China Buffet

FOOD

Lo mein, pepper beef and mushrooms provide a good introduction to China Buffet’s hot selection. Lo mein generally refers to noodles tossed with their accompanying ingredients, rather than noodles served in a bowl of broth. Here, the noodles have appeared alongside beef and mushrooms, a combination that gives the meal a clear Chinese-American character. The buffet selection can change; these are representative offerings, not a fixed daily menu.

Pepper Beef is the choice with a chile element in its name. That gives it a different emphasis from the restaurant’s other meat dishes. Mushrooms add another component to the combination. In Chinese cooking, mushrooms often supply savory depth to noodles and meat dishes; that savory quality is a natural part of their appeal alongside beef and noodles.

Plain rice and fried rice accompany the hot dishes, with green beans, broccoli and mixed vegetables also among the choices. The vegetables are a meaningful part of the buffet’s Chinese selection, alongside the beef and chicken dishes. Soup is served from pans near the rice and noodles, making a bowl of soup another part of the meal rather than something restricted to the separate ordering menu.

Egg rolls add a familiar small starter. The Chinese-American style of egg roll is usually a filled, fried wrapper, distinct from the softer noodles and sauced dishes elsewhere on the counter. Fried chicken and pizza have also appeared as supplementary options. Those familiar extras broaden the offering, but the noodles, meat dishes and vegetables still give the buffet its main character.

Many Chinese-American comfort foods rotate through the buffet menu. Chicken favorites are familiar names such as General Tso’s, Chicken with Broccoli and Black Pepper Chicken. Crab Rangoon, hot-and-sour soup, and honey chicken are also among those choices. Hot-and-sour soup is a style defined by the balance of peppery heat and sourness, often with vinegar supplying the sour element. Crab Rangoon is the familiar filled-wonton appetizer, usually associated with a creamy filling enclosed in a fried wrapper. General Tso’s chicken is usually known as a sweet, savory and often spicy Chinese-American preparation. Sesame chicken brings sesame into the dish’s identity, while honey chicken puts sweetness up front.

Sliced pineapple provides a simple fruit finish. Pineapple’s characteristic sweetness and acidity make it a natural change after savory food. Having fruit for dessert also very strongly signals good intentions for healthy eating – regardless of the meal that preceded. You know how this works!