Location: 2641 Maple Point Dr, Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 446-0888
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, American

Today I drove over by the mall to try out the newest buffet in town. It’s located past the mall, on Maple Point Drive, close to the Kittles Furniture store. I really have no idea what was in that location before Teppanyaki. I’d be interested to know, because I don’t remember a restaurant being in that area.

We got there at 11:30, and it was really busy. And it only got busier as we dined. The word on Teppanyaki must have already gotten out, because it was packed by the time we left. The place is huge inside, with plentiful seating areas and many, many buffet tables. I was really surprised with how expansive it was.

We were greeted immediately by who I would guess to be the owner, but I don’t know for sure. He was really nice and really funny, as he seated us. The restaurant itself was, to my eye, very clean. Sometimes with buffets you get that not-so-fresh feeling, but this was very nicely done and very clean. Even when I glanced back into the kitchen area it seemed very clean.

The buffets were unreal. There’s a bit of an identity crisis here, because they had nearly everything. There was your standard Chinese fare: beef with broccoli, chicken with broccoli, fried rice, general Tsao’s chicken, lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls…. I could go on, but then you’d get bored. There was a lot of Chinese food. Then there were buffets of American food. Mac and cheese, pizza, pasta, and something called a beef pie that was really intriguing but I didn’t have the opportunity to try, mashed potatoes, french fries, even a few Mexican items. Then another area had seafood items like stuffed shrimp, peel and eat shrimp, tilapia.

Add in another buffet for salad bar, one for fruit, and another for desserts, and you have a pretty extensive menu. But wait, there’s more! In the back there was a sushi buffet and a Hibachi buffet.

It was slightly overwhelming with so many options, so I grabbed a plate and loaded it with as many items as I could get. I started with Chinese and tried a variety of the food on the buffet. It was all pretty good. Definitely better than Fortune House, in my opinion.

After I finished the first plate, I decided to try the hibachi buffet. This is where you pile your plate with frozen meats, fresh veggies, and noodles or rice and hand it over and they cook it for you. This is generally hit or miss for me. The thing is that while I’m a decent cook, I have never been able to make up my own recipes. So when it’s time for a hibachi buffet, I throw in stuff I like, but it doesn’t always come out that great. I don’t blame the cook, he’s just grilling the food I handed him. But it was okay, no complaints.

Next I went to the sushi buffet. I’ve said on here before I’m not an experience connoisseur of sushi. I like it okay, I’ll eat it if I’m out, but I really just prefer my meals to be hot. So I ‘m no expert. None of the sushi items had labels, so I also had no idea what I was picking. There were several plates of sushi, but only two tongs so you had to wait in line to have access to any of the sushi. (Not to mention the guy that was piling his plate three levels high with sushi and not giving anyone a chance to get anything.) I finally got some sushi and headed back to my table. And the best I can say is “meh.” I’ve had better sushi. Maybe if I knew what it was I could tell you more, but again, it wasn’t labeled.

Finally, we headed over to the dessert buffets. One thing I really liked was that their ice cream bins, instead of having the large tubs of ice cream and bowls, had individual servings of ice cream in little containers. I like that for a number of reasons, but mostly because it’s really hard for me to get ice cream out of those big tubs because I’m not very tall. The desserts were unlabeled like the sushi, although most of the other items on the buffets were labeled. I grabbed a few things and went back to my table. Overall, I was unimpressed with the desserts. Of the ones I tried, none were really that good.

I should state that I’m just not the kind of person who is going to get the most bang for my buck out of a buffet. I can’t eat 17 plates of food, and I was really struggling to try as much as I did. One plate of food is generally plenty for me. I ate more for you, my dear readers.

Overall, my experience was pretty good. The food was pretty good buffet food, the place was clean, the price was right. Aside from the sushi and dessert, the rest was fine. I’d go again.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Very reasonable – lunch buffet was just over $7.

Location: 731 Main Street Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: 765-838-8346
Cuisine: Vietnamese

So earlier this fall, I was going to see some artwork downtown by some of my friends. It was during a gallery walk event, and we were walking down Main Street when I looked over and saw this place called Pre. And I knew nothing about it. I’d never heard of it, and until that moment, I’d never seen it. It looked a little swanky, so I went home determined to learn more about this place. They have a website and a Facebook page, so I was able to learn more about them there. They are still fairly new, to my knowledge.

Today, I went downtown with a friend. We were going to eat at Peaceful Greens because I was challenged to go Vegan for a week. (I’m happy to report that I’ve made it half the week, just a few more days and I can return to my normal eating agenda. It’s fun to mix it up once in a while. Another friend wants to try sugar-free for a week, but I don’t think I’m on board with that one.) Anyway, we got downtown to find that Peaceful Greens is apparently gone. I was unaware, so we decided to go give this Pre a try.

They are located right at the corner of 8th and Main Street. I was surprised to find them open, only because nobody was in there. And I mean nobody. It was completely empty. We went in and waited for a minute when someone came out and told us to sit anywhere. We did and he brought us some menus and water. The place is really lovely. It’s extremely clean. It’s modern and has a really neat layout. It was really very nice.

The menu isn’t expansive, but has some appetizers like wings, chips and salsa, onion rings, and spring rolls. While it’s advertised as Vietnamese food, I’m guessing the starters menu is more for the after hours munchie crowd. They have a list of specialty dishes including Katsu, Vietnamese shaking beef, Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe, Vietnamese beef stew, and a few cold sandwiches as well.

We started with some chips and salsa. I will admit freely that I am something of a salsa snob. I like salsa. I like it a lot. I like it fresh, and chunky, and I like it to have a healthy amount of cilantro. And this salsa did not disappoint, it was really very tasty. A bit spicy, but not too spicy. In fact, it was just the right amount of spicy. I asked our server if they made it here, and he said he thought so. (He didn’t commit, but I’m hoping it didn’t come from a jar!)

I ordered the crispy tofu and rice noodle dish, and my friend ordered the Vietnamese sizzling crepe. My meal came out in a huge bowl. It was rice noodles with shredded lettuce, crispy fried tofu, cucumber shreds, bean sprouts, cilantro, nuts and some kind of gingery dipping sauce. My friend’s crepe was huge, took up her whole place, and was filled with shrimp and bean sprouts, among other things.

My friend reported her crepe was tasty, but didn’t care for the sauce that came alongside it. I had the same sauce with my meal, and I really liked it so we can chalk that difference up to a matter of taste. The tofu was good and the overall dish was very pretty. My dish would have been really bland if not for the sauce, so I’m glad that was there. I would definitely like to go back and try a few of the other things on the menu.

Our server was extremely friendly. He didn’t hover, but our water glasses never got empty and he was very quick to answer questions and was very polite. Of course, we were the only people in the place, so I’m not sure how it is when it’s busy. Apparently there are parties, music, and djs on the weekends. It looks to be a more trendy nightspot than a lunch spot.

Here, have some pictures of our meals. Because sometimes I like to take pictures of my food. (I do this at home if what I cook is pretty too.)

Kid Friendly: No.

Price: Very reasonable for such a trendy place. I paid $10 for my meal and appetizer. The menu is available on their website here.

Location: 3500 E. Indiana 38 Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: (765) 838-1975
Cuisine: Asian

I had a lot of people recommend Fortune House as a place to try, and everyone on Facebook was very complimentary so I decided to head out there today to check it out. It’s located over where the Old Country Buffet used to be, by Michaels and Staples and Petsmart. I was skeptical at first, because a number of restaurants have tried and failed in this location.

Upon entering, we were directed to our table and had our drink orders taken. The place is pretty nice inside, with large buffets arranged in the buffet area. The restaurant is clean with lots of tables and there were plenty of people there for lunch.

Our drinks arrived and then we were left at our table with no directions or instructions about how everything works, so we eventually just got up and started wandering around. I wasn’t sure when we got there what the cuisine type was – Chinese? Japanese? Mongolian? And apparently, the answer to those are yes.

The first buffet table was sushi, and I was happy to see two sushi chefs behind the counter, making the sushi and dishing it out. There is nothing less appealing to me than a sushi buffet with who knows how old sushi sitting on a cold plate. At least here, you could tell it was being made fresh and put out for you to try.

There were also several buffets of mostly Chinese food. You had your regular fare of lo mein, chicken with broccoli, and sweet and sour chicken as well as some other options that were new, such as Hong Kong Chicken, Mongolian Pork, and a lot of sea food options as well.

Then the last buffet was a raw meat and veggie station where you can get your stir fry cooked to order.

After wandering around, I chose to start with the Chinese fare and got a plate of that. It was just okay. While I was impressed with the selection, the food itself was nothing spectacular, and the lo mein noodles were really not good at all. I was underwhelmed with the Chinese food.

Next I hit the sushi buffet. It is well documented here that I am no connoisseur of sushi. I always try it, and often like it, but it’s never my first choice and my palate is not very discerning. I got a plate of various choices and they were all okay. Again, nothing spectacular, but nothing bad either.

Finally, even though I was getting very full, I needed to try the Mongolian stir fry area. I had to ask another patron for the procedure here, because there were no instructions. Just a bar of raw meat and veggies and a guy with a grill. So the basic premise is that you fill up one plate with your meats and veggies that you want stir fried, then another plate with your rice or noodles. Then you take them over to the grill and set them down and the grill guy cooks it all up for you. Some people stood and watched, others went off to get other food and come back. I watched him cook. It was cool. He asked if I wanted spice, and I said a “little” and wuhoo, was it spicy. It was good though. As far as the food I ate, that was the best part.

They also had salad, fresh fruit, and desserts as well. There was definitely a lot of everything as far as selections go.

It doesn’t stand out as best sushi, or best Chinese, but if you can’t decide what you want, or have a group that wants different options, it will definitely fit the bill.

Friend’s opinions: From @kristenrielly, “fortune house – 1st Chinese buffet but thought it was good, chicken & steak were tasty. Will try the ‘make your own’ next time.”

Kid Friendly: Yes. There were french fries and other kid friendly items on the menu.

Price: Lunch buffet ist $6.25 – full pricing on their Facebook page.

Restaurant Name: Heisei

Location: 1048C Sagamore Pkwy W West Lafayette, IN  (map it)

Phone: (765) 463-1682

Cuisine: Japanese

Either I’m running out of places to review, or else I’m not eating out enough. I think both. Either way, I finally made it over to Heisei the other day to try it out. It’s conveniently located in the Pay Less parking lot on the west side. Just a little place in a strip mall. I’d forgotten that I have actually been there before; it’s just been a long time.

We were pleasantly greeted and asked if we’d rather have a table or sit on the floor. This is not very common for Japanese restaurants in our area, the option of eating on the floor without your shoes on. And, as much as I enjoy not wearing shoes, I just didn’t feel like the floor this time so we took a table. The restaurant was very clean. One of my biggest pet peeves is places where you can see all the crumbs and dirt all over the floor. This place was perfect.

We were immediately brought a two cups of green tea and two glasses of water. I like being brought water without asking, something that doesn’t happen much anymore. The tea was a nice touch too. It wasn’t the best green tea I’ve had, but it was okay and it was nice to have it delivered as part of the experience, and not have to order it.

We were given our menus to peruse and it was pretty extensive. Lots of choices including sushi, noodles, teriyaki, rice dishes, and tempura. Truly something for every Japanese connoisseur. My husband stuck to the sushi menu and ordered a lunch combo, and I ordered something that was slightly more intriguing: katsu don. This item was described as a rice bowl, topped with a breaded pork cutlet, topped with a fried egg and some kind of vegetables. It was interesting. I like all those things, so I was curious.

The sushi was reportedly decent, but not the best in town. As for the katsu don, it was okay. The pork was fine and the rice was fine, but eventually the rice got soggy and I got a little bored with the combo. A little bland.

I think this is a really nice place with a lot of options. Maybe not the best Japanese in town, but a decent option at a fairly decent price.

Kid Friendly: Not really

Restaurant Name: HuHot Mongolian Grill

Location: 100 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette, IN 47905 (map it)

Phone: (765) 447-8903

Hours: Lunch: 11AM-4PM, Dinner: 4PM-close

Cuisine: Mongolian, Asian

Restaurant was okay, but not great.

When we were ready to eat, the waitress started to walk us through the process like we were all 2 years old at which point I attempted to preempt any further explanation and said “so, it’s just like BD’s Mongolian Grill”.  Her response: “No, not at all”, and she proceeded with her painful step by step demonstration.  Make no mistake, it’s just like BD’s.

differences compared to BD’s Mongolian Grill:

• No one-trip pricing.  It appeared you could only get all-you-can-eat:  $8 or $9 for weekday lunch;  $11 or so for weekday dinner, $13 or so for weekend dinner.   According to the menu, they have expanded food selections for dinner and even more for weekends to go along with higher prices for both;  not sure what that entails.
• The bowls at the buffet were larger than BD’s, which was nice. Didn’t feel like I had to cram every last ounce into the bowl.
• The selection of meats/veggies/etc on the main buffet was comparable to BD’s.  Most of the selections appeared fresher than I recall at BD’s.  Probably helped that it was early on day 1 and food had not been sitting out for hours.
• No dry herbs and spices to choose from.  I guess their selection of sauces and oils is supposed to replace this.
• Since there were no dry herbs and spices, the choice of sauce and oil is very important, but this is where I felt they fall short.  They have a nice variety of 20+ sauces/oils, of which they advise to put in 5-7 ladles (compared to 2 at BD’s).  But, I found the sauces to be very weak.  I combined 5 ladles of teriyaki and soy and another ladle of something more spicy (I don’t recall what) for my first trip and the outcome was B-L-A-N-D!  Adding salt afterward barely helped.  My second helping was much better when I did 50% soy/teriyaki and 50% spicy kung pow/hot chili.  I’m not big on hot foods, but even with that mixture it barely qualified as hot or spicy (and it still needed salt).  Others said the same about the sauces being weak.  I’d suggest bringing along a salt shaker to add some before the food is cooked.
• A nice touch after your meal is cooked is a small station with nuts, coconut, chow mein noodles, wasabi, and maybe another item or two to garnish/top off your dish.
• Each person received their own dish of rice or tortillas, which I liked, so you don’t have to watch the community rice bowl quickly empty as it goes around the table leaving the last person with scraps.  Not sure if it was limited today or just at lunch or what, but you could get either rice or tortillas, but not both.  We didn’t ask for seconds on that.
• No salad bar.  It might be one of those “expanded” dinner/weekend selections.  More likely that there is no salad bar and you’d order one off the menu at additional cost.
• They do have a full-service bar.  But, I didn’t see any stools or chairs to sit around to enjoy a drink which would be nice if it were busy and you were waiting for a table.

Overall, the food itself was fresh and looked good, it just needed some extra kick that I didn’t find in my selection of sauces.