Chow Down Atlanta

There are so many inexpensive buffets in town that leave a bad taste in my mouth. Not only are the places filthy and the food usually not at all good, the quality of food is much to be desired. But not here at Sinbad’s Feast.

First, the place is immaculate. And sophisticated. A clear left-over from the previous tenant Sia’s. There are no tell-tale signs that this is a Persian restaurant except for a side room, the Hookah Lounge, complete with… beds! Daybeds outfitted with colorful fabrics and comfy pillows. I wanted to jump in and curl up!

And then there’s the food. Everything is freshly-made in-house. Owner/Chef PJ, a long-time chef and a Tehran native who has been living in Atlanta for 28 years, concocts the most delicious Persian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern food imaginable. My memories of authentic Middle Eastern/Persian food come from an Iranian uncle who lives in Atlanta and cooks simple Persian food, and visits to Doha (Qatar) and Dubai (UAE) where I’ve been four times. In a couple of those visits, I remember a family friend, a Persian chef and a resident, who prepared the best Fesejoon I have ever tasted. Chef PJ’s is just as good, if not better. His version gave me an oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-good-I-need-a-moment-of-silence. The chicken is so moist and so tender and the ground walnut-pomegranate sauce is simply heavenly.

But that’s not all. The chicken in the Jooheh was so moist even after sitting out on the buffet. The lime, herbs, and saffron flavors are evident in every bite. I love the tasty Koobideh, ground meat seasoned with spices and turmeric, goes really well with Adas rice . My uncle makes Koobideh often and serves it with the same lentils-and-raisins-mixed rice. Everything is good but the stews here are really the stars of the show. Fork-tender meats are simmered in herbs and spices resulting in flavorful sauces that are thick and hearty. I would go everyday just for the stews alone. Incidentally, dishes change daily so you won’t feel like eating the same things over and over again at every visit.

A great ending to every Mid-Eastern meal, a cup of cardamom tea infused with rose water is freshly brewed daily. The food, both in quality and taste, really doesn’t justify the price. So for $8.95 for lunch and $12.95 for dinner, what are you waiting for?

Side Note: Shout out to my Persian cousin AT who dabbles as a very famous graffiti artist and equally famous b-boy in Atlanta

Sinbad’s Feast
10305 Medlock Bridge Rd., Suite C-8
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(770) 622-6409

Technorati Tags: Persian, Mediterranean, Mid-eastern, buffet, Johns Creek, hookah bar

I’m not really big on buffets. There are only three places I (and my family) ever go to where buffet is the norm: Fogo, and the brunch at the Ritz and the Renaissance Waverly hotels. But my mom is a big hot pot fan and Grand Buffet has been the place we’ve been going to for many years. It is also one of the oldest places to offer it.

Grand Buffet is a Chinese super buffet. The have tons of food including king crab legs, whole steamed fish, sushi, and fresh oysters aside from the usual Chinese fare. But we only go here for the hot pot alone. Sadly, the atmosphere became unbearable as years went by. Serving utensils are greasy, the floors are wet and slimy, the smell is dank, the carpets are moldy, and the tables are sticky. Just thinking about it grosses me out. So we stopped going all together.

But last Friday, my mom insisted we give it another try. We were doing the no-meat-on-Fridays during Lent and seafood hot pot seemed like a good idea. I wanted to go to Mini Hot Pot but my mom wanted all the fixings that were only available at Grand Buffet. Besides, she contended, we were going to cook our own food anyway so we know it’ll be clean. It’s hard to argue with her so we let her win.

Well, what a surprise — the place was immaculate! The floors were scrubbed clean and spotless, the serving utensils were all clean, and the food were neatly and nicely placed in their steam trays. I was literally astounded. The food has also tripled in quantity: there were lobsters in ginger/scallion sauce, barbecue duck, crawfish, frogs legs, Chinese barbecue, and even dimsum! We didn’t touch any of the buffet items so I can’t comment on the food. But the hot pot items have expanded: fresh shrimp, blue crabs, Manila clams, crawfish, giant clams, mussels, fish, oysters; assorted tofu, dumplings, and fish cakes, plus various green leafy veggies, and several kinds of mushrooms. You can really go overboard with your hot pot fixings here.

A welcome surprise — the place is spotless, the quantity and quality of food have improved, and service is outstanding. I’d put this place back on my rotation for hot pot. Incidentally, the place is under new management. I’ve seen this place get a score as low as 70 on their health inspection. This visit, they’re at 92.

Insider tip:
Located off Shackleford Rd. next to Home Depot and Oriental Pearl.
Buffet: $12.95 (daily)
Hot Pot: $14.95 (available during dinner on Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

The scoop:
Grand Buffet
1825 Liddell Ln
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 279-0606

Technorati Tags: buffet, seafood, hot pot, Duluth, Gwinnett, Chinese super buffet, sushi, dimsum

This place opened in December 2008 and serves lunch buffet daily. There are about 20 meat entrees including the best pork ribs in green sauce dish (fork-tender meat braised in spicy chile sauce). The entrees have substantial pieces of meat and all dishes are freshly cooked and are pretty good tasting.

There’s also a salad bar and a dessert bar. The salad bar is pretty straight forward but the dessert bar has some (expensive) items you don’t usually find in buffets — fresh cherries (currently, these are $3.99 a pound), fresh mangoes, frozen strawberries in cream sauce, fresh tangerines, Mexican flan, and fried cinnamon tortilla chips.

$6.99 buys you all you can eat lunch daily (M-F). A great value in today’s economy. The place is spotless and the staff is very friendly. Located next to Jason’s Deli. Don’t let the dark-filmed windows fool you into thinking the place is closed. It’s open and has the big sign Buffet Mexican on top of the door.

Insider tip:
Closed on weekends.
They have cheese dip!

The scoop:
Buffet Tex-Mex
4073 La Vista Rd.,
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone number unavailable as of this writing.

Technorati Tags: Buffet Tex-Mex, buffett, tex-mex, Mexican cuisine, Tucker, La Vista rd.

Well, what can I say, it’s cheap eats so don’t expect much. That being said, Korean-owned Bob’s offers all you can eat southern food for less than 7 bucks and that already includes a bottomless drink! Think greasy, overcooked, bland food and canned veggies. But if your budget is tight and you’re in a hurry then this is the place for you.

Main entrees include fried chicken, roasted chicken, country steak with gravy, fried gizzards and chicken livers. Veggies include steamed cabbage, green beans, corn, fried okra, yams, carrots, and collard greens. There’s a small salad and dessert bar as well as chicken noodle soup, fried rolls and corn bread. All that for a little over $6 with drinks included. Now that’s cheap eats!

Insider tip:
Specials added daily. Located inside the Kroger plaza on the corner of Pleasant Hill and Peachtree Industrial Blvd

The scoop:
Bob’s Home Cooking
3455 Peachtree Industrial, Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 497-9677

Technorati Tags: Bob’s Home Cooking, buffet, Southern cuisine, country cooking, fried chicken, Duluth, Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Pleasant Hill, restaurants, Atlanta

Chloe’s Notes: The Badayori in Duluth has been replaced by Sydney’s and the original one in Sandy Springs is now Nori Nori.

Back in 2003, Minado opened its first southern location in Sandy Springs and became an instant hit. A year later, the Korean owners wanted to expand but their franchise wouldn’t allow them to do so. Long story short, they had to buy out their franchise and re-name the restaurant to Badayori. Not long after, they opened branches in downtown (Peachtree Center) and in Duluth (Pleasant Hill Rd). The Duluth location closed a few months ago.

My parents have been friends with the owners since their restaurant opened in Atlanta. They even had talks about partnering together but with the Duluth location’s closing, the idea died down. My mom just called me a few hours ago to tell me that our family friend, the owner, died suddenly of a heart attack. He was 56 years old. He was a very personable man. And a great businessman. He leaves a wife (who manages the Sandy Springs location) and a teenaged daughter. We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family.

Technorati Tags: Badayori, Sandy Springs, Downtown Atlanta, Japanese cuisine, sushi buffet