Favorite AYCE restaurant? And what do they serve?

ipsedixit · October 21, 2022, 3:45am

Do you have a favorite AYCE restaurant?

And what do they serve?

Chain, or otherwise? Incl. mom-and-pop joints?

Not debating the merits of AYCE restaurants, just whether you have one and what they serve?

I am going to go off the grid here and nominate the breakfast service at the Restaurant at Highlands Ranch Resort in Lassen National Park.

Only at breakfast, the restaurant offers AYCE breakfast (included as part of your stay at the resort), and rotates from things like steel cut oatmeal, to french toast and pancakes or waffles, to omelets (egg white only or even egg yolk), or breakfast sandwiches with buffalo patties, etc., all prepared to order.

Oh, and they serve alcohol at breakfast too. Yes, that too is AYCE or, ahem, AYCD.

Any great AYCE gems you would like to share?

shrinkrap · October 21, 2022, 4:43am

AYCE= All You Can Eat! (<= smug).

linguafood · October 21, 2022, 1:44pm

Brazilian steakhouses with their ridiculously amazing appetizer/salad/seafood buffets, and of course the never-ending meat skewers. That’s when I wish I was an actual cow with three stomachs

CCE · October 21, 2022, 3:40pm

Traveling for business I always enjoyed the breakfast buffets[1] at hotels in DE, CH. Large variety of croissants, hard rolls, sausages/meats/lox, cheeses, fruits, etc., and of course omelets any way you want them and other on-the-spot cooked foods (waffles etc.). But my main thing was the meats and cheeses.

[1] The ones that are separately paid, I mean. Eur30 or so and whatever the going rate was then in CHF. Sometimes a hotel would have a complimentary breakfast like many US hotel chains do, and in those cases of course they couldn’t be so extravagant.

And Natascha already hit my other big favorite, especially on an expense account. Texas de Brazil or Fogo de Chao.

One more to add - those large mixed Asian “we’re trying to do too many things at once” buffets. Regular US-style Chinese dishes, Thai, a separate bank of dim sum, soups bar, sushi rolls and nigiri.

linguafood · October 21, 2022, 3:42pm

How could I forget German breakfast buffets???

Oh, I know. I always sleep too late to take advantage of them

Miss_belle · October 21, 2022, 4:25pm

Not much to pick from around here so probably a Chinese buffet. Although one plateful is AICE now. My two trip days are over with.

linguafood · October 21, 2022, 4:30pm

There’s no Brazilian AYCE steakhouse anywhere near me, either. I don’t think that’s relevant to the question. But I hear ya on the multiple trips.

There used to be a German steakhouse chain with good quality Argentinian beef, and a very good salad bar, for which you could choose to do AYCE along with your steak choice. I was addicted to their garlic & herb dressing. My record was 5 plates of salad. No more, no way, no how.

ipsedixit · October 21, 2022, 4:43pm

But then at a Brazilian steak house you would, um, be eating (gulp!) yourself.

Would that be cownnibalism ?

ernie_in_berkeley · October 21, 2022, 6:17pm

Los Moles is a three-location mini-chain here in the East Bay, CA. They have an AYCE buffet on weekends, with eight varieties of mole to go with several kinds of meats, and posole. I think the buffet was suspended during the quarantine time, but it seems to be back now.

StephanieL · October 21, 2022, 6:19pm

Oh man–the breakfast buffet at the Four Seasons Berlin was just eye-popping. It was really hard not to stuff myself silly.

The buffets at my smaller hotel in Berlin and the Stockholm hotel I stayed at years ago were no slouches either.

small_h · October 21, 2022, 6:31pm

All my faves are gone.

The brunch buffet at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank, NJ.
The brunch buffet at the Rainbow Room in NYC.
The Mother’s Day buffet at Ricciardella’s in Phoenecia, NY.

Google_Gourmet · October 21, 2022, 6:51pm

First thought on this topic is we don’t really do AYCE, though the complimentary East/West breakfasts buffets at many Asian hotels are a nice prelude to a day of real eating.

Then, an outstanding seafood feast in Chengdu popped into mind. Fittingly, restaurant is named Seafood Feast. This was in December 2019, weeks before the world changed as we know it. Can’t wait for China to reopen again, so much more to explore. and EAT.

Copy from post in December 2019. Seafood Feast. Chengdu, Sichuan.

Seafood Feast Restaurant served up one of our most memorable and delicious dining experiences, ever. An upscale AYCE seafood buffet venue. Optional table service in private booths with additional special items, for a slight up charge. Here, our orders are prepared ala minute. The all you care to drink wine selection is also supposedly better.

First course was a dramatic Sashimi tower with Lobster, Prawns, Salmon and a couple of other fish. Dished out on an ice sculpture with cascading dry ice fog. A second platter with Langostino, Octopus, Oysters.

Geoduck, our favorite. We scarfed 4 orders. Live Uni. Clams so fresh, they were throbbing.

Buddha Jumping over the Wall, a “special” item. First time for me. Delicious!!! Rich broth with a mini Sea Cucumber, Shark Fin and other surely costly ingredients.

Another special, warm Papaya with Bird’s Nest. Wife had a Hasma Coconut concoction. Hasma is the dried tissue from a certain part of a frog that I won’t get into. Weird but tasty.

Fois Gras on Toast. Grilled Steak. Pan Fried Venison Tongue!! Deep Fried Chicken Knees.

Each diner has choice of Hot Pot broth. Tom Yum for she, more subtle Mushroom for me. Fish Maw? Four orders please. To start.

An ice mountain of hot pot fixin’s. Abalone(live), Prawns(three types), Lobster Tail, Alaskan King Crab and a Korean Crab.

Fantastic service! A server shelled the prawns tableside. Lovely.

Steak Tartare. Sea Cucumber. Scallop Sashimi topped w/Ikara. Toro.

Never had Starfish before, never understood how/why eat Starfish. Our server gave me a lesson. Dip in hot broth for 3 minutes. Carve open and scoop out roe. Fun, done it, no mas.

The buffet is huge, every option looked super fresh. The buffet line is beautiful with am almost bewildering amount of choices. I’m not a fan of AYCE at all. I tagged along cause the wife is a raw SEAFOOD LOVER. We are loving Chengdu, and Seafood Feast will be a strong enticement for a quick revisit.

Btw, this meal, all in including drinks, tax and serve. USD$150. For the both of us.

Phoenikia · October 21, 2022, 7:08pm

I haven’t done any buffets since Jan 2020, where my hotel in Hakuba, Japan had a breakfast buffet and dinner buffet. I liked trying the Japanese specialties. Japanese curry at breakfast, baked bananas, come to mind.

My favourite buffets are the hotel breakfast buffets in Europe. The most memorable for me are the Platzl Hotel in Munich, which has weisswurst, Hotel Torbräu in Munich, St George Lycabettus Hotel in Athens (with a view of the Acropolis, amazing selection ), Elektra Palace in Athens, my hotel in Santorini (warm loukamades), Fifteen Keys hotel in Rome.

A few AYCE places serving Thai food near me have the cook to order option, with a checklist as one would find at AYCE sushi or non-cart dim sum, instead of a buffet with a sneeze guard , which I like better in concept.

I did enjoy the buffets in Vegas and in Tahoe , ages ago.

linguafood · October 21, 2022, 7:39pm

You make a valid point.

StephanieL · October 22, 2022, 6:14pm

We used to go the Molly Pitcher Inn for Mother’s Day brunch.

small_h · October 22, 2022, 6:29pm

Smoked fish arranged on a mirror! The classiest thing I’d ever seen, as a kid.

iluvcookies · October 23, 2022, 11:32am

I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise last month. My first cruise ever!
Now I wasn’t expecting 5 star dining, but I have to say everything I had was delicious.

Hands down my favorite was the poolside taco bar, El Loco Fresh. The carnitas were excellent. I may have had an extra plate or three.
The Windjammer buffet was pretty good too. Seems like they served similar food to what was in the main dining room in a much more casual AYCE atmosphere.
Even the main dining room is sort of AYCE. They will bring you multiple entrees/apps etc. if you request them.

biondanonima · October 23, 2022, 12:04pm

In addition to most of what has already been mentioned, I love a good Indian buffet. There are several in Jackson Heights (Queens) that we love, although we haven’t been since Covid so not sure which of them has survived.

linguafood · October 23, 2022, 2:05pm

We have a decent Indian in town that has a lunch buffet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have that food midday without wanting to nap the rest of the afternoon

ipsedixit · October 23, 2022, 11:07pm

Co-sign on this.

Why are most Indian buffets during the day? (rhetorical question, I know the answer)

It’s like the culinary gods are taunting me.