Golden Buffet; Waterford, Michigan

Many years ago when I first heard of Chinese buffets I have to admit to being very wary.  After all how could a buffet, with it's food sitting out, possibly compete with my favorite Chinese restaurants.  But then there came the day that Kolleen, Sarahfay and I first visited Golden Buffet located at 5630 Dixie Highway in Waterford, Michigan.  I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.  The fact that the buffet was an all-you-can-eat did not hurt the situation either.  So thus was the view of the Hendin family.


But then came last night.  Sarahfay and I had just finished practicing our archery and we stopped at Golden Buffet for dinner.  Normally my family would never go to the buffet at dinner time as their prices are higher and there is so much seafood.  With Kolleen's severe allergies to shellfish there really seemed no need to go for the dinner service.  But as Sarahfay and I were alone, and we both l-o-v-e seafood, it seemed a perfect time to go.


Unfortunately last  night had the worst quality of food that I have ever experienced at Golden Buffet.  Let me explain...


I began my meal with a bowl of Hot & Sour soup.  As always I added some wantons, scallions and fried noodles.  The soup itself was tasty and I know my Hot & Sour soups.  But the wantons where shriveled and hard.  They actually had a crusty crunch to them and this made them unappealing.  I also ate sushi in my appetizer.  The sushi itself was unfresh and thus not worth the bite of eating.  Golden Buffet did offer pickled ginger which was wonderful.


Sarahfay started her meal with a bowl of Egg Drop Soup, which she had never had before.  She did enjoy it immensely.

For our main meals I chose the Vegetable Lo Mein, Peanut Chicken, Mongolian Chicken, Pan Fried Dumplings, and Baked Mussels.  Unlike previous visits to Golden Buffet the Vegetable Lo Mein was dry and tasteless.  The Peanut and Mongolian Chickens were both great as was the Baked Mussel.  But the Pan Fried Dumpling, which is one of my favorite foods, was like the wanton, rock hard and hard to eat.  I also tried the Chicken Teriyaki Satay and it was also dried and chewy, very much like jerky.


Sarahfay's meal consisted of crab legs, fried shrimp, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Chicken Teriyaki Satay.  She had a difficult time eating the crab legs as they were so small had little meat to them.  She did however enjoy the Fried Shrimp.


We did not partake of it last night but Golden Buffet does offer a nice Mongolian Style BBQ buffet and grill.


The affordability of Golden Buffet is exactly what I would expect from an all-you-can-eat buffet.  The price for lunch is $6.55, with children under 10 paying $3.25.  I find that very affordable.  The dinner prices go up after 4:00 PM to $10.55 for adults and $5.25 for kids.  Children under three years of age eat free.


Golden Buffet does offer a full carryout menu as well as a carry out buffet starting at $3.29 per pound.


The decor of the restaurant was fair.  Sarahfay always loves the koi in the front fountain.  In fact, yesterday she saw a turtle swimming through the water.  I tried to trick her and tell her it was for turtle soup, but she didn't buy it. 


The cleanliness of the restaurant, which is so important for a buffet, was just fine.  The bathrooms where clean.


The service was fantastic.  The waitress seems to be on top of things by removing used plates, filling drink orders and fulfilling special requests.


Overall I was impressed with Gold Buffet in all ways except the food.  Last night there were too many inconsistencies in the taste of the food and if I had to judge the restaurant by last night alone I would not return.  I pray it was just a off night.


Happy eating!


OVERALL:


Service:                                       ****(4)
Food:                                          **(2)
Affordability:                              **(2 1/2)
Cleanliness:                                 ****(4)
Decor:                                         ***(3)


Overall:                                      **(2 1/2)

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Wally's Chicken & Waffles; Waterford, Michigan

As Kolleen and I took off this afternoon to take Sarahfay to the local batting cages, she needs some work on her swing.  On the way we decided to stop by a relativity new restaurant which was only 2 1/2 month old.  The establishment is Wally's Chicken & Waffles located at 4349 Highland Rd (M-59) in Waterford right across from Meijer.


Pulling up to Wally's I must admit that that the three of us were extremely excited.  After all, the idea of Southern cooking, the idea of eating chicken, ribs, waffles, potatoes, rice, BBQ sauce; these are all things we love.  And we were happy to see they were all on the menu.  Unfortunately they where expensive.


Nut we had a job to do...we had to eat.  So after perusing the menu carefully we decided upon our orders and we dived in.


Yet before I begin talking about our food at Wally's I think I should first speak on the subject of BBQ sauce. Now BBQ sauce is a deeply personal and philosophical decision for any one individual.  For Kolleen and I , we have a deep distaste for sauces that hold a hickory or mesquite flavor t them.  In truth our favorite BBQ sauce is good ole Open Pit, plain and simple.  As for Wally's sauce...we did not like it at all.  Wally's BBQ sauce was deeply flavored with hickory.  But let me state this, I will not count Wally's BBQ sauce against them in any way.  I did not like the flavor, but many of you might; Sarahfay, for example, did.

As for our orders Sarahfay got the Rib Snack, which was five bones on a plate  with Wally's Famous Potatoes and a small drink all for $3.99.  Now the price for this snack was quite affordable.  Sarahfay loved the ribs, which I was not too surprised by, Sarahfay always loves ribs.  The potatoes also met with her approval.  For her drink she got a bottled water.

Now Kolleen and I ordered the big one, Wally's Famous Chicken N' Waffles.  This meal came with four pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, Wally's Famous Potatoes, a buttermilk biscuit and a house made waffle.  It was a ton of food!  The chicken was delicious!  The chicken was awesome!  I loved the chicken!  The potatoes were drenched in butter and spices.  I enjoyed them much more then Kolleen, but I have too admit there are better potatoes in Waterford.  The biscuit was great.  I did not eat the waffle, that was all Kolleen, but she was not overjoyed.  Her exact words were, "eh."

I also ordered the Red Beans and Rice.  I am not sure how the authentic version looks or tastes so what I got may me the real deal and I just may prefer the fake stuff, but I hated what I got.  To me it was like masked beans with shredded pork and I was hard pressed to find any rice at all!  Sorry Wally's!


The restaurant decor was that of an establishment that was newly changed and low budget.  The cleanliness was good.


Overall Wally's was a nice change, but I cannot say that I would go out of my way to visit them.  I would, however, stop by for a bucket of that incredible chicken!


Overall Scores:


Food:                **1/2
Service:            ****
Affordability:   ***
Cleanliness:      ***
Decor:              **


Overall:            **1/2   2 1/2

Royal Diner; Clarkston, Michigan

Last night, after Sarahfay's softball practice, we went to have dinner at the Royal Diner, located at 6540 Dixie Highway in Clarkston, Michigan.  The Royal Diner used to be called Nick's Country Kitchen a year ago and when it was I must admit that I was not a fan.  But I am happy to say things have definitely made a change at the Royal Diner.  This establishment made a long-term shutdown while they revamped the store and I must say they did a wonderful job!  I will be the first to say that I am a tough nut when it comes to the critiques of restaurant decors, but the owners did a really nice job of the Royal Diner, inside and out.  On the exterior they have a beautiful neon sign that gives the impression of an old style diner; while inside there are nice comfortable booths and tables, plasma TV's, more neon lights and even a working fireplace!

Now I have eaten here before and let me say that the salads are great, especially the Greek Salad.  I have also previously had a hamburger and they too were delicious.

Today, I decided to eat something off of the specials list and that was the Roasted 1/2 Chicken.  This was served with my choice of potato (I choice a baked potato w/ sour cream), a vegetable (peas), a bread basket, and my choice of soup or salad.  Now as I said previously stated the salads at the Royal Diner are good, but their soups are exceptional.  One of my favorites is their cabbage soup.  Unlike most cabbage soups the Royal Diner does not cook the massively large pieces of cabbage until it is mushy, rather they cook it so the cabbage and carrots still have a bit of "crunch" in it.  I absolutely love it!  As for my chicken it was huge!  I kept thinking to myself that for that to only be a half of a chicken, then that bird must of been on steroids and possibly a pro-wrestler.  It was that h-u-g-e.  The flavor of the chicken was great and it was cooked well.  There was a homemade dressing underneath the chicken that I loved and thought finished the meal perfectly.  For me the only thing that would have been nice was something sweet like a fruit relish.

Sarahfay ordered off of the kid's menu and chose the Eggs & Meat.  She, like her parents, loves her eggs poached (she a good kid) and for her meat she opted for crispy bacon.  She had white toast and a Sprite to drink.  Being a Hendin, Red Hot was added to the dish.  She gave a thumbs up to it all.

Kolleen, who does not eat very much at all, ordered a side of hash browns and then shared off of Sarahfay and my plate.  Kolleen felt the hash browns were not that great until the butter was added, but then they turned to something quite good.  Kolleen also ordered coffee which she enjoyed.  I am always impressed when a restaurant gives the table a thermal carafe.

Now the greatest downfall for the Royal Diner was the price.  They our not the most affordable restaurant out there.  There are worse, my special was not too bad at $8.49, but the Kid's Meal at $4.99 only had 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon, that seems pricey.


The cleanliness of the store was good.


Overall I was happy the Royal Diner.  They do have good lunch specials and I would recommend them to anyone for lunch.


Happy Tasting!


Overall:


Service:                          ****(4)
Food:                              ****(4)
Affordability:                 ***(3)
Cleanliness:                    ****(4)
Decor:                             ****(4)


Overall:                         ****(4)

Bread Basket Deli; Oak Park, Michigan

It seems lately that most of my entries are coming at the tail end of a medical procedure and always with my friend Cliff in tow.  Well, this is one is to follow the same course.  Cliff and I left Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan this morning and my friend was in a "hankering" for some good old Jewish Deli.  Well, me being me I am not one to shove that request away, and I immediately suggested the Bread Basket Deli located at 26052 Greenfield Rd in Oak Park.  This restaurant has a lot of memories for me as this was where my Bubbie (Yiddish for grandma) used to take me all the time as a kid.  Though my stomach was still a bit upset from my procedure I was still looking forward to a great meal.

The Bread Basket has the exact same decor since I was a child in the 70's, and I do mean the exact.  Somehow the owners have seemed to keep the same vinyl entact on the booths, I don't know how they did, but they did.  As you walk in you will stroll by a glass case of new and old dill pickles (I prefer the new), hard Vienna salamis, cheeses, fresh baked rye breads, and so much more.  I couldn't help but notice the blintzes that seemed to be the size of softballs, I do wonder what they where filled with.

Cliff ordered a corned beef and egg omelette.  His first reaction was the same as his last and that was, "there is enough corned beef on here for two sandwiches."  Yet, he somehow, and I have no idea how, he found the room to finish it, along with his pumpernickel toast.  Cliff gave it top marks, in fact during his first bite his eyes did roll into the back of his head.

Now I ordered what would have to be my favorite meal in the world outside of scallops, they call it "Lox of Luck"  The Lox of Luck is a platter containing a bagel, cream cheese, sliced red onion, tomato slices, green pepper slices, black olives, home fresh sweet gherkins and Nova Scotia Lox.  I like to call this "Jewish soul food."  To say I enjoyed it was beyond the proper adjective.  There is nothing like fresh Lox, but at $24.95 a pound lox better be good!

I also should also mention the coffee which was OK, nothing to write home about, but not swill either.

There was one downfall to our meal and that is pretty much a staple to a good delis, the price.  Cliff's omelette was around $8.50 and my Lox platter was $9.75.  I would complain about the prices, but first all good delis are priced as such and second, my food was too good.

The cleanliness of the store was good.  The restaurant is old and some might mistake that for dirty, but I looked things over and I was impressed.  I did used the bathrooms and they where newly cleaned.

Overall I loved my trip to Bread Basket Deli in Oak Park.  Two months ago I took my daughter to the Waterford branch of the deli (see blog entry).  I was not as impressed with that store as I was with the original.  It helped that good memories of my Bubbie filled me through the entire meal.

Overall:

Service:                   ****(4)

Food:                      ****(4)  Coffee kept it from a five.

Affordability:           ***(3)

Cleanliness:             ****(4)

Decor:                    ***(3)

Overall:                  ****(4) The food wins it!!!!

Denny's; Novi, Michigan

I had another doctors appointment today and that meant another stop with my friend Cliff for a bite to eat.  This time I knew where I was, out in Novi, Michigan (just north of I-96), so we decided on eating at Denny's, an old classic eatery.  For me Denny's was always famous for a few dishes and those where their Grand Slam breakfasts, Eggs Over My Hammy, their tasty coffee and pie.

Now unfortunately for me I was not feeling wonderful so I knew I would not be ordering anything very large but I was checking things out from the moment I approached the restaurant.  And the first problem came the moment I walked through the front door and that was the foul smell that washed over me like a tsunami.  I am sorry my friends, but I CANNOT IMAGINE ANYONE WANTING TO EAT A PIECE OF COCONUT CREAM PIE WITH THE STENCH OF URINAL CAKES IN THE AIR.  This vile smell permeated the entire restaurant.  I asked the waitress about it and she said that was the normal odor, it made me want to puke!  

The next strike was the cleanliness, which will receive a 0.  Our table was lined with a green film in the edges that came off when my arm rubbed it.  I have NO IDEA what it was!  Next, we come the crawling ants and beetles on the booths and chairs, I killed three.

The waitress was nice enough until I asked about the smell; she then became very defensive.

As for the food let me start with the coffee.  It was so bitter that I could not drink it.  It is my belief that the staff reused the coffee filters, but there is no way to verify this.  Eventually I moved my coffee cup aside and ordered an orange juice which was quite yummy.  For food I had a bagel and cream cheese and a order of turkey bacon.  The turkey bacon had to be sent back to be crisped up but when it came back it was great.  It was thick cut and that made it very appetizing.

Cliff ordered the Ultimate Bacon Breakfast which consisted of two eggs over medium, hash brown six pieces of bacon and wheat toast.  he was happy.  He though the coffee was fair, but in his words it was the cream that made the coffee.

The decor of this Denny's was the same as every other Denny's.

Overall I would recommend you do not visit this restaurant.  I would take you money elsewhere as there are plenty of stores nearby in this shopping district.

Overall:

Service:                       **(2 1/2)

Food:                           *1(1 1/2)

Affordability:              ***(3)

Cleanliness:                 (0)

Decor:                         **(2)

Overall                        (1/2)

The Village Place; Waterford, Michigan

The Village Place has a special place in my heart.  Not the Waterford location (Elizabeth Lake Rd & Cooley Lake Rd) per se, but the West Bloomfield store, for I had a job there as a dishwasher when I was only 15 years old.  Yes, I remember dish-dogging in a sweaty nasty back room and having a huuuuuuge crush on this super hot waitress (sorry honey) name Nicole (hey, I was only 15).  


Today, my friend and spiritual brother Cliff drove me to a doctors appointment and on the way home we stopped to eat at one of the two Waterford locations of The Village Place (aka. VP).  The second location is on Dixie Highway just south of Andersonville Road.  As this was to be my first meal in almost 36 hours I was really looking forward to it.


Now the VP has had the same look to it since the fifth day of Creation.  I truly believe that the owners hold to the belief that hiring an interior designer and having someone paint the walls is the same thing.  The location I was at even had a 1970's cigarette dispensing machine...like ya'...c'mon dude!  At least there was no cigarettes for sale, they simply use the old thing as some type of table for old dusty plants, and yes they where dusty.  And as we are on the subject, the cleanliness was not very impressive, inside or outside the lavatories.

Prior to discussing the food, I should be clear on one thing, VP is not in existence or known for their fine Chef Ramsey cuisine.  VP is a diner of "all-around" proportions serving a variety of foods; a sampler if you will.  That is what draws me.  Though there is a few dishes that I do love and I will mention those at the end, for those dishes are from the Waterford-Dixie Highway location.

For a meal Cliff ordered the Village Platter Salad.  This salad was quite large and began on a bed of iceberg lettuce.  Let me add this important fact, there was a lot of iceberg lettuce.  On top of the ruffage there was some shredded swiss cheese and then a scoop of chicken salad.  Actually Cliff had a choice of chicken salad, tuna or crab salad.  Along with salad there came a side of cottage cheese and a grilled pita bread.  For his choice of salad dressing Cliff chose a honey mustard.  I am a fan of honey mustard so I decided to taste it, and my friends I was so close to gagging it was V-I-L-E!  Cliff did not utilize the dressing but he did enjoy his salad.

As for myself I ordered The Village Place Special; a delicious order of three eggs (I got them poached) over wheat toast (or white, rye); with hash browns (or pancakes), turkey sausage patties (or pork sausage links or patties or bacon).  Overall quite tasty, but then this would be a hard one to mess up.


The service at the VP store was OK, the nice waiter argued with Cliff whether or not he was due his cottage cheese even going so far as to bring a menu up to the table to prove he was right (he was wrong, lol).  Other then that, the service was good.


The affordability of VP is about the same as any other restaurant of that caliber, meaning a store serving that same type of cuisine.  


As I said previously the cleanliness was bad as was the decor.


Now as for the Dixie Hwy location I highly recommend the Veal Parmesan Sandwich, the Crab Salad Sandwich and their Heart Healthy Frozen Yogurt.  For these items I would actually make a special trip.


Overall:


Service:                          **(2 1/2)               
Food:                              ***(3)
Affordability:                 ***(3)
Cleanliness:                     *(1)
Decor:                            *(1)


Overall:                          *(1 1/2)

Joe's Crab Shack; Auburn Hills, Michigan

I live in a "fun-to-eat" food family.  I have chronic pancreatitis, which means I eat low-fat foods, plus I am lactose intolerant.  Kolleen is severely allergic to shellfish and some paradise fruits like kiwi.  And Sarahfay is allergic to kiwi and is lactose intolerant when it comes to ice cream.  So when it comes to the eating of delicacies like crab and shrimp that dire task must fall to Sarahfay and myself. That's a shame...

It was just over a week ago when my daughter and I found ourselves at Joe's Crab Shack after our visit to Bass Pro Shop at Great Lakes Outlets in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  Joe's is one of those fun type of places where just being seated is an adventure.  The decor at Joe's can occupy one's mind for at least 15 minutes as the walls are covered with old pictures, signs and stuffed fish and sharks from the docks and sea.  The wait staff makes eating pretty fun as they come out to the floor to sing every 10 minutes or so.  On our trip our waitress even asked Sarahfay to come join the staff in a rendition of the song "At the Car Wash."  Unfortunately, Sarahfay was just a bit too embarrassed  but that would have been soooooooo cool!!!  Also pretty awesome in the decor was the kids playground out front.  I thought that might be pretty nice for a lot of families.

Sarahfay and I pretty much ordered the same thing, just in different sizes.  She got the kids Steampot and under for $10.00 it was a deal!  In that pot she had 6 crab legs, 4 large shrimp, redskin potatoes and a corn on the cob (Sarahfay likes to it calls it corn on the bone).  I had the Long Islander Steampot and it was much more expensive then I had thought when I ordered it; it was $23.95.  Yet, it had multiple crab legs, scallops (my favorite), mussels, redskin potatoes and corn on the cob.  Sarahfay and I both agreed this was one delicious meal.

The way the meal was served only enhanced the enjoyment of the dinner.  Instead of plates we were given a wax paper to destroy the shells on.  A communal bucket for the shell discards was placed in the center of the table.  The waitress also left a roll of paper towel on the table; believe me you will need this!  As for myself this meal was extra special since I got to teach Sarahfay the ins and out of how to crack and eat crab legs.

The cleanliness of Joe's was very nice.  I popped my head into the Men's Room just to take a look and it was well kept.

Overall I love Joe's, if anything would keep me away, other then my wife dying there, it would be the expensive prices.

Overall:

Service:                 ***** (5)

Food:                    ****(4)

Affordability:        **(2 1/2)

Cleanliness:          *****(5)

Decor:                   ****(4)

Overall:                 ****(4)