchee. I was told that the best
thing there was the cinnamon rolls. So good that the person who told me
about them told me to take a plastic bag in my purse so I could take some
for breakfast. Sadly they were not open for breakfast or we would have gone
there. She was right! The rolls were excellent. And I did leave with one
in my purse. I wouldn't dare do such a thing now, but I was in high school
then. I also remember that I didn't eat much more than the cinnamon roll so
that in and of itself didn't make me feel so bad.

Mostly what I look for at a buffet is the salad bar. As long as there is
tons of fresh produce, I am happy. I do not usually eat much in the way of
prepared salads unless I make them myself. I need to know what is in them.
The same goes for other foods. Things like plain baked potatoes or most
rice dishes work well for me.

Cheeses are also nice. I remember going to some weird seafood buffet place
in downtown Seattle many years ago. I don't eat seafood but they did have a
cheese board. I thought that was a bit strange because I don't think the
two necessarily go together, but I guess I could be wrong.

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>Hmm...that would be another interesting idea. Maybe a composed
>cheese plate every day? I see often that cheeses are served with a
>fruit compote, or something else.... Just a few of those...
>
>I am not looking at cost management or anything. This is just an
>exercise in how one could go about making a homegrown operation into
>something interesting so that maybe "foodies" would want to come to
>it...

Here's an idea ... instead of all-you-can-eat, use meal tickets
like at Katz's in New York. You wander through the buffet, getting
your ticket punched for the items you pick up, and then pay
on the way to the dining area.

Steve

On Feb 15, 10:01*pm, Christine Dabney > wrote:
> I am not looking at cost management or anything. *This is just an
> exercise in how one could go about making a homegrown operation into
> something interesting so that maybe "foodies" would want to come to
> it... *

Then it's a good thing you're not looking at cost management. Such a
place would go out of business right away.

Christine wrote:

> Maybe a composed cheese plate every day?

That doesn't fit into the "buffet" concept.

Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> Christine wrote:
>
>> Maybe a composed cheese plate every day?
>
> That doesn't fit into the "buffet" concept.

The cheese I saw on a buffet was just set out whole on a board with a knife
by it. You cut your own. I think they had two kinds.

Bob Terwilliger > wrote:

>Christine wrote:

>> Maybe a composed cheese plate every day?

>That doesn't fit into the "buffet" concept.

Well, this is why I was asking about the definition of "buffet".
Something like the brunch "buffet" at the Ritz-Carlton includes
composed plates of various sorts. In modern usage, any situation
where the diner wanders through an area, picking up food, is
likely to be called a "buffet" regardless of whether it is batch mode or
composed, already prepared or prepared to order, etc.

Of course some of these so-called buffets cost a fortune.

Back to the question about what to include, I think an above-average
salad bar, a contorni bar, an antipasto/cheese/salumi selection, a grilled
sausage "station" and a pizzeria "station" would make for a nice dining
experience.

(I have heard some of these more expensive Las Vegas buffets might
approximate something like this.)

Steve