Tray's Garden Buffet in Monticello
First pass of the doors and the place just asks for some kind of menu for noise. There is none. But there are smokers fouling up the joint none the less. At least they occupy one half of the restaurant, but still. The quiet. Unnerving.
Actual menu for normal dinner plates up behind the register, the bee lines toward the buffet. That's the name of the place, that's the plate to serve up.
From that though, the staleness, the hard crunch of the food is enough yellow to slow down eating. Spread of feed from the trough is slim, only two small bays and the sneeze guards to protect them.
Looks like Chinese food, but is it?
Two small things stand out big in how close the Chinese food hews to the Chinese. Nuggets and sweet and sour pork. And that there is where the Americana takes hold and proclaims a stamp and shoves the flag up the taste buds. Mark it down, this is not Chinatown. Long, long way from here.
Nuggets just do not belong in a Chinese restaurant. Even if part of the establishment has the word "buffet" blazing in the neon lights. Won't do, shouldn't do.
Despite the Hokkien, not even that Chinese
Though at least the plates bear a familiar pattern.
Green and yellow and pink plate is seen
Pastry dishes really are something else if they're good and hard enough to cause a laceration. Or attempt to pierce the skin with their folds. Memories of munching away on lettuce heads rear the soft recall to a pleasant palette. Mowing down little trees of broccoli losing a bit of flavour.
Will need to see the menu behind the desk next time. Just to see what borders cross the Chinese dining.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
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Previous entries on Stomaching
- Max & Erma's in Lexington
- KFC on Highway 27, Somerset
- Gatti's Pizza on Highway 27, Somerset
- Reno's Roadhouse of Burnside
- Free burger and fries at Rally's
- Golden Corral in Somerset
