Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Kinda Like Old Times


I went out to dinner with Jeremy and his dad (Stuart, my ex-husband) recently, to the Chinese buffet at Asia City Restaurant which Jeremy had been raving about since he'd eaten there a week earlier. I invited Stuart to take us out so I could try it -- wasn't that congenial of me??? -- and he happily obliged ... or, at least, he agreed to do it. We get along very well, so it wasn't an issue at all. (And God knows he owes me FAR more than just a dinner -- he'll admit it himself -- so he got off easy!)

It was quite the experience to walk in, as you're greeted by waterfalls and enormous koi swimming around in ponds, and even a small village interspersed among the rocks overlooking the fish -- it's quite a spectacular array.



The hostess asks if you want the buffet or the menu, as they try to keep the two groups separate; I can see that it's easier for the staff to do this, but if one or two members of a party wants one option while others prefer a different one, that's a bit inconvenient and potentially awkward as each side tries to sway the other. We were all there for the buffet, though, so we were seated in a large dining area next to the room that held the array of food.

And what an array it was!!! Row after row after row of sushi, handmade before your eyes ... soups and noodles and dumplings and egg rolls and spring rolls ... chicken and pork and beef and fish and vegetables ... crab legs and shrimp ... a salad bar ... kimchi (another food, along with sushi, that I cannot eat) ... ice cream ... and a dessert assortment that included almond cookies, which I love.





Since I've been staying at a friend's apartment with a kosher vegetarian kitchen, you can well imagine my giddy joy at finding so many varieties of beef (spicy or not, with or without vegetables), chicken (breaded or plain), duck, pork (on skewers, immersed in sauce) ... I'm pretty sure I tried one of each and every option and enjoyed it all immensely! But I was also good and ate my vegetables, from the braised bok choy to stir-fried green beans. Never underestimate my ability to eat!

I've been to buffets that were -- shall we politely say? -- less than stellar, in quality and in cleanliness. Neither was an issue at Asia City, as the staff was very friendly, the food was replenished frequently and was very good, and everything was immaculate. And they even offered chopsticks, which I prefer to use but which aren't always available. What's not to love???

The next time Stuart is feeling generous -- or the next time he can be persuaded to feel so! -- I will happily return to Asia City's buffet to enjoy the wide variety of food and the congeniality of a meal with my family, however odd our little family of three might be.

Asia City Restaurant on Urbanspoon

10 comments:

Candace said...

I think it's awesome that you and Stuart get along so well and I know Jeremy appreciates it. It blesses my heart to see that because I can appreciate how difficult that is to do. I haven't had been to a Chinese buffet is a long time. I may have to change that. It looks and sounds delicious. I have found that I like to eat sushi best when it's wrapped in soy paper and not nori. I always eat the vegetarian or the rolls with tempura so that I know it's cooked. Could you try it that way?

Karen Harris said...

Jeremy is a lucky guy that his parents get along so well. I think you two know how much that means to him. Good company and good food what a nice evening. I love a good Chinese buffet. Such great scents and sights!

Unknown said...

Wow.. definitely the spread! I think I would eat until I got uncomfortable full...then I might have some more :)

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

That's one impressive buffet!! The Chinese buffet places around here need to take lessons from your Asian City :) Really wishing we had a decent buffet place around here, it'd make a great lunch today LOL! How nice that you all had dinner as a family, unconventional or not!!

Beth Zimmerman said...

What a blessing it is to Jeremy that you and his father can be congenial no matter what issues lay in your history! And I LOVE a good Asian buffet! Especially if it contains Snow Shrimp! :)

jen said...

Yumminess! We have an all-you-can eat sushi buffet that is really good.

Thanks for riding the train today!
The Survival Mama

Cranberry Morning said...

I've never cared for buffet meals either, except for one Chinese buffet, several years ago at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. I still think of it fondly!

What a great buffet you found. I hope Stuart turns over a new leaf and finds generosity there, for your sake. And I loved that first paragraph! :-)

Karen Mortensen said...

What a cool place. Do they have take out????

Kar said...

Following you on GFC from Totally Tuesday Blog Hop. The buffet looks so good. Can't find a single good Asian restaurant here and coming from both Hawaii and California where they are all over, I'm really craving good chinese!

Kar
http://flipsidesanity.blogspot.com
http://flipsideumami.blogspot.com

Leanne said...

Yummm-o! My in-laws have a buffet like this not far from their home that they frequent weekly, and we have gone with them a number of times. I didn't have high expectations when we first went, but it is now one of our favorite places! LOVE these, and I do chuckle each time I see that you and the ex gather for food (don't you think that good food makes people happy?)


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