CHINESE BUFFET SERVES UP VALUE.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic It doesn't seem to matter that the Encino Chinese Buffet offers a full-service menu of Chinese fare in addition to its vaunted vaunt v. vaunt·ed, vaunt·ing, vaunts v.tr. To speak boastfully of; brag about. v.intr. To speak boastfully; brag. See Synonyms at boast1. n. 1. self-service buffet. That's because you'd be hard put to find a patron who has come in to try something other than the $5.95 lunch buffet during the noon hours, or the slightly expanded dinner version for $8.95 in the evening. Owner Vincent Tsou believes that 99 percent of his clientele opts for the buffet. In a building that has had trouble drawing customers under its two previous Chinese incarnations - Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. Paradise and L.A. Seafood - this latest buffet concept appears to keep a steady flow of diners moving leisurely through its rooms. It's obviously the food and the price that attracts, not the looks. For those who've been here before, there's not much of a change physically, The onetime Marix restaurant site has a front area that used to hold a full bar, now transformed into a room of buffet tables. Incidentally, there's no hard liquor hard liquor A popular term for beverages with a high–often > 30% by volume–ie, 60 proof alcohol content–eg, gin, rum, vodka, whiskey; HLs are preferred by alcoholics as a steady state of low-level inebriation is easier to maintain. See Standard drink. anymore, but beer (like Tsing Tao, the Chinese brew) or wine can be ordered from a staffer in the dining room. At such low prices, one doesn't expect much in the way of furnishings and decor, and for a buffet place it may even surprise newcomers. Apart from the well-used carpet and occasionally littered space outside the front door, the Encino Chinese Buffet presents itself in much the same manner as its predecessors. You could even term it a spacious dining room, providing booth and table comfort. As for its food, particularly when compared to other Chinese buffet houses, this place presents generally superior options. Its 35 varieties often feature salt and pepper
adj. 1. Having great weight. 2. Unwieldy from weight or bulk. 3. Lacking grace or fluency; labored and dull: a ponderous speech. See Synonyms at heavy. at times but are replenished consistently, and ``crab meat'' rangoon puffs that are full of cream cheese and have good crispy dough crunch. Thursday through Sunday evenings, you can find such buffet treats as a stack of snow crab legs in one tray, while nearby, mussels on the half-shell sit warm and ready, topped with a sweet and sour sweet and sour adj → agridulce sauce. A handful of beef opportunities are more tender and flavorful than one would expect, including nicely executed dishes like Mongolian beef Mongolian beef is a dish served in Chinese-American restaurants consisting of sliced beef, typically flank steak, and stir-fried with vegetables in a sweet and savory brown sauce, usually made with hoisin sauce. . It points out the bargain nature of the buffet. Consider the fact that this beef dish is ticketed at $7.95 by itself as an a la carte dinner item on the full-service menu. So for only an additional $1, you really have an amazing array from which to choose. And it's an all-you-can-eat deal. I thought the beef with broccoli was excellent here one day and especially liked the mushroom chicken recipe where the velvety vel·vet·y adj. vel·vet·i·er, vel·vet·i·est 1. Suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth: velvety skin. 2. , egg white-dipped chicken is wondrously moist and soft. There are kung pao chicken Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official. and moo shu vegetable items, chow mein-style noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. and the thin rice noodles of the vermicelli vermicelli: see pasta. type, the latter being much preferred. Barbecued pork, foil-wrapped chicken and two soups (both egg drop and hot and sour) are available for buffet-goers, the latter to ladle to their heart's content out of steel pots. Who would expect a salad table with a choice of dressings as part of a Chinese buffet? And Jell-O for dessert? What's this? Another surprise: carefully cut sushi rolls with appropriate containers of wasabi paste and pickled ginger. One evening I find regular shrimp sushi flaunted on the sushi table. You may take as much steamed rice as you need. Or fried rice, if that's your choice. If you're a shrimp fancier, you'll discover shrimp and vegetables at dinner time and possibly spareribs spare·ribs pl.n. Pork ribs with most of the meat trimmed off. [Alteration of obsolete ribspare, from Low German ribbesper, pickled pork ribs roasted on a spit , pork ribs or twice-cooked pork. From Monday through Thursday nights, stir-fried calamari makes an appearance. And there appears to be no end of chicken choices: crunchy orange chicken, teriyaki ter·i·ya·ki n. A Japanese dish of grilled or broiled slices of marinated meat or shellfish. [Japanese : teri, glaze + yaki, to broil.] Noun 1. chicken, sweet and sour chicken. And I could eat multiple servings of those crispy green beans. Having a birthday? Encino Chinese Buffet is giving free birthday buffet dinners to customers (with birth-date identification) who show up with at least three paying buffet dinner companions. Just remember, this is one Chinese restaurant where you can't and don't take leftovers home. But with your check comes a fortune cookie for each diner. You wouldn't believe what mine said. ``You are a connoisseur of food and drink.'' Honest. THE FACTS The restaurant: Encino Chinese Buffet. Where: 16240 Ventura Blvd., Encino. When: The lunch buffet is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, the dinner buffet from 5:30 to 9 p.m. nightly, to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Stick to the buffet. It's one of the best bargains on Ventura Boulevard. How much: Lunch buffet is $5.95, dinner buffet $8.95. Beer and wine. All major credit cards. Wine list: Limited list. Also beers and sake. Reservations: Taken for parties of 20. Call (818) 385-0685. Our rating: Three stars for food; Four stars for value. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Owner Vincent Tsou keeps the food coming at his Encino Chinese Buffet, where lunch costs $5.95, dinner $8.95 for all you can eat. Lilly Barrett/Special to the Daily News |
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