Next to the Coffeehouse in Denver, NC, are a variety of new restaurants. I've already reviewed Nevole's. So, now I get the chance to review Dragon Buffet.
As you can probably tell by the name, Dragon Buffet is an Asian inspired all-you-can-eat buffet. The food ranges from Chinese to Japanese to a couple other assorted Asian styles.
I walked in for my lunch and was quickly seated. My waitress took the drink order (Pepsi -- they don't offer Coke), and I walked up to the buffet area. It's pretty huge with four food-bar areas, and a separate sushi area, they've got quite the selection from which to choose.
For my first plate I decided on an egg roll, Crab Rangoon, spicy tempura roll, fluorescent red beef, and some Lo Mien. Ahh, the beauty of a buffet -- five completely different types of food on one plate!
I started with the egg roll. Pretty standard. It has the usual fillings of vegetables and shrimp, and was deep-fried to a crisp. The duck sauce (from the sauce section of the bar) was a necessary addition, and gave it a nice sweet flavor. But really, this seemed like the exact same egg roll that I get at most Asian restaurants -- where do they buy them???
The Crab Rangoon was pretty standard as well and consisted of cream cheese and very little (if any) crab. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. A crispy shell fried to a crisp and filled with cheese = YUM! But, I tend to like it even more when I can taste some crab.
Next was the fluorescent red beef. It was different from what I was expecting. Looking at the thickness of the sauce, and the color, I figured it was a type of teriyaki sauce. Instead this beef tasted much more Korean than Japanese, with the emphasis on vinegar and not the teriyaki sweetness. All-in-all, this was probably my favorite food while there.
Then it was time to try the spicy tempura roll. It was good, but thin. so thin that I had to use a fork to scoop it up, instead of chopsticks. It just bent under the pressure of the chopsticks, and was too thin to hold together when held vertically.
The last food left on my plate was the Lo Mien. Unfortunately, I found it lacking. The flavor was really mild, and aside from the very light sesame sauce, there was little flavor. I suppose I could have used a sauce from the sauce selection (which was plentiful), but I wasn't in the mood to get up and try to figure out what sauce was needed.
The restaurant has a nice open feel -- it is one large room. The windows at the front allow light to reach the back, and the color template is warm. The staff were friendly, and my drink was instantly refilled whenever it ran low.
The buffet food is just that -- standard buffet food. Quantity is the focus. And buffets really aren't my favorite. However, it you're a buffet person, you should give this place a try, the price is down right reasonable.
Score:
Atmosphere: 4/5
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10.5/5
Price: $
Kid Friendly: Yes
Conclusion: If you're REALLY hungry and want Asian food, this is your place. In general, I found the food's flavor to be on the lighter side, but that's something I've noticed with many of the Asian restaurants in the area. However, the staff and atmosphere are above the standard buffet.
Restaurant Info:
Dragon Buffet
7260 Hwy 73
Suite 112
Denver, NC 28037
Showing posts with label Buffet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffet. Show all posts
Friday, December 4, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
A Foodie Reader has a Question!
I got an e-mail this weekend asking me this question:
"Do you know of any of the restaurants here at Lake Norman who will be having Thanksgiving buffets?"
That's a good question that I've never thought about -- since I'm always busy basting the turkey on Thanksgiving. So, I'm passing the buck to you, my wonderful readers. (I heart you guys!) Do you know of any LKN restaurants that serve a Thanksgiving buffet dinner??
If you have anything to say, click on the comments link below this post!
Thanks for your help!
"Do you know of any of the restaurants here at Lake Norman who will be having Thanksgiving buffets?"
That's a good question that I've never thought about -- since I'm always busy basting the turkey on Thanksgiving. So, I'm passing the buck to you, my wonderful readers. (I heart you guys!) Do you know of any LKN restaurants that serve a Thanksgiving buffet dinner??
If you have anything to say, click on the comments link below this post!
Thanks for your help!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Positano Osteria (Birkdale)
A few weeks ago an acquaintance of mine suggested that I hit the lunch buffet at Positano in Birkdale. Though Positano has a reputation for being a little on the pricey side, I was assured that the buffet was a relative bargain, and I should give it a try.
So, yesterday a friend and I hit Positano to see what the buzz was about.
We walked in, and were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. Since it was sweltering, we opted for the inside option. We passed the buffet and were seated. The host asked for our drink orders, and wanted to know if we wanted menus. We declined, and said we were here for the buffet.
The interior of Positano is nice, and I found it to be relaxing. It's done in a restaurant faux-Tuscan style. Tile floor, dark woods, light colored walls, etc. It looks like a nice Italian restaurant should. Then I turned my attention towards more important things -- like the buffet!
So, we headed over and I noticed that the buffet is sorta a small about (two long tables). But here's what it offered.... Soup, Salad (spinach) with two types of dressing, two types of pizza, one pasta entree, one chicken entree, sliced oranges, and cheesecake. OK, now that I wrote it, it sounds like more than it looked like. (But, it's small when compared to the Indian restaurant in Cornelius, there were probably a couple dozen things to choose from.)
I grabbed some spinach and put the dressing on (the other option was oil and vinegar). As it turns out, the dressing was pinkish (I later learned that it was a Chianti vinaigrette), and I grabbed a slice of ham and sausage pizza (the other option was cheese pizza). I returned to the table.
The salad dressing was really amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was tangy from the vinegar, but the Chianti put a nice finish on it. It worked very well with the strong flavors of the spinach. Honestly, if I ever find this in a store, I'm buying it.
Next came the pizza. The ingredients were good, as was the sauce. I enjoyed the sausage and ham pizza slices. My only complaint is that the pizza was very soggy towards the middle. So much so that I had to use a fork an knife. Aside from the middle of the pizza, the crust was good, and I actually ate all the pizza crust (which is unusual for me).
After I cleared my small plate, I headed back to try the pasta. OK, I grabbed a second slice of pizza, THEN I grabbed some pasta. The pasta was sorta a standard penne entree with a tomato and basil marinara sauce. It was good. It didn't knock my socks off, but I didn't hate it either. Again I cleared my plate.
Now I was ready for dessert. I passed the orange slices, and helped myself to a piece of cheesecake. The pieces were small, but I didn't help myself to two slices (though I wanted to!). I took a bite, and I was surprised. It wasn't good. It wasn't great. It was pretty bad. I don't know how this happened, but this cheesecake was chalky. It had a dry granular texture to it. And it wasn't just my taste-buds... my friend thought the same thing!
To give you an idea of how bad it was -- I didn't finish it. It takes a LOT for me to leave a slice of cheesecake behind. Sadly, this was one of those slices.
The service was very good, and they were very attentive -- especially considering that it was a buffet situation.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $$ (With soda and tip, the meal came to about $14)
Kid Friendly: Yes, they offer kids menus and high chairs.
Conclusion: The food was only OK. For the price, I felt that I was either over-charged, or the food should have been a little better. I'll head back to try dinner there one of these days, to see if the buffet was representative of their standard meals.
Restaurant Info:
Positano Osteria
8625-A Lindholm Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-896-2979
http://www.positano-osteria.net/
So, yesterday a friend and I hit Positano to see what the buzz was about.
We walked in, and were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. Since it was sweltering, we opted for the inside option. We passed the buffet and were seated. The host asked for our drink orders, and wanted to know if we wanted menus. We declined, and said we were here for the buffet.
The interior of Positano is nice, and I found it to be relaxing. It's done in a restaurant faux-Tuscan style. Tile floor, dark woods, light colored walls, etc. It looks like a nice Italian restaurant should. Then I turned my attention towards more important things -- like the buffet!
So, we headed over and I noticed that the buffet is sorta a small about (two long tables). But here's what it offered.... Soup, Salad (spinach) with two types of dressing, two types of pizza, one pasta entree, one chicken entree, sliced oranges, and cheesecake. OK, now that I wrote it, it sounds like more than it looked like. (But, it's small when compared to the Indian restaurant in Cornelius, there were probably a couple dozen things to choose from.)
I grabbed some spinach and put the dressing on (the other option was oil and vinegar). As it turns out, the dressing was pinkish (I later learned that it was a Chianti vinaigrette), and I grabbed a slice of ham and sausage pizza (the other option was cheese pizza). I returned to the table.
The salad dressing was really amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was tangy from the vinegar, but the Chianti put a nice finish on it. It worked very well with the strong flavors of the spinach. Honestly, if I ever find this in a store, I'm buying it.
Next came the pizza. The ingredients were good, as was the sauce. I enjoyed the sausage and ham pizza slices. My only complaint is that the pizza was very soggy towards the middle. So much so that I had to use a fork an knife. Aside from the middle of the pizza, the crust was good, and I actually ate all the pizza crust (which is unusual for me).
After I cleared my small plate, I headed back to try the pasta. OK, I grabbed a second slice of pizza, THEN I grabbed some pasta. The pasta was sorta a standard penne entree with a tomato and basil marinara sauce. It was good. It didn't knock my socks off, but I didn't hate it either. Again I cleared my plate.
Now I was ready for dessert. I passed the orange slices, and helped myself to a piece of cheesecake. The pieces were small, but I didn't help myself to two slices (though I wanted to!). I took a bite, and I was surprised. It wasn't good. It wasn't great. It was pretty bad. I don't know how this happened, but this cheesecake was chalky. It had a dry granular texture to it. And it wasn't just my taste-buds... my friend thought the same thing!
To give you an idea of how bad it was -- I didn't finish it. It takes a LOT for me to leave a slice of cheesecake behind. Sadly, this was one of those slices.
The service was very good, and they were very attentive -- especially considering that it was a buffet situation.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $$ (With soda and tip, the meal came to about $14)
Kid Friendly: Yes, they offer kids menus and high chairs.
Conclusion: The food was only OK. For the price, I felt that I was either over-charged, or the food should have been a little better. I'll head back to try dinner there one of these days, to see if the buffet was representative of their standard meals.
Restaurant Info:
Positano Osteria
8625-A Lindholm Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-896-2979
http://www.positano-osteria.net/
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