| rev:text
| - Post-Thanksgiving meal planning is a tough task. You've got a house full of guests, each with his/her own culinary quirks (the snooty foodie, the ethnic restaurant authenticity police, the cheapskate, the unadventurous picky-eater who finds chop suey too exotic, the militant vegan, and the long-suffering mother); the only thing everyone can agree on is: No more leftover turkey! This would be a good time to pack everyone into the car and head out to Hokkaido Seafood Buffet.
To Asian food aficionados, Hokkaido Seafood Buffet may look kinda sketchy -- being sandwiched between a Dunkin Donuts and an IHOP in a divvy strip-mall, its location does not exactly screams "oishii!" Its very buffet-ness also induces skepticism -- good food and buffet are so very often mutually exclusive. All the same, curiosity got the better of us, and so we find ourselves in Hokkaido Seafood Buffet this Saturday post Thanksgiving.
The name of the restaurant is somewhat misleading. There's nothing particularly Japanese about this place. It is really set up to cater to Americans and Chinese. The food offerings run the gamut from pizza to pig's ears and chicken feet. They do have vegetarian fares, and you will also find dimsum-y snacks, Korean pancakes, chow mein, fruit, ice cream, and, of course, sushi.
The qualities of these dishes vary. The dimsum-y dumplings are probably your best bet (though the wrappers are too thick). The noodle and mongolian bbq station is also a nice touch. The sushi offerings are ok (for buffets) if quantity is more important to you than quality.
Summary: Food-wise, HSB probably only warrants a 3 stars, but I'm giving it an extra 0.5 star for its wide cuisine coverage and another 0.5 star for providing a compromise to a group of diverse eaters.
|