The Buffet — Restaurant in Valley Center

Time to chew at Valley View

$10 Steak & Seafood lunch buffet Mon - Thurs

I declare I'm a recovering buffet-aholic. I used to be feared at all the buffets across the greater Southern California region, incorporated & unincorporated. Buffets would post a picture of me at the register saying "Don't let this guy in! Disciplinary action and possible termination may occur if not followed". Having not been to a buffet in a great while, I couldn't pass a great deal when I see one. At 50% off regular price, the $10 Valley View Steak & Seafood lunch buffet had my name all over it.

Having met & befriended a Silver Player's Club member on the Valley View Luxury Line bus, she claimed us as her guests, as we waited in the VIP line in preparation for the buffet madness to begin. It's nice to know people in high places ;p

Soft drinks, coffee, tea are included in the price of the buffet.

Valley View buffet, like most buffets, has various stations catering to particular tastes & cuisines. The salad bar had various fresh ingredients, with different types of soup & bread.

The Asian station had fusion-type food items. I enjoyed the teriyaki chicken wings. The sushi selection, however, was weak & I didn't touch the stuff. The seaweed salad was refreshing, though.

The carving station had prime rib, NY steak & turkey awaiting slicing by the friendly staff. It seemed the prime rib & NY steak were alternated, perhaps so everyone didn't rush the prime rib, like I would. I asked for the fattier cuts/skin, as that's where the flavor's at. Remember, fat's not bad (aside from trans fat). It's the sugar! I also inhaled the roasted garlic. The cloves were so good.

The Italian station had pizza, pasta & other items. I only helped myself to the sautéed vegetable medley.

The Mexican station had the sole shrimp offering, coconut shrimp. Also available were fresh cut avocadoes, mahi mahi, sliced jicama & mango. My favorite had to be the ensalada de nopal (cactus salad). It had a spicy kick to it.

All these stations surrounded what probably is the highlight of the buffet for most people - the 100 foot dessert bar!

I think everyone's eyes first glimpse the chocolate fountain. I restrained myself from sticking my tongue out and lapping up chocolate like a dog does water. No chocolate dipping for me on this occasion, as I stuck to the other offerings.

Cake, pudding, flan, cookies, ice cream, fresh fruit & more! Have your pick of our heart's delight!

Some of the dessert highlights were the crème brulee & rice pudding

The flan was the instant, so not thick & rich as good flan should be, but the red velvet cake was delightful.

Service was good. The attendant was quick clearing plates, refilling our drinks & bringing coffee & creamer when we asked for it.

For $10, the Valley View Steak & Seafood lunch buffet is a tremendous deal. Although the seafood portion was rather lacking, there were still plenty of delicious options to select from. You can't find a better amount of food for the price that I know of. Just the dessert bar alone is worth the cost of admission. If calorie consumption & trivial things like diet & obesity aren't a concern for you, then you must go for the Valley View lunch buffet while it's priced at only $10. Take a load off for an hour or so, before heading back and losing money at the casino.

Highly...

I read the reviews and the one that really made my head spin, was the “individual” (I’m trying to be nice here) who was opposed to servers bringing you your food. She preferred that the public be allowed to touch the serving spoons and God knows what else, with their germy little hands. Where was she raised? In a jungle? I’m sorry, but anyone who pays attention in public bathrooms, not everyone washes their hands, and only 1/2 of those who do, do so for longer than five seconds. For the love of God and baby koalas, please let the servers serve us! They are quick, efficient, have an eye for detail, and prevent idiots from spilling food everywhere walking around with overflowing plates. If you’re hungry after four courses, you can have them bring you more food. It’s called a BUFFET for a reason. All you can eat. Duh, “individual.” Is her name Karen?

I’ve been there a couple of times now. The prime rib is delicious and their mashed potatoes are better than Grandma’s, but don’t tell Granny that! I really enjoyed the grilled asparagus and cauliflower. The salad is on hit, and mom loved her clam chowder. They have something for everyone. Italian to Mexican to seafood and southern fried chicken. Take your pick over and over again without the public’s grubby little fingers on the serving spoons and tongs. Enjoy your meal without catching someone else’s germs. 😂

Dessert is all over the place in options from various pies, cookies, ice cream. I had cheesecake the first day and second visit I enjoyed apple pie and a bowl of fresh berries. Mom had their lemon meringue tart. Next time I’ll go for the ice cream. Maybe their white chocolate bread pudding? You can never go wrong with ice cream. Or chocolate mousse. Or bread pudding. Hmmm. Maybe all of it? It is a buffet after all. They got five stars because eight wasn’t an option.

A note about the guy who wrote about the men’s room: Uh, yeah it’s a men’s room where men fail to aim. What’s new? You’ll see that everywhere. The women’s room is so clean, you could eat off the sink. Not that you would, but it really comes down to gender and upbringing. Sorry about your luck. Not everyone can be born female to grow up and be a...

Party of 5+ BEWARE

My party of 7 went this passed Sunday 6/2/24 - The Buffet Proceed to the Buffet/Restaurant line to pay and be seated at 7:30pm, the wait line was not that long - probably a 15 min wait or less. By the time we paid ...we were told they did not have many tables for party of 5 or more and we had to be separated to be seated, we kindly asked to be seated all together we came to dine as a family.. They did let us it would be a wait until a table came available and we were ok with that. We were obviously a large group waiting to the side and it seemed the waiters/workers were tired of seeing us there - they kept on pushing for us to sit separately. Very Pushy. Browsing around I did see many available tables that could easily be put together for a family of 7 but we were told they could not do so. We didn't end up being seated till ALMOST 8:30pm - during that time our party went to the restroom, and went to the bar for drinks - actions that don't require alot of time, we had older people in our party who could not sit for much time so we had them sit around the corner to the nearest slot machines - not playing just sitting at the slot machine.. by the time we got called to be seated, 1 gentleman got really bothered because one of the elder adults in our party was sitting at a slot - he did not want us to walk to our table until all of us were together - we understood that but when we mentioned why the adult was sitting just feet away he started mouthing off why didn't know one tell HIM we needed a chair ( since checking in / paying we had never seen him), he would have brought over a couple of chairs for the adults to sit. Very Rude. A number of waiters were present when this gentleman started making smart remarks. Once seated we were rushed to order and order... We didn't really enjoy our meal and with that experience it made it worse

Out of the party of 7 - 4 of them was their first time at that casino - they were not that pleased.

Party of 5 or...