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Here's a link to a brawl in a Chinese buffet in NYC. That's one of the major differences between NJ and NYC.
I eat around NYC and NJ all the time, the biggest difference for me is that people in NJ are much more civil and polite than those in NYC.
From start to finish in NYC, you have to compete to get a parking spot or just to get a number to be seated. Then you have to worry about ordering quickly so food doesn't take too long or else you have to feed the meters or worry about your car parking fees.
When you go to buffets around NYC, it feels almost like Black Friday where people are jumping in and get in front of you. There's no lines or specific order where people are going and sometimes you see an old guy with tongs just grabbing food everywhere and piling on his plate. The Lobster/crab area is like a lion's pit. The minute some poor Chinese lady pushes a cart full of lobster/crab and loads it into the serving area it becomes a feeding frenzy.
Now over in NJ, I often hit buffets too and it's never like that. Only on weekends where some places do get packed but I never seen the kind of chaos and disorder that I've seen first hand in NYC. I was over at Flaming Grill Buffet, they must have never ending crab legs. It just kept coming and most people grab just a few and move on.
Here, it doesn't matter which ethnicity the patrons are there seem to be pretty good order and people don't just rush in and disrespect other patrons. In NYC, it's almost like a sport that people have to competitively gather food at the buffets.
well, this happened in queens. i don't know what the cost of the buffet was in this particular establishment, but i'm going to go ahead and assume it wasn't going to break the bank. that said, i do like a nice brunch for a special occasion. the molly pitcher inn in shrewsbury never disappoints. the patrons of course, are very well behaved.
it is amazing though how some people get over food. during superstorm sandy a local pizzeria brought in a generator and made pizza and sandwiches to go. it didn't take long for word to get around and soon a line zig zagged all across the parking lot. they definitely underestimated their patronage because they ran out of propane ...or maybe just food ...not really sure which, but as soon as they started turning people away all hell broke loose. it's no secret that some parts of new jersey are filled with former new yorkers, and the expletives were flying. some of the men became so outraged they started to threaten the workers. to say it was frightening would be an understatement. i made my way to my car and drove home, and didn't go out until all power was restored and all civility had been reinstated.
it really makes you think about what havoc would set loose if we really were in a dire situation.
For those who eat red meat--and who don't care about their cardiovascular health--those Rodizio places would be an option, especially for those who want to gorge on mass quantities. I will confess that I did go to a couple of those places in the distant past, and I always felt distinctly... weighty and... unhealthy... in the aftermath.
I cut back drastically on my red meat consumption a few years ago, and over the past few months, I have given-up totally on red meat. So... those joints are not an option for me.
For those who eat red meat--and who don't care about their cardiovascular health--those Rodizio places would be an option, especially for those who want to gorge on mass quantities. I will confess that I did go to a couple of those places in the distant past, and I always felt distinctly... weighty and... unhealthy... in the aftermath.
I cut back drastically on my red meat consumption a few years ago, and over the past few months, I have given-up totally on red meat. So... those joints are not an option for me.
I have admittedly never felt great after eating there afterwards either. But it sure does taste great going down when the hunger is present.
Like you, as I have gotten older I have enjoyed white meat and fish more than red meat, which is probably once a week for me now.
Like you, as I have gotten older I have enjoyed white meat and fish more than red meat, which is probably once a week for me now.
My diet at this point consists mostly of vegetables, fruits, eggs, wild-caught Salmon, Char, Halibut, and Tuna, with an occasional chicken or turkey entrée. My weight, my cholesterol numbers, my overall feeling of well-being, and my energy level have all benefited as a result.
When I lived in NJ/NYC area I visited Churrascaria Plataforma often, maybe twice a year! I sure do miss it.
There are good quality buffets out there... just not the ones for $10 in the ‘hood. And while I never saw a true riot break out, I’ve seen my share of crass behavior at the low-end buffets.
And I was all about the cheap buffets in my younger days. But, as I’m getting older, I’m getting... fancier? in my tastes. I don’t hit the buffets nearly as much as I used to when I was younger, but I still enjoy the good ones now and then.
Minado in Little Ferry was a killer Japanese/sushi buffet. The place was a zoo every second it was open, and it was there a solid 15 years, so for the life of me I can’t figure out why it closed. It wasn’t cheap, so it kept most of the riff-raff out, but it was great. There’s a location in Morris Plains still open, but they’re inferior to what the Little Ferry location offered. The new trend in the sushi places isn’t technically a buffet, but an “All You Can Eat” format where you select items from a list as many times as you want. Sushi Village in Westwood is very good. They have a location in Little Falls too, but I think that location is inferior to the Westwood one. Since moving out “yonder” I’ve also tried the AYCE at Miga Sushi in Denville. While the place is smaller than my car, the quality of the food is exceptional.
POC in Hackensack is also pretty good. Their weekend brunch at around $20 is a very good deal. Before that, the Greenfield/Green Grill rodizio was there and I loved them. I really want to try Texas de Brasil soon.
And some of the Indian restaurants offer terrific lunch buffets. My place used to be Bhoj in Elmwood Park. Now, I go to a place called Clay Oven in Ledgewood/Roxbury which has an incredible lunch buffet. (Which is truly a miracle, as the local food scene out here in Morris County past Denville is pretty horrific).
One buffet I can tell you to avoid if you ever go on a road trip to PA: the one at the Mount Airy Lodge Casino. I went two weeks ago and it was terrible. It wasn’t that cheap either. Hit up the Waffle House in Bethlehem instead.
There are good buffets out there. You just have to know where to find them and know they’re gonna cost more than $10 per person.
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