King Buffet

FOOD

King Buffet on Ohio Pike brings together Chinese-American hot dishes, shellfish and a varied sushi selection. Sauced chicken entrees and barbecue ribs share the meal with steamed clams, crawfish and several styles of sushi roll. Lo mein, fried rice and filled fried appetizers keep the familiar Chinese-American part of the spread well represented. The selection changes, so these dishes describe its range rather than a fixed daily menu.

General Tso’s chicken is one of the hot entrees. In the Chinese-American tradition, this is a fried-chicken preparation usually finished with a sweet-savory sauce and some chili heat. Sweet-and-sour chicken follows the familiar sweet-tart style, while chicken with broccoli puts a chicken-and-vegetable entree into the selection.

Teriyaki chicken brings a Japanese-style preparation into that company. Teriyaki refers to cooking with a glaze, with a sweet-savory character central to the style. Chicken on sticks also belongs to the buffet’s repertoire. Barbecue ribs give the meat selection another main dish alongside the different chicken preparations.

The seafood range includes Seafood Delight and coconut shrimp, as well as steamed clams, crawfish and a seafood boil. Crawfish are small freshwater crustaceans resembling miniature lobsters, with most of their meat in the tail. The seafood boil adds a preparation associated with cooking seafood in seasoned liquid.

Sushi has several distinct styles here. California rolls follow the familiar Japanese-American roll tradition. A classic California roll combines a crab-style filling with avocado and cucumber, commonly using crab or surimi, the seasoned fish preparation used as imitation crab. Salmon-avocado rolls offer another named combination, bringing the fish together with avocado’s mild, creamy character.

Fried rolls add a cooked preparation to the sushi selection. Some of the sushi also features a substantial cream-cheese filling. Seaweed salad is an accompaniment of its own alongside the rolls.

Egg rolls and crab Rangoon supply the fried appetizers. Rangoon is a Chinese-American filled-wonton preparation, with a creamy center inside a crisp wrapper. Its name borrows the former name of Yangon in Myanmar, although the appetizer belongs to the American Chinese restaurant tradition. Egg rolls are the larger filled rolls with a fried wrapper, another familiar starter in the savory assortment.

Pizza and hot dogs are American extras in the assortment. Lo mein and fried rice round out the Chinese dishes. Lo mein is the soft, tossed-noodle preparation familiar from Chinese-American menus, distinct from the crisp noodles sometimes served as chow mein. Rice and noodles accompany a substantial assortment of chicken, ribs, seafood and sushi.

American dishes.