FOOD

Hibachi Buffet takes the familiar Chinese buffet formula and gives it nearly every extra feature the format can support. The sushi is hand-rolled and broader than the token selection found at many Chinese buffets, the hibachi station is a genuine working part of the meal, and the hot lines carry a deep collection of Chinese-American comfort dishes. The appeal is having all of those directions available at once.

The hibachi deserves to be treated as one of the main attractions. Steak, pork, shrimp, chicken and crab can be combined with vegetables, noodles or rice, and the station stays active with a chef continually turning guest combinations into fresh plates. It brings a made-to-order element into an otherwise traditional self-service buffet and gives the meal an easy reset between trips through the hot lines.

Among those hot lines, the fried fish is one of the clearest standouts: tender white-fish fillets arrive piping hot beneath a crisp, well-seasoned batter. Pineapple chicken pairs crunchy battered chicken with fresh pineapple and a light sweet glaze. The restaurant also lists Crispy Chicken, an especially sticky, crunchy preparation with a glossy, almost candy-like coating that lands somewhere between savory sauce and toffee.

Egg foo young is another welcome departure from the usual buffet rotation. The patties are large and generous with egg and onion, with a rich brown gravy ready to spoon over the top. Pepper steak brings tender beef, peppers and onions in a savory sauté, while standards such as General Tso’s chicken and black pepper chicken round out a hot selection that reaches well beyond a few obligatory favorites.

Seafood runs through the buffet more than it does at many neighborhood Chinese buffets. Crab legs are one of the headline items, while sautéed shrimp and mixed seafood make an easy topping for rice or noodles. Large crispy fried shrimp with a delicate breading are frequently replenished, so the seafood presence is not confined to a single premium pan.

The starches are worth building a plate around. Rice mai fun combines thin rice noodles with crisp vegetables and bits of egg, while the lo mein has noodles that hold their bite and absorb plenty of savory sauce. Both make useful foundations for pepper steak, seafood or whatever else looks especially good on the next pass.

There is also room for smaller combinations. Pan-fried dumplings make an easy side plate, and steamed wontons are set out separately from the soup. Hot and sour, egg drop or wonton broth can become the base; steamed meat-filled wontons can be added to any of them, with crisp wonton strips on top for another texture. It is exactly the kind of build-your-own freedom that makes a buffet fun.

Dessert does not end with a token tray of cookies. Cakes and several kinds of cookies lead into self-serve tubs of scoopable ice cream, with enough flavors to make the final plate its own decision. By then the meal has moved through sushi, hibachi, seafood, Chinese comfort dishes, noodles, dumplings and soup, which is the point of Hibachi Buffet: it keeps finding another reason for one more trip.