Grand Buffet — Restaurant in Pace

Not that I expect much these days, but here’s what I experienced:

The spring rolls were as tough to chew as three year old cigars (and just as flavorful). The egg rolls were barely warm and undercooked - “dough-y” is not a good adjective in this context. The pot stickers were likewise lukewarm and seemed to be filled with the same unidentified filling as the egg rolls and spring rolls.

The pepper chicken tasted like and had the consistency of shoe leather. The General Tso’s chicken and the sesame chicken tasted identical. The house chicken was, well, chicken - nothing spectacular. The sweet and sour chicken achieved its target of 50 percent batter and 50 percent chicken, and the red sauce turned it dutifully red, without handicapping it with any flavor. The broccoli in the broccoli chicken liquefied upon touch. The chicken with mushrooms actually did have a piece of chicken in it, but it tasted like, you guessed it, a mushroom.

The fried shrimp somehow managed to be both the driest and the greasiest it could be, simultaneously. The pepper steak had a distinct baking soda finish. The BBQ meatballs were the finest Piggly Wiggly could offer from its frozen foods section. The pork with onions had the same dry consistency (and taste) as the pepper chicken.

Fried rice was reminiscent of Uncle Ben’s, and the inclusion of frozen peas and carrots in its bland matrix just made it sad. The mai fun was devoid of any flavor, just begging to be put out of its misery. Fortunately, the green beans had already been rescued from spending the last month in the vegetable crisper, and offered themselves up as offerings on the altar of the god of overcooked dried food.

The hot and sour soup had a thick skin over it, preserving it for another week on the buffet line. In fairness, the egg drop soup was actually ok, though the dried out green onions that looked like they were cut three days ago did not add anything to the...

I'm vacillating between two and three stars for this place. There is a huge variety of things to eat, but there wasn't much of any one thing. Each steam table pan held about a plate's-worth of food, but, of course, most people take a little of several different selections.

Nothing was piping hot, except the hot and sour soup, which had a pronounced scorched taste. Other dishes were tepid, and the chicken wings were cool. I take that back...if you trolled the buffet with aplomb, you could catch a sizzling spring or egg roll, but whoopee...both of those were completely meatless and 98% shredded cabbage. I saw a sliver of carrot every third bite, but everything else was plain cabbage.

The selections were very chicken oriented. There was one beef dish, with not much beef. I don't remember a pork dish. There were a few shrimp selections and a baked fish. A couple of fake "crab" dishes, too.

There is a do-it-yourself hibachi bar, where you assemble a plate of raw ingredients and they'll cook it for you. That's included in the cost of the buffet, but I didn't have time for that. Nobody else did, either, that I witnessed. It was Sunday evening and not very busy, which may be a different situation than normal.

It was clean and the staff was the usual, reticent help that you find in Chinese eateries. Not friendly, really, but not overtly rude. Efficient, I suppose.

I'd go back on a busier night, just to see if the buffet is refilled better. I'd also like to try the hibachi thing. But the spring and egg rolls suck. Put some other stuff in those things! Meat, especially.

Three stars instead of two, just because it was after 8 on a Sunday night and that's probably not a...

I would like to spread some light on the comments below. This is authentic, and is priced so that people can have sushi without breaking the bank. The facilities are clean, but outdated. The staff try their best to be helpful, but cultural differences make it hard. For example, the waitress might be told to "be friendly" but take it as "sit and talk with you as you eat". I do agree that some of the boilers should be replaced and SOME of the food is not the warmest or over salted, but that is the stuff they are mass producing. If you get something that is fresh out of the kitchen like the Sushi or one of the newer plates of food, then it's wonderful. Want something else? just ask.

There is a hibachi cook ready to make meat the way you want it during the lunch hour. For the money, it's a fine place to go. Albiet, it may be too diverse for many people. Also, I don't speak mandarin, but someone below said the staff will talk to you in 'Chinese'. I am pretty sure they are Korean. The staff is friendly and helpful. I'm sure if you asked them, they would enlighten you on their heritage.

For the waitress who sits with you, you can kindly say "thank you for your time, but we have a private meeting". She just wants to ensure you are enjoying everything.

I don't mean to discount any one from below, but I was just there and really enjoyed it. This is one of the few places you get a true oriental experience in this part of...