Venue Review: Carving Station Buffet

Prices, choices make buffet a good choice

My husband has long enjoyed eating at buffet restaurants, particularly those that specialize in Chinese food.

But after having dinner at the Carving Station Buffet in Lake Park recently, we realized that American-style buffets can be just as tasty as their Chinese counterparts.

We arrived at the newly opened eatery just after 6 p.m. on a Friday and took our spot in a line that was growing longer by the minute.

At the Carving Station Buffet, diners aren't seated immediately.

Midway through the line, a hostess will ask the guests how many people are in the party, and then will head off to locate an available table.

In the meantime, diners are welcome to help themselves to a buffet that includes cold items (fresh fruits and vegetables, cottage cheese and a variety of salads) and hot items such as hand-carved meats, sauteed vegetables, pasta and potatoes.

On our visit, we had a choice of carved turkey, carved beef, sauteed chicken, fried shimp and fried fish.

We also helped ourselves to numerous sides - our daughter particularly enjoyed the macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes - before we were led to a table near the back of the bustling restaurant.

Once there, our server took our drink orders and brought us a basket of hot garlic bread.

Fortunately, we loaded up our plates on our first trip through the buffet.

Our son grew restless midway through the meal, so we weren't able to return for a second trip.

However, we visited the next day for takeout and went home with carved beef, lasagna and a slice of chocolate cake (desserts are $2.49 each).

With those prices and choices, I'm sure we'll be back again soon.

Brief