All Set For Taste of Rye food festival observer.net Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Some 'unhealthy' foods may be OK to eat after all newsday.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Free Cruises to Military Personnel From Discovery PR Newswire Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Why do we love our pets so? There isn't enough room in this blog -- or any other -- to list them all.
September 25, 2008
Laying in wait for you on nefarious cruise ships. Ambushing you in Europe with smörgåsbords in Sweden, MooMoo in Russia, Big Lukes in England. Trapping you in South America, with names like Rodizio or El Gaucho. Ensnaring you in Asia and right next door with your local "famous" Sunday Brunch.
The All You Can Eat Buffet.
Wherever you find them, the strategy is the same.
Avoid them at all costs.
But since that's impossible, we need to develop some other strategy.
First, let’s lay blame to the person who came up with the idea.
Herb Macdonald, a Las Vegas hotel manager, introduced it in 1946. One night while working late at the El Rancho Vegas, the first hotel on what would become the Strip, MacDonald innocently brought some cheese and cold cuts from the kitchen and laid them out on the bar to make a sandwich. Gamblers walking by said they were hungry, and the buffet was born.
From the modest 'chuckwagon' buffet that cost $1.25, the buffet evolved with the Strip itself.
Listen to William Pearson, in his 1965 novel, "The Muses of Ruin," wax poetically.
“We marvel at the Great Pyramids, but they were built over decades; the midnight buffet is built daily. Crushed-ice castles and grottoes chill the shrimp and lobster. Sculptured aspic is scrolled with Paisley arabesques. Laid out with reverent artistry: hors d'oeuvres, relish, salads, and sauces; crab, herring oyster, sturgeon and octopus.”
Okay, now that you’re famished already, here’s some strategy when you encounter the real McCoy.
Don’t pick a table too far from the action. Even a little bit of walking will contribute to your fatigue levels.
Go for the good stuff first. Do not load up on carbs. If it’s a breakfast buffet don’t even think about that bagel and cream cheese. Go straight for the smoked fish.
For dinner, a leisurely reconnaissance is essential. Know where everything is. Realize soups, breads, pastas and rice are simply roadblocks intended to fill you up and save the restaurant money. Do not be led into temptation.
The ham, beef, and chicken, lobster will likely be tucked away in a far corner someplace, but that's your first target. A simple “No thank you,” will suffice when the devious attendant attempts to push some mashed potatoes on you. If a member of the waitstaff tries to remove your plate from your table, don't try to wrestle it away. You can get another one.
Your beverage of choice? Nothing. Or maybe a little water. Liquids take up space that could be put to better use.
Recovery?
Resist the urge to sleep. Resist to urge to blame yourself. Or to blame me. Try to stay up for at least 3 hours to allow your upper digestive system time to process your meal.
Memorable buffets? Your own strategy? All you can eat deserves no less than all you can say on the subject.
We have much to digest.
The Midnight Buffet articlesbase.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Swedish anchovy dish is a smorgasbord must boston.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
The Bellagio Buffet bellagio.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
One of my Greatest Fears was eating alone, in a restaurant, a hostess seats you to a table, waits...
Sep. 25, 2008 1:22 PM
Favorite kind of buffet?
19% 22% 24% 14% 22% 0%
I avoid all you can eat places like the plague. I've spent too many years taking care of people dying from obesity-related ailments, which jockey with smoking-related ones for fatal supremacy. It's slow and painful and expensive. People often say 'I'll eat what I want, and die happy', but they're wrong. They'll die slowly, in excruciating pain that eventually even morphine won't touch. The lucky ones have a massive heart attack, aka acute MI, and are dead before they hit the ground,'like a pole-axed steer', my Pappy would say. Unlucky ones are 'saved' by CPR, to sit in a diaper and drool on themselves for however long it takes for enough organ systems to fail. Or worse, on a ventilator, with IVs, parenteral feeding, Foley catheter, monitors, drugs, coded repeatedly until the brainstem infarcts or internal organs putrefy and black stuff runs out of all the orifices. Happens about half a million times a year in the USA, one way or the other.
Here's a short list of the obesity-related illnesses that now kill more than cigarettes do:
High Blood pressure, hypertension - One-third of all cases of high blood pressure are associated with obesity High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
High blood cholesterol - 50% more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Diabetes Type 2 - non-insulin dependent accounts for nearly 90% of all cases of diabetes. Researchers estimate that 88 to 97% of type 2 diabetes cases diagnosed in overweight people are a direct result of obesity
Congestive heart failure - obesity increases the risk of congestive heart failure, a potentially fatal condition in which the heart muscle weakens, progressively losing the ability to pump blood.
Heart disease - heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest pain, and abnormal heart rhythm is increased in persons who are overweight or obese.
Stroke - There is a link between obesity and stroke; this is particularly the case for people whose fat is situated predominantly in the abdominal region. Overweight people are more likely to have high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, but these associations are not the only explanations for the greater stroke rate.
Gallstones and gallbladder disorders.
Gout - the condition may develop in people with obesity incidents are remarkably higher, Gout is strongly associated with obesity.
Osteoarthritis - Obesity may be a major factor in the development of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knee and especially in women.
Some types of cancer -such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon
Complications of pregnancy.
Poor female reproductive health - examples would be menstrual irregularities, infertility, irregular ovulation.
Bladder control problems - such as stress incontinence.
Psychological disorders -such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self- esteem.
Arkansas used to be number one in population of obese people, now we're eighth, last time I checked-still not an enviable position, but better. The common thread that runs through all obesity and related disease is animal products-especially beef, pork, and dairy. People hate to hear that the food they grew up on is killing them, and some people will literally prefer to die rather than modify their unhealthy lifestyle choices. I see it all the time. We make choices, and ignore the consequences until the doctor walks into the exam room, looking at your chart with a frown, and says 'I have some bad news". Then we want her or him to make it all better with a magic pill, but it's too late. At that point, you can quit smoking, and change your dietary habits, and slow the diseases down-a bit, but the damage is done, and you've determined how you'll spend your last years.
I'll be seeing you...
Take this from a man who is 80 pounds overweight (and still dares to wear horizontal stripes in his profile pic):
The genius of the all-you-can-eat buffet is the variety. When I go to them (and I love them when they're good), my strategy is to look for the dishes that I cannot just as easily get at my corner deli. I always ignore the aforementioned bagel and cream cheese because what is the point??? I can order that from the street vendor! Regardless of the question of carbs or lobster, the question is, what's new and different?
The hard part comes next: Small portions of everything. One or two bites of as many different kinds of food as will fit on the plate so I can get a little taste of each cuisine. Then, if I really fell in love with something, it receives the honor of a second trip to the bar.
DPR
or if you find something you've really,REALLY been hankering for you can load up on that. I remember when I was in high school, I went to country club party and ate 13 halves of bar-b-q chicken. (They were small) Now the wing-breast quarter will do me
By the way it has to be moment's. How can you have A moments?
Greetings: Earlier we discussed "The Ugly American". When I see an "all you can eat" place, or think of an AYCE place, that's what I see...The Ugly American. Granted, my perspective is slightly jaded as I am in the restaurant business. The "be seated-order-and be served" kind, not the "serve yourself-strap on the feed bag" kind. Generally, the latter are not customers of the former. Generally.
Barnacles! It's blowing N35mph now and I just had a gust of N53mph. Fun night ahead.
Sweet Tomatos comes close to deceptive advertising. When you see that name, "salad bar, lo-cal, rabbit food. I can eat all I want with no guilt." But by the time you load your spinach with cheese,bacon bits,olives (green and ripe), cruetons,etc., you're already on the way to Mike Phelps meal. Then you get to a large variety of breads before 3 kinds of pasta,after which you hit 4or 5 kinds of soup. You only have room on the tray for 1 soup and 1 pasta. You can't do the salad bar over again without paying so if tou still have a little room,or if you had a hard time deciding on the pasta or soup, you can go back and try your second choice. Now you stilldon't have feel guilty because the frozen yogurt is lo-call,as long as you go light on the choclat syrup and crumbles. I've noticed that 2/3rds of the customers need 2 chairs to sit comfortably.
FumeyGator,
Sure, you could do it that way. And, if those chicken halves were genuine gastronomic bliss, more power to ya. But, for myself, I have never felt that way. I cannot imagine sticking to one single section of a buffet in high quantity. I think I would feel it was a wasted opportunity. Stephen Sondheim wrote "The road you didn't take hardly comes to mind". But, for me, it always does. So I take all the roads I see.
Captain,
You are probably right, and that's a real shame. Because the majority of the "feed mill" customers probably don't really enjoy food. Compulsive eaters can rarely say much about the quality of what they have consumed. I can say I came by each of my overweight pounds honestly. Take another look at Pixar's Ratatouille to get an idea of how I approach buffets. All Remy's rhapsodizing about the combination of flavors really hits home with me.
My "favorite" is the endless bowl of pasta" at the local Olive Garden. It's a lunch special. I've never had a refill because the first bowl was enough. I've never had a refill even when I've had the pasta bowl the day before a marathon (when you're supposed to carbo-load).
I'm not a fan of "all-you-can-eat" places unless it's a good Chinese restaurant with copious amounts of steamed vegetables sans msg.
In regards to the Olive Garden......I used to get a laugh out of their marketing campaign stating that when you're there "you're with family". I frequent an Italian restaurant that's really "family"......of course, I have a difficult time reading the menu with my sunglasses on. But then, so do all the other patrons. When you're there you're really "with the family", there's no endless pasta bowl, and you'll have a great time (bring your sunglasses...or you won't be seated).
Amen to all Olivia had to say.... For those brave enough to join Weight Watchers, it's sad to see the folks with permanently damaged bodies (diabetes 2, ruined knees, heart issues, and swollen legs due to circulatory issues) due to obesity. Unfortunately, humans are built to eat -- lest famine sweep us away.
Over the past year, I took off more than 25 pounds, not because my doctor said I should (and he did), and not because I was on statins (which I am), but because at my youngest brother's wedding in Louisiana, my assembled siblings -- there are seven of us -- agreed on one thing: 'Gee, you look like hell!' (We all grew up in New Jersey and bluntness is a family 'characteristic'). I looked in the mirror and said to myself, 'Dang, they're RIGHT. I do look like hell!'
I am not quite as 'threatened' by buffets as some folks are because (1) I don't give a darn about 'value for money', so I pay the bill and eat as little as I decide to; two different compartments in my brain, and (2) I've developed a 'fear' of many foods and think of them as 'bad', not 'good'. This latter thing is something that IMHO is critical to losing weight. The people who see something and say, 'Wow, that is good, and I can't eat it because I'm trying to lose weight' always seem to fall off the wagon. I see some foods and images of some sad people, diseased and hopeless, flash before my mind's eye. It makes the 'no way' a lot easier.
Incidentally, way back when... (no, I'm not saying when, but WAY back) there was a restaurant that we passed frequently on Highway 22 in New Jersey called 'The Smorgasbord. I asked my father 'What does that mean?' and I immediately got the idea. We never went there, though, so it was quite a mysterious place to my seven-year-old mind. for those interested in this early incarnation of the buffet here is (as usual) a Wikipedia link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord
I commute a few times each week to a town once described as "Mayberry with crack". Because the country has turned out this way, even in a town of about 4,000, we have Wally World and the Golden Arches, also Pizza Hut. You know the drill: Big Chain forces local color out of buisiness. Still, some people hang on. Pizza Hut has a buffet, or did the last time I checked. But the wiser choice is a place known as The Barn. The Barn was formerly a Meat and Three ( One meat, three vegetables, but you can call rice and gravy one, and mac and cheese another if you like). It is VERY good mac and cheese, by the way. Jennifer, the woman who runs the Barn, was born on the same day of the same year as I was. You will have to judge for yourself who the years have been kinder to.
But my zodiacal twin changed the Barn from Meat and Three to all you can eat a few years ago. Almost immediately, my choice shifted towards Three Meats and some vegetable. After all, one day a week they offer Barbecue Hash, Fried Chicken AND Fried Pork Chops. Forcing a choice only uses valuable time. For Jennifer, the virtue of all you can eat is simple- nobody ever complains their pork chop or chicken wing is too small or burned or not what they ordered.
They just get another one.
And she is able to put anything she wants on the buffet. And, DPR, the portions do seem to be slightly small, but nobody looks at you funny if you go back. And her cooks spend less time dishing food and more time working magic with fatback and hot grease.
But here is a little secret: In a town where the person at the drive through probably knows your name, the cops have a hard time making sure nobody has fixed a "special" sandwich for them. The buffet is their salvation.
By the way, our little paradise is just close enough to the Federal Highway that a handful of strangers stop in each year and do not leave. Local legend has it many of these people are in the Witness Protection Program. Why else would they be here? One of the most recent arrivals is a fellow who has opened a little bistro, hoping to get folks to drive the 25 or so miles from The City. To a large degree, they don't come. That is kind of a shame, because he is the only game in town for people wanting to drink away from home at the moment. And, ExPat, his name, which is also the restaurant's name, both begins AND ends with a vowel.
Ciao, y'all.
WT
Buffets... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Gout. Colonoscopy. Insulin shot.
I don't know if any of you remember, but growing up in the South we had an eatery called, Duff's Smorgasbord. Where you literally walked up to a trough or stall while the food spun around on a giant motorized Lazy Susan. I felt like cattle being lead to the slaughter. Or I was being locked into the rodeo stall awaiting the giant bull.
Even to this day, when I journey to an All-You-Can-Stuff buffet, I find myself getting nervous. Could be my own peccadilloes talking, but in some way the overall mass of the food before me, puts some kind of nervous anxiety in the air… that in some way I won’t get enough… Absurd.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Golden Coral. I have a date with a yeast roll(s).
I think I'll just fast today.
My Dear Mr. Peterman,
Clearly you read my post yesterday about how I'd purchased your Portrait dress in a scandalously small size. And, clearly, you are now taunting Miss Ive.
However, I have decided to forgive you because your 'how-to' buffet guide has made me realize we would actually tackle a buffet very well in tandom. I'm very scrappy when they try to take my plate.
(My tummy just growled. Seriously. Not joking.)
I'm generally not a buffet fan because the whole 'flies on the food' and 'how long has that mayonaise been out' thing freaks me out. Not enough to abstain, but a little.
Also, not shocking to any Peterman fans, I like to eat in locals with 'character,' and buffets often have that 'chain' look. The plastic sneaze guard, the bad silk plants hanging above, etc.
That said, I'm a very strategic buffet girl. And I can put some food away. On Thanksgiving, it's a tradition for my sisters and I to run our asses off in the early morning, before cooking commences, so that we can out eat the boys. And we do.
Peterman's right. Absolutely NO CARBS. Unless they look worthy. Maybe a croissant. MAYBE. It has to have flakes literally falling off it, though. And, it has to outrank the meat selection.
Best buffet ever:
http://www.staffords.com/bay-view-inn-2/
The Bay View Inn in Bay View, Michigan. Right on Little Traverse Bay in an old, well-manicured inn. It's so pretty and very well attended. Carving stations galore. Clean plates in front of you every time you turn around. Smoked salmon, made-to-order omlettes, made-to-order waffles (strictly off limits, though), very crispy bacon, and, the best part, bourbon-filled truffles. Really.
Although, I have to say, the first one took me by surprise. Bourbon at nine in the morning can take you back if you don't know it's coming. Delicious, though.
The best part, your king-size feather bed awaits just up the stairs.
Am calling now to make a reservation.
Stomach growling.
Am calling now to order different dress size.
Thanks a lot, Peterman.
I am with Missive! The flies and the patrons sneezing and coughing on the food is a diet in itself. If I do go to a buffet is at an upscale restaurant such as the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. Now that's a BUFFET! It is a bit pricey but it is sanitarily maintained and gastronomically amazing! If I am going to splurge...I make it worth my wild. I can't believe this is today's topic. I am struggling with my weight as it is. I had put food out of my mind for the moment and now it is definately back...with a vengance. Thanks Mr. P! (hey... I have to blame somebody)
What? Blame the buffet? People who eat too much will find food no matter what the source. Personally, I love the buffet at the Wynn Casino. The food is gourmet quality, but much less expensive than the 5 star restaurants housed in the same casino.
Persoanlly, I love the choices of the buffet. Despite Mr, Peterman's admonitions, I usually hit the salad bar first, that way, I won't have as much room for the dessert buffet afterwards. I, likewise, tend to avoid the breads, but the Wynn makes an irresistable almond pita.
The Breakfast smörgåsbord was my FAVORITE part of being in Finland. It was so GOOD, I still really wish I could find some of that Red Herring to have around here YUMMIE!!!!....
Loved the Breakfast one at the Scandia was faboulous I guess mostly because I;m not big on Breakfast foods to begin with I HATE mass produced scrambled eggs (ugh runny runny runny), slimy omlettes, over cooked bacon, and undercoked pancakes. YUCK YUCK YUCK.... The Smorgasbord in Finland was the first place where they actaully offered what around here is considered dinner food at breakfast.. I never had her dof having smoked fish or even encountered lox (living in this area of the midwest there is not a BIG Kosher eating market) until then. LOVED the whole idea of having non traditional breakfast foods in the AM. (Maybe I should really start that habit up at home.)
While in Moscow tough I had to laugh because everday the one woman in ourt group wanted a 2 sided fried egg, well the make to order Russian chefs were not taught that this could be done for the patrons. She argued with the cook for 2 days until he just FINALLY after about 20 minutes he gave in to her, on the 3rd day he saw here coming & just did it. He said he tried it at home & his girlfriend said there was nothing wrong with cooking both sides if people ask. I just thought maybe his reluctance was left over from having the goverment think for him for most of his life....
Around here we really only hve all you can eat Chinese Buffets or the local places do them on calendar holidays or we have fish ones during lent. There is the Old Country Buffet, & Golden Corral as chaind, but thats about it. I don't really frequent the chains but I do have a favorite Chinese one, it still totally unhealthy though as it also has pretty greasy food.
You might as well blame the Bossa Nova, as blame the buffet.
Yes, Olivia, I think most of know that overreating can lead to a host of problems. With that said, people must take responsiblity for their own actions, and protecting their own health. People are free not to go to buffet, or free not to overeat anywhere.., but for those who do find we can control ourselves, the occasional buffet is a hell of a lot of fun. How about lightening up, and meet us at the fruit station. Wait 'till you see those cherries."
Just tried to do a lunch buffet, just for fun, alone. I often dine alone. Love it. Fantastic for people watching. Drink a little wine, watch the couple next to you ignore one another. Watch the parents at the other table argue about who left the diaper wipes in the car. All good fun.
But a buffet, for the record, should not be done alone. Now I know that.
I liken it to the alcohol rule. Drinking alone is fine, if done casually. Binge drinking alone is pretty sad. The buffet tends to fall into the latter category.
Very depressing. . . I just grabbed the bowl of faux bacon bits and asked the waitress to wrap it for me to go.
Very salty.
Please, pretty pretty please...Would y'all stop talking about bacon!!! I missed breakfast this morning and you guys are killing me with the breakfast talk. My only salvation is that all the fast food placed stopped serving breakfast menu about 10 minutes ago.
Mr. Peterman after reading your strategy I feel like I've just gone to a buffet with my sister's in-laws. One of them literally slapped a wheat roll out of my hand and called me stupid for not immediately going for the peel and eat shrimp.
Fine food thrills me. Bad food....fills me. Fast food is my downfall, my own cooking isn't much better (butter, sour cream, bacon, eggs, cheese). The parental units always made sure we had 3 square meals that included mostly healthy food. Going out to eat was a special treats for birthdays and going to fast food was almost never done. But in high school that's all my friends wanted for lunch and I slowly got sucked into the fast food addiction. McDonald's food always leaves me feeling gross, but evertime I see an ad or drive by the golden arches I want a big mac and fries, I avoid it at all costs. And its pretty much the same with all fast food (Wendy's is so good but its going to kill me).
And yet...I can't stand buffets. I have never, EVER, said "hey let's go to a buffet". If I enter one, it is at someone else's insistence. I take my nieces and nephews anywhere they want to eat on their birthday. Most of them like to try new "grown up" restaurants that they have never been before, the really young ones always want McDs. But 2 of them always ask for Golden Coral. Do you know what they go for first and what most of their meals consist of? Mashed Potatoes. Definitely not getting money for value there, I can get a 20lb bag of fresh Idaho russets for $5 (Idaho is 20 minutes north of here), less than half what their meal costs.
Buffets gross me out and its not just the food. I understand some people tend to carry extra weight and few obese people really do have thyroid problems. But when I go into a buffet and easily 90% of the people there could be classified as obese it turns my stomach. I'm about 20 pounds overweight...my doctor tells me that's considered obses, but I don't LOOK obese. I work hard to keep things in control and I try not to complain. But it kills me to be in a buffet and hear a very LARGE person say "I've tried everything and I just can't lose weight" while they are sucking down Coke and eating enough calories to sustain an normal person for a week. That makes me feel physically ill. And can someone please call the sweat pants police?
Ok the food? Not great. I've even eaten at "upscale" buffets and its not very good. It reminds me of school cafeteria food. Everything is room temperature, greasy or too dry, and terrible texture. The only thing that looks remotely appealing is the salad bar and the veggies tend to be dry and wilted or frozen together in a block. The fruit is always tasteless. And the combination of foods floors me. I watched an acquaintance enter a buffet for breakfast and put the following items on a plate: Prime Rib, bacon, shrimp, oysters, donuts, oatmeal, strawberries, cottage cheese, and an omelet made with crab, mushrooms, cheese, and salsa. I had an english muffin, orange juice, and fresh fruit.
I've worked in restaurant service for years, I know what good food is and what healthy food is. I would rather pay less and order exactly what I want (cooked to temperature, as it should be), than pay $15 for a buffet where I don't want to eat anything.
What is that lame old saying that I always toss out? Oh yeah...
MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER, SOMETIMES ITS JUST MORE!!!
Missive, You don't want to know about restaurant bulk mayo. We'll just say it comes in a bag that comes in a large box that does NOT say "refrigerate after opening". Fresh, homemade mayo is amazing...everything else is tasteless, death on a stick.
My take on buffets when I go? Eat what you want. It is your money and if you want mashed potatoes and rolls and a salad...go for it. It is insanity to eat something that you don't want or even like, just to "get your money's worth". If you want to eat all desserts and that makes you happy...then it was worth your money.
One of my Greatest Fears was eating alone, in a restaurant, a hostess seats you to a table, waitstaff tells you the specials type of a restaurant. Don't really know why cuz I do the Movie or shopping thing alone all the time...
Anyway in Labor Day I decided to face this fear of mine, (I know its not like a fear of sharks but hey I live in the midwest the closest thing I have to sharks are Lampries & I already caught one those) so I got all dresse dup I'm talking dressy top & skirt, heels, make up, & clutch purse and drove around town until I found a a place that I felt like eating at. Walked up to the two 16yr olds at the hostess stand & said table for 1 please. (WITHOUT FAINTING, it was Shocking I tell you) It was not that busy but I was left waiting for 10 minutes.... Then the table they led me to was never even close to have been occupied at all that evening... I think the hostess thought maybe someone would show up & I wouldn't be alone. I ordered a drink (it ws AWFUL, never will order another mojito there EVER) ordered off the menu, people watched, had dessert (Creme Brule was not that good either) paid the bill & walked out. The funny thing was that I had the feeling that the staff was trying to rush me out. That having someone eat alone was a bad for their image or something.
Nonetheless to my GREATEST SURPRISE I ENJOYED it & can't wait to do it again. Of course this time it will be at a different restaurant.
more on the honor rollThere used to be a nice Sunday brunch buffet at a lakeside hotel in town, a bit spendy but an abundance of interesting, sometimes good food.
Two things drove us from it:
They imposed a large party automatic gratuity- On a serve yourself buffet!
And I saw a service person drop a whole smoked salmon on the floor, look right, look left and plop it back onto the platter.
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac has a nice one. Pretentious surroundings (they charge tourists admission to their block long veranda), high prices but an abundance of pretty high quality food.
It is an expensive place to stay and we haven't done so preferring Stonecliffe Manor on the premise that anything ending with a supercillious, extraneous vowel would have to better. Stonecliffe has as well the advantge of being a one minute stroll from "The Woods" the best place to eat on the island not involving a close view of the back end of a team of horses -not always an appetite enhancer. Free duck pin bowling is a offered for the semi-athletically inclined.
The circumfrence bike ride is not to be missed being almost worth the trip in its own right.
No one has mentioned 'cruises'.... I've never been on one, but one of the'attractions' is (apparently) unlimited amounts of food. The thought makes me somewhat nauseous.
Maybe that's because of the one time I was on an ocean liner (trans-Atlantic), we spent four days sailing parallel to a cat 3-4 hurricane. It was quite an adventure (I was 20) but food was NOT the main deal -- except when we hit a really big wave and some 150 folks' food all began sliding off the (now tilted) tables onto 150 laps. Anyone for second helpings?
Sounds like a fun food fight waiting to happen doc!
Rings90,
The secret to enjoying it is to imagine that nobody can see you. That you alone can watch all of them. With a grin. And wine, of course. Mojitos are vile. I'm with you there, girl.
Stoney,
Of course you prefer Stonecliffe! I worked here for a summer:
http://sandinmyswimsuit.blogspot.com/2008/06/true-story-of-hotel-iroquois.html
On the island. Stonecliffe is definitely better. Also, next time you're there, ask one of the employees to point you in the direction of 'sunset rock.' It's very close to that resort and is generally only know about by the workers. Beautiful place to watch the sunset. Also a very good place to get poison ivy on very inconvenient body parts. BTW.
If it makes you feel better, we often snuck up on the Grand's porch and taunted the people who wanted to charge us to do so. OFTEN.
And as far as the hotel mentioned in the above link, do not EVER stay with them. Really.
Although, back to buffet's, their employee food line was really good. But only because my very dear friend, Amanda, who was famous for making people laugh on very bad days 'at the office,' worked the line. She wrote menu lists that said things like, "Happy Dinner Time! It's RICE PEEL-OFF again, folks!" Fantastic girl. Still think of her sometimes on bad days at the office.
OK,if we are going off on tangents, I offer this link just because it is fun.
you can call it a smorgasbord of something, if you insist on a connection
www.youtube.com/watch?v=btS7-UoK20o
Thatw would be Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, discussing the grooving of bags, in case I have failed in my linkage.
doesn't work, sorry, In the words of Phil Donahue, help me out here, somebody...
the video is called
Grooving the bag Mamaa (DudleyMoore, Peter Cook)
and maybe a smarter person than I am can find it and properly provide a link...
thanks
wt
We used to be in the restaurant business, then sold everything to another operator to operate the buffets we once owned. 15 months later, they filed for bankruptcy, along with multiple other buffets. Hopefully, that is a sign. Unfortunately, I believe it is simply the sign of a bad business model. Give all you can eat food, cheaply, to an ever expanding population (and, yes, I'm referring to the belt lines). They were simply eaten out of business.
from "The Simpsons" Frying Dutchman episode:
Marge contents herself with some Tic-Tacs in her purse, while Homer eagerly
orders the all-you-can-eat dinner. Even before the waiter can give him his
plate, Homer is at the buffet cart, carting away an entire tray of shrimp.
Homer continues to gorge himself on shrimp, Marge having fallen asleep,
and the rest of the restaurant staff waiting anxiously, as it is already
closing time, the chairs upended.
'Tis no man. 'Tis a remorseless eating machine.
-- Captain McAlister watches Homer eat all his profits,
This talk of food should let me slip this in.
Iget very exasperated at people who use adages inaccurately or inappropriately. To wit:"The proof is in the pudding" The correct wording of the adage is: "The proof of the pudding is in the tasting" I know this is a bit nit-picky; but all of us have our pet peeves.
Sir Boyscout tells me that there is a sort of buffet restaurant in Brasil where you pick out what you want and then pay by how much your food weighs. In that case you might get your moneys worth out of bread.
I loved that Simpson episode - made me think of the couple at one of our local over-eateries, but rather than falling asleep at the table, this gal simple took the car keys and walked on out leaving the fat guy to continue his gluttony. (I didn't patronize the place, but a friend told me about it - she was taking a large relative to eat there)
I did enjoy the upscale brunch buffet at a large hotel in the City on Mother's Day - but the real attraction was the local jazz combo who were playing.
And on a prior post - noticed that our local Wendy's advertised: Double Stacker are Back. Not sure what they stacked, but they're baaaack!
Nachista, that sounds like the local Mongolian Grill where you choose your ingredients and sauces and they weigh it all and then cook it - a buffet of sorts, but if you're eating it all, you are also paying the price. I don't recall any breads, however -
When you make it the way some of my friends do, the 80 proof is in the pudding...
"Anyone up for the Hungry Heffer". I'm going to just one more 65 foot, delicious, mouth-watering, All-You-Can-Eat, artery clogging, waist busting, Meat Sweating buffet. And then...
I'll start my diet... tomorrow.
Hey Hemisphere, I'm going to start my diet tomorrow too, but since it always seem to be today...
Doc Nolan. The phrase you should use is "...the thought makes me somewhat NAUSEATED."You could look it up.
Nachista,
As movie critics often say, when coming out of a bad action sequel, "more is less." But I can't go with you on your objections to the odd combination of food. I'm the guy with the prime rib, the oyster, and the crab omelet. Doc Nolan talks about cruises offering "endless amounts of food". I would have said "endless offerings of food." Because that is the crucial difference.
I would never follow in Homer Simpson's footsteps by eating shrimp after shrimp. If I'm going to do that I'll just grill the shrimp my damn self (hmmm, I think I just figured out what to make for dinner tonight). I am not interested in more food, but more varieties of food. I like not needing to choose between the rib, the oyster, or the omelet. And make that omelet a small -- only one egg please -- so I can try that interesting salad over there.
I am reminded today that this forum is a community of curious minds. I add to that notion that we also have curious palates. Going to a buffet and stocking up on mashed potatoes does not indicate a curious palate.
Having read today's posts I'm reminded of a Officer Marge Gunderson (Francis McDormand) quote from the movie Fargo, "I think I'm gonna barf!
If there's going to be a food fight, I'll bring the Jello.
Whatever happened to that series of topics we had on the Seven Deadly Sins? We didn't get very far into them but the ones we discussed made for some great conversation. A lot of us were eagerly and vocally waiting for "gluttony" to show up. Seems it has, if only unofficially.
Buffet Strategy Rule #1:
Peter,
I guess that answers the lingering question: What became of Pepe?
Peterlake, the local university has an annual Jell-o slide they do down "Old Main" hill. Its very very sticky.
stoney,
exactly . . . .
But it had to originate in Vegas. the land of wonderful and unreal excess. Though I dont plan it again any time soon, the all you can eat breakfast is a wonderful spectacle at Ceasers (as much the people watching as food) and then there was the Brazillian Meat House which brought out skewer after skewer of wonderful meats.
Fun place to visit. For a better experience, there is the Equinox weekend brunch in Manchester Vermont. Sadly I havent been there since Mr. Peterman closed his outlet. Whatever did happen to those Chinese motorcyles as you walked in with the sidecars laden with wonderful clothing?
Someone around here once set me up for a joke: "Do you know what 'BUFFET' stands for?"
I didn't have a bluff.
She replied, "Big Ugly Fat Folks..."
And I can't remember what E and T were but may have been "Eating at a Trough."
Anyway, you get the idea.
Love Peter Lake's answer -- sure can't top that :)
Missive,
I love mojitos. Naturally, you do not as they are sweet and I remember your aversion to the mixture of sweet and booze. But ring90 said she would never again order a mojito there. Nothing against mojitos themselves.
There is a wonderful book called Table for One, about restaurants in New York that treat solo diners well. I do some of my best reading while dining alone.
I did a quick look for "profit margin" to see if the thought had already flatulated to the surface (yes, I know I just turned a noun into a verb - a script writer friend turned me onto it).
The basic premise of an "All You Can Eat" buffet repels me. Imagine what is going on in the toady little business minds that are pushing it at you. They're saying, flat out, "This food is so frikkin' worthless that we can fill a slop trough with it, feed you until you've been hospitalized, and STILL MAKE MONEY off of you fat, wheezing, accelerated-mortality herd beasts".
Or something like that.
Andy,
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Jonathan,
I think you may have just burned your bridges for any chance of an advertising career with the National Buffet Council.
FumeyGator,
"How can you have A moments?"
OMG. I was so caught up in the question of possession that I forgot the singular/plural thing. Fantastic. Thank you. Must not go edit an entire year's worth of mis-edits.
Did somebody say food fight?
So tired. And now hungry again.
Please, Go and eat in a "Mom & Pop" locally owned, locally operated restaurants and stay away from the chains and buffets. The chains hurt independents. The casualty list is high.
Jonathan, you are exactly right.
Capt Neptune, my uncle's restaurant "Rocky's" was one of those independents that just couldn't compete with the allure of chains. We're poorer in spirit for the loss of local eateries, they really give a place an identity. It wouldn't be a visit to St. Paul without a 2am trip to Mickey's or a visit to San Francisco without a lunch at the Fog City Diner.
Miss Ive,
Hope your interview goes well for you. Best wishes!
PeterLake,
You are too sweet. Thank you very much. Will let you all know how it goes.
rings et al-I love to dine alone, do it often. It's sort of like what Woody Allen said about masturbation-sex with someone you love, only this is another form of self-gratification that many (um, not me) enjoy as much as sex. I'm good company, long silences aren't a problem, people-watching is always fun, I don't have to wonder when my date is going to stop effing TAKING PHONE CALLS DURING OUR DINNER!!!!! Those guys I only go out with the one time...
Mojitos are my favorite drink these days if I'm not having wine. A good one is sublime, a bad one's okay. Not every place can do them, so second choice is a cosmo. Had those last night, gone out after conference was over, calves still aching from hours of dancing in heels. Cardio targets achieved!
Buffet food is usually gross. I did a huge one at a Tunica casino with a big gang of gfs, our gamble did NOT pay off. Looked and looked for something I wanted to eat, finally had a salad, they even did that poorly. A casual survey of the gelatinous oozes on most people's plates put me right off my dinner. I DO like a well-done brunch at some nicer restaurants about town, and I can recommend Court of Two Sisters in Norleans for their Jazz Brunch-outstanding, especially the Mimosas. Oh, and the jazz.
stoney-the duck bowling sounds interesting, but how does one persuade them to cooperate? Is there a penalty for fowl play? I'm sure, done well, it's poultry in motion...
Peter-Your buffet strategy dovetails well with my granddaddy's 3 Rules. I think I'm stuck in Bird Analogy World!
I would not even GO INTO a place called The Meat House-that's so scary. There is a place on I-30 between here and Dallas, called the Hog Trough. Wonder who their target clientele is?
Jonathan-Great minds think alike! (oh, and my Irish relatives would quickly respond "fools seldom differ", but that's not US!)
and I'm SO down with local and independent Mom-and-Pop diners and cafes! In Europe, this is an art form, truly sublime. In many towns, we're throwing away the best, we're LOSING IT! Homer's, by the airport in Little Rock, is totally a time machine. You walk in, you're back in the 1950s, sitting at chrome dinettes, waitresses with collared dresses and aprons and piled-up hair call you 'hon', scribble your order on those little green pads or seem to have total recall, and call out coded orders through the kitchen service window, where grannies in hairnets cast spells on thick Homer Laughlin china. Breakfast, the meat-and three lunch, sandwiches, pie with mile-high meringue or just-right fruit (usually peach or apple pie-OMG, ala mode). I have to go there occasionally to revisit the Good Old Days.
Olivia next time your back in Ireland you should try "The Overdraught" in Kinsale. Its in the middle of nowhere but it is one of my all time favorite restaurants. The cuisine is excellent and the ambience is amazing. We always call ahead and book a table for 'last orders' so we can enjoy the fireplace and candlelight in all its glory.
Sidetrack. Why don't American restaurants post 'last order' times on their doors instead of closing times? Someone says they are open til midnight and you go in at 11:30 and they've shut down the kitchen...if the kitchen closes at a certain time, that's when the restaurant closes. Its really bad around here. In Ireland you call ahead and ask 'when is your last order?' then you know when you have to be at the restaurant to have a meal and they have expected people to order and have a meal at that time so they aren't trying to rush you out. Its great.
Nachista-Thanks, I'll try it! That is, if I haven't already. I used to go to Cork and Kinsale whenever possible, walk the wee lanes and eat in the cafes. But that was a while ago, so I don't remember all of their names. Anyroad, it's on the list!
And you're just right about last orders. Makes good sense, dunnit?