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Interesting tips, thanks. Aside from buying the occasional tub of lobster bisque from Costco or Shop-Rite, I eat lobster maybe once every two years, so I don’t know much about the nuances.
Does The Manor still require men to wear jackets for the buffet?
As far as I know. The last time I went was probably 10 years ago.
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.
Believe it or not, a lot of people in NYC don't drive to restaurants. They walk, take subway or bus and thus do not have to worry about parking.
But my family and I try to avoid the buffets. We all end up overeating, the food is usually but not always is not that great... I also think the more expensive the buffet is, the more pleasant and non rushed it is. My favorite little buffet is the all you can east salad bar in some Ruby Tuesdays. I have not seen it that crowded and the vegetables seem to be always fresh and of decent quality...
i think it is more of an nyc thing than a nyc vs nj thing. i would imagine that if you go to a buffet in a suburb in northern ny it wouldnt be like that and its probably similar in newark.
one thing that annoys me in nyc is that the bathrooms in fast food restaurants are always locked. but im also probably comparing suburbs vs city since they are probably locked in newark also.
unfortunately, it is completely justified. i have an office on staten island that is on the ground floor. we get people stopping by regularly to use the bathroom. i have given them strict orders not to let anyone in the use the bathroom. its a nightmare when they do.
For what it's worth, the buffet being mentioned isn't in Manhattan, it's on Ozone Park, Queens. And there appears to be ample parking. It's not much different from the more urban areas of Northern NJ out there. Maybe the crab legs are just that good?
Interesting tips, thanks. Aside from buying the occasional tub of lobster bisque from Costco or Shop-Rite, I eat lobster maybe once every two years, so I don’t know much about the nuances.
Does The Manor still require men to wear jackets for the buffet?
Translation: Y’all rich people been fightin’ over those lobsters like the people in the ‘hood been fightin’ over them crab legs.
Bummer. I hate going out to restaurants on holidays, and I can only imagine what a zoo the buffet at The Manor is goung to be like on those days. Still, I may suck it up once to check it out.
Ooh, almost forgot... I’ve never been, but the seafood buffet at The Manor in West Orange is supposed to be amazing and the highbrowest of all buffets. It costs as much as a mortgage payment for most people, and they used to make men wear jackets (you know, like a suit-type, not a parka, although I think the policy has been relaxed a bit over the past few years) so a riot breaking out over a crab leg is unlikely.
I’m not the type who should be wearing a jacket at a buffet, as it will surely lead to disaster, but I’m still planning to get there one day.
We've been there a few times, but not for over 20 years.
Used to go on Friday night for the Lobster (I think 6 was the max) for a cost of $55...plus the big dessert room.
i think it is more of an nyc thing than a nyc vs nj thing. i would imagine that if you go to a buffet in a suburb in northern ny it wouldnt be like that and its probably similar in newark.
one thing that annoys me in nyc is that the bathrooms in fast food restaurants are always locked. but im also probably comparing suburbs vs city since they are probably locked in newark also.
unfortunately, it is completely justified. i have an office on staten island that is on the ground floor. we get people stopping by regularly to use the bathroom. i have given them strict orders not to let anyone in the use the bathroom. its a nightmare when they do.
The bathrooms in Camden and Chester, PA are locked. Probably for a good reason.
Ooh, almost forgot... I’ve never been, but the seafood buffet at The Manor in West Orange is supposed to be amazing and the highbrowest of all buffets. It costs as much as a mortgage payment for most people, and they used to make men wear jackets (you know, like a suit-type, not a parka, although I think the policy has been relaxed a bit over the past few years) so a riot breaking out over a crab leg is unlikely.
I’m not the type who should be wearing a jacket at a buffet, as it will surely lead to disaster, but I’m still planning to get there one day.
Does that still exist? My ex and I married in 1989, and someone gave us a $100 gift certificate to The Manor as a gift. I think we spent $110, and that was thirty years ago.
I remember consuming huge amounts of shrimp and prime rib. I also remember asking the waiter if he had a wine list, and with a disapproving sneer at the question, he brought us a BOOK half the thickness of a telephone book.
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.
Where to start...
First, I personally detest buffets. I really do. I like quality over quantity, and when I go to a restaurant, I want to be served, sit at a nice table with a table cloth, talk with my meal companion (s), and eat at a leisurely pace. I like a glass of wine or a cocktail and good conversation.
I am a foodie but for me it's not "all about the food". Some of it is about the food though. The food at buffets - Chinese, country, or whatever is usually cold or sub par. I am finicky and suspicious about the amount of people and their hygiene at buffets. With a few exceptions, they are just not my thing.
As a former psych-soc major, I have observed that the type of people who are drawn to "All You Can Eat" buffets are different from me. I am not being snobbish, but I have made noticed the following over the years _
Buffets attract people with HUGE appetites. They are there to EAT - and to eat A LOT. Conversation, quality of food, ambiance, and all of the peripheral parts of dining out, that make it a pleasurable for me, are unimportant. Buffet fans are usually their for one item - king crab legs and to a lesser extent, lobster and shrimp (unpeeled) seem to be the bait they seek.
And yes, it does seem to bring out the shark in them. It reminds me of feeding time at Sea World.
All of this is very unappealing to me. It's disgusting actually. I am not saying that everyone who goes to a buffet is a voracious animal. Many people go there because they need a value meal. I get that.
However even if I were on a strict budget, I'd prefer to eat out less frequently at nicer places. In NYC, I'd grab a potato knish, if I were strapped for cash. Mmmm....
Hungry people can get aggressive, and crab legs seem to fuel some sort of obsession. I am not shocked that these "eaters" crab craving dissolved into an ugly brawl. My guess is that it happens more frequently than less - this one just was reported.
As to "NYC vs New Jersey" buffets, I am originally from NYC (Manhattan) grew up on Long Island. lived in Manhattan again in my twenties, and later in Queens.
While I live in OH, I get back to NYC (Manhattan) to visit friends at least 5 times per year. I have never noticed ANY of these "all you can eat Chinese crab" buffets in Manhattan. Maybe they are there, but I don't know where. It would seem to me that these large Big Box food troughs would take up too much pricey real estate to be profitable in Manhattan.
As with many NYers, when people say "NYC" I mean Manhattan - not the outer boroughs.
There are some lovely areas of Queens, and some that are not so lovely. Same can be said of anywhere.
I have a friend who witnessed something like this in Florida.
Really, where ever these buffets exist, I think these unpleasant outbursts are a possibility.
I know so many people from NY, NJ. LI, and CT. More of my friends at college in Massachusetts were from these states than MA.
We were more alike than different.
There are so many great things to eat in Manhattan, that I can't imagine ever eating at one of those joints.
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