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| - My wife and I (and our one-year old son) decided to finally try out The Journey - after driving past it a few times and hearing that the price was fantastic for the expanse of dishes and sushi.
I feel the need to preface the review by echoing what many of the other reviewers have pointed out. This is four stars for a buffet restaurant. - judged against all the other buffets I've eaten at in Madison (a goodly number of them, my belly will attest to).
The Great: The prices are pretty amazing. You get an insane selection of entrees, a hibachi chef to stir fry a custom meal (in the back of the restaurant), freshly made sushi (with the sushi chefs right behind the counter), etc... So, to be fair - this is graded on a bit of a curve.
The Meh: The sushi, as pointed out in other reviews, does tend to be as rice dominant as you would expect at a buffet (and with these prices). A lot of "krab" used in this sushi, but a few rolls with salmon, tuna, etc... as well. I wasn't really blown away by anything on the sushi line, but I happily ate everything on my plate.
The deserts were also standard buffet fare - nothing shocking. I should have gone with ice cream (they have a wide assortment in a freezer, in little individual cups. Pretty cool.)
The ??: The speaker system in the restaurant was tuned to a Christian radio station - which was confusing on a few levels. Namely that it wasn't what I'd consider cool ambiance for restaurant dining. Honestly, it was weird with a beard.
The Not Good: The women's room, I was told by my wife, was "nasty". I didn't visit the men's room, so I'll assume it was as any bathroom can be - a little smelly and maybe a touch dated.
The Conclusion: During our meal, we discussed all the restaurants which had occupied the space before them - Damon's east, The Tilted Kilt, and a few others which were gone before their names could stick. I don't know if I'll go back to The Journey, but for their sake (and the sake of the folks who will really appreciate it), I hope they stick around. They offer an abundance at a remarkable price.
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