China King Buffet

FOOD

China King’s hot-food selection gives sweet Chinese-American chicken dishes a prominent place, with honey-glazed chicken and sesame chicken among the choices. Honey and sesame are familiar touchstones of this style of cooking, where a glossy coating is as much a part of the dish as the meat. Fried rice and lo mein accompany the entrees, but the selection reaches well beyond chicken, with several less routine preparations worth getting to know.

Salt-and-pepper frog legs are the clearest example. Jalapeños and onions accompany the small, bone-in pieces, bringing the dish into the peppery, aromatic side of Chinese cooking. Frog legs have mild meat; the appeal of this style of preparation lies in the seasoning and vegetables surrounding it. It is a distinctive inclusion for a neighborhood buffet, and a useful choice for someone whose interests run beyond the sweeter chicken dishes.

Spare ribs and skewered meatballs broaden the meat selection beyond the chicken dishes. The ribs are another bone-in preparation, while the meatballs arrive threaded on sticks. Fried shrimp, mini crab cakes and Crab Rangoon give the smaller dishes considerable variety. Rangoon is the familiar crisp, filled-wonton appetizer, served here alongside the seafood rather than as the buffet’s sole fried starter. The particular lineup can change, but the selection has room for both a substantial main dish and several smaller appetizers.

Wonton soup and egg-drop soup offer a gentler beginning. Wonton soup is built around filled dumplings in broth, while egg-drop soup gets its characteristic strands from egg stirred into the hot liquid. The egg sets as it meets the broth, creating the feathery texture associated with the dish. These two longstanding Chinese-American soup styles are both represented at China King.

Steamed cabbage deserves its own mention among the vegetables. Its broad leaves and mild character make it a different proposition from green beans, which are also part of the selection. Mixed vegetables add further variety, and corn balls appear among the hot-food extras. The cabbage and beans give a diner interested in vegetable dishes something more specific to look for than a general mixed assortment.

Fried rice and lo mein supply the rice-and-noodle foundation. Lo mein is a soft wheat-noodle dish, distinct from crisp fried noodles; roast-pork, chicken and beef versions are among the choices associated with China King’s buffet. Those variations make the noodles more than a plain accompaniment. Sushi and hard-boiled eggs also appear in the broader selection, though the restaurant’s main emphasis remains its Chinese-American hot foods.

For dessert, Chinese doughnuts, almond cookies and ice cream keep the finish uncomplicated. The doughnuts belong to the familiar Chinese-buffet tradition of small fried sweets, while almond cookies bring a baked option. Ice cream completes the selection with a cold dessert. It is a modest group of sweets after a notably wide-ranging savory meal.