The Lady & Sons in Savannah, Georgia

We left our home in beautiful Ontario, Canada on the morning of October 9, 2013 with a final destination of our vacation home in Florida.  Our plans were a sightseeing trip on the way down, staying there three week, flying home for three week, then returning to Florida for five weeks.  Once we crossed the border, we made our way to I-75 to I-33, crossing on an angle to I-77 then to I-26, then to I-95 and finally I-4.  This route was a little longer than the direct route of I-75.  Originally, we planned on staying a an adorable sounding bread & breakfast (Nostalgia Inn) in Pipe Stem, West Virginia.  Those plans were suddenly change an hour away when we called and the hostess told us she was expecting a large group on the weekend so didn't want to clean up again even though she had told us a room was available the day before.  Apparently she hasn't heard of Karma!  So we continued traveling, finally stopping in Orangeburg, South Carolina for the night.  That meant we would be in Savannah, Georgia (our primary sightseeing stop) before lunch rather than the planned dinner.  We had planned on staying in Savannah overnight but we would be at our vacation home before dinner with good traveling so decided to shorten our stop in Savannah.  Aside of seeing historical Savannah, the huge draw for us was eating at The Lady & Sons.

The Lady & Sons, established in 1989, is owned and operated by celebrity chef, Paula Deen and her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen.  The restaurant is located at 102 West Congress Street in historical Savannah, Georgia.  Reservations are required.  They can be made by calling the restaurant or through their website.   If you get there early you can reserve a spot from the hostess located at the side entrance (to the right of the car) before the restaurant opens. 

We arrived a little before 10:30 AM so that handsome gent (aka my husband) carrying our purse went ahead to get our name on the reservation list for the 11 AM opening.  Not pictured is the crowd that gathered outside the side door prior to opening in the hopes of getting reservations.  It was indeed an impressive sight!  While we waited, we passed the time walking about Savannah enjoying the gardens and quaint shops.  

The Lady & Sons restaurant has seating on three floors.  The first floor is L-shaped.  The long arm of the L was the dining room; the short arm housed the buffet stations.  At the end of the buffet stations room was the entrance to the restaurant waiting area.  We were seated on the first floor at the table in the lower right corner with the chair on the angle.  We were close to the window beside the double doors in the picture above so had a wonderful view of passers-by while dining.  The dining area is spacious yet cozy.  The original wood floors added that extra ambiance. 

What impressed us was the lack of pretentiousness, something we did not expect given that Paula Deen is a celebrity chef!  Our entire experience was nothing but top notch.  The waitstaff were some of the best we have ever had, extremely friendly and sociable, attentive to our needs.   This restaurant is certainly brimming with old fashioned southern hospitality!

The menu was enticing but we decided on the all you care to eat southern buffet lunch ($15.99).  The waiter brought us southern cheese biscuits and hoecakes.  A hoecake is a unleavened johnnycake (cornbread cooked pancake style) made of cornmeal.  This bread was originally baked on the blade of a hoe over and open fire, hence its name.  Oh my!  It was had to decide between the two.  They were both as delicious as they looked, cooked to a beautiful golden brown with a tantalizing aroma.  The biscuits were rich, fluffy, tender and flakey.  The hoecake was tender and flavourful.  

The room holding the food bars was surprisingly small with just enough room for a few people at a time.  It was filled with the aroma of delicious food!  The small salad bar was tucked in by the stairs leading to the second floor dining area.  It was small and unpretentious yet well stocked with the basics for a salad.  All of the offerings were very fresh looking.  One of the trays (middle right) held packets of butter for the biscuits or mashed potatoes.  The only ingredient not often seen at this style of salad bar was artichokes.  The dressings were also are kept to a minimum.  Something about the simplicity of the salad bar struck me.  The focus was on simple food, nicely prepared and ready to enjoy, an excellent visualization that food does not have to be fancy to be good.

The entire main course buffet station was only about ten feet long at best, with serving from both sides.  Once again, the simplicity echoed in the unpretentious main course offerings, especially the southern fried chicken done to perfection and piled high in the tray.  There was no doubt that chicken looking this good would be a sure-fire culinary delight!  Less selection means that the focus was on a few dishes cooked perfectly rather than a large selection of mediocre dishes.   To me, that is always key.  The main course buffet station certain did not disappoint!  Each tray was filled with delicious looking dishes cooked home-style.

My husband chose the southern fried chicken, baked chicken, meatloaf with gravy, mac & cheese, creamy mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable casserole.  Both styles of chicken were cooked to perfection!  The meatloaf was a basic ground beef based meatloaf, lightly seasoned, moist and tender topped with a rich, creamy brown gravy full of flavour.  The mixed vegetable casserole was a mixture of peas, carrots, lima beans and corn in a creamy sauce topped with cheese.  The mac & cheese was just like homemade, rich and creamy with lots of cheese then topped with cheese!  My husband enjoyed his meal then went back for seconds. 

I chose the southern fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, black-eyed peas and collard greens.  Now this was some of the best southern fried chicken I've ever tasted!  It was nicely fried to a golden brown, seasoned perfectly, crispy on the outside yet moist and tender meat.  I normally do not eat the coating or skin but tasted a little. Delicious!  The mashed potatoes were a dream, light and fluffy with a rich creaminess undoubtedly from milk and butter.  This is the second time I've had collards and while they were nicely cooked, they really aren't something I will be making at home.  The black-eyed peas were delicious.  The green beans were my only complaint.  They were cooked in bacon grease in traditional southern style.  They looked like green beans, perfectly cooked to al dente but despite their appearance, they were mushy.  I know this is the way southerners cook their green beans as opposed to the northern al dente, still it was a bit of a surprise. 

Dessert (peach cobbler, banana pudding or ooey, gooey butter cake) came with the buffet so we each got one to share.  More specifically, me to have a taste and my husband to enjoy most of it.  This has been a standing tradition with use ever since our newlywed days.  I very seldom eat dessert and we rarely order dessert when out but when we do, he ends up eating both.  I ordered the banana pudding.  This rich, creamy dessert was scrumptious!  The flavour was amazing, not too sweet.  a lovely dollop of whipped cream just accented the flavour.   Paula Deen's Classic Banana Pudding can be duplicated at home as well as and Paula Deen's Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding, a fancier version of the classic recipe.  I plan to make the classic version for our next family gathering.

Paula Deen is well know for her use of butter and the catch phrase butter y'all.  It isn't surprising that she came up with a specialty cake aptly named, the ooey gooey butter cake.  This dessert is incredibly rich and way to sweet for my liking.  My husband who does have a sweet tooth even declared it too sweet.  I'm certain it is a popular choice for many though given the reviews on the restaurant.  I found it interesting that when I searched for a recipe to duplicate at home, I found several versions of her butter cakes, just not this particular one.  At any rate, if you like rich, chocolatey sweetness then you would like this dessert!

Overall, we were impressed with The Lady & Sons!  As mentioned our experience was wonderful, well worth the side trip, and we had a chance to see a bit of historical Savannah.  I kept hoping we'd spot one of the Deens but that didn't happen.  Perhaps we will get to meet one of them during our next visit to Savannah...

Dinner Buffet at Cleveland Heights Golf Course in Lakeland, Florida

During our third stay at our vacation home in late 2010, our neighbours invited us to the Early Bird Entertainment Revue and Buffet hosted by Ruby's at the Avenue in Lakeland, Florida (3405 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida).   This is a weekly event featuring a dinner buffet ($10.95) followed by entertainment by some of the greats - Jim Hendrick (radio station host and MC for the evening), Ken Brady (The Casinos), Jack and Jerry Calhoun.  Eddie Snyder (American composer and song writer)  was at the table behind us!  Nancy Cattarius (Vice President and General Manager of WONN, WPCV, WLKF, and WWRZ) is there fairly often.  Other wonderful entertainers include Dale Glenn (one of our friends), Pablo Reyes, Margaret Burcham, Lorrie Messina and Carlos Roman as well as special appearances by other talented entertainers.

In 2012, the Early Bird Entertainment Revue and Buffet was moved to Cleveland Heights Golf Course located at 2900 Buckingham Ave in Lakeland, Florida.  Cleveland Heights Golf Course is a Division of the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Lakeland.  The Revue is held in the spacious club house which offers more seating and a larger dance floor than Ruby's which is nice as it has been a full house every time we have gone.  Seating is by reservation as far as I know.  We always sit with our friends, Dale and his wife as well as a couple of the entertainers, but have gotten to know a lot of the entertainers and regulars.

Ruby is the cook at The Avenue however the restaurant and kitchen are closed for renovations.  Cleveland Heights Golf Course has a full service restaurant, The Grille open from 6 am to 2 pm daily.  The dinner buffet for the Revue starts at 4 pm so the food is catered in from Ruby.

The buffet is set up is a separate room just off the lounge, behind the stage.  It is all you can with food available until the entertainment ends.  The meal usually consists of soup, salad bar, three choices of meat, three choices of vegetables as well as dessert.  Of course there are all the extras like dinner rolls, condiments and that type of thing.  The menu does vary.  Sometimes the theme is fish, other times chicken as well as pastas.  Usually one of the vegetables is some type of potato dish.

We enjoyed an evening at Early Bird Revue and Buffet the Tuesday before we left (Dec. 20) to come back to the cold weather in Ontario.  The food on the buffet is very much home style cooking and that's what makes it good.  It's not pretentious or fancy, just tasty!  I had roast turkey with cranberry sauce and gravy, ham, yams, collard greens and dressing.  Doesn't it look like a delicious, homemade, home style cooked meal?

Chicken Marsala at Ruby's at the Avenue in Lakeland, Florida

Our final night in Florida was spent at the Early Bird Entertainment Revue and Buffet hosted by Ruby's at the Avenue in Lakeland, Florida.  Ruby's is located at 3405 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida.  Doors open at 5 AM with music starting at 5 PM.  Reservations are a must!  The food is buffet ($10.95 each) although some events are a bit higher priced.  The buffet is very much homestyle cooking with offerings varying depending on the event.  The main attraction here is not the food though.  It is the absolutely incredible music!  I blogged about our first amazing night at Ruby's during our winter vacation in December.  I am still star struck that we have had this wonderful opportunity to meet such great people!

That night the buffet menu consisted of: baked Atlantic whit fish, chicken marsala, corned beef & cabbage, Chef's choice of veggie, mashed potatoes & gravy, fresh salad bar, homemade soup, dinner rolls and dessert.  I had a side salad with herbed red potatoes, green beans and chicken marsala.  Chicken marsala, an Italian dish,  is a very easy dish to make at home.  Chicken cutlets are coated in flour and briefly sautéed.  They are removed from the pan then the dripping are used to make a Marsala wine reduction sauce to the consistence of syrup.  While reducing onions, shallots or mushrooms are added.  When the reduction sauce is finished it is poured over the chicken for serving.

It was a lovely meal followed by wonderful entertainment shared with friends.  I took a lot of pictures!  The following day we were on our way home, sad to be leaving but filled with outstanding memories.  We are already planning out next trip!

Spinach and Cheese Omelet

My husband and I are creatures of habit when traveling.  We love indulging in a hot breakfast usually egg based.

We had a two for coupon for the breakfast buffet at Main Street on Main Street one block east of Fremont Street.  Total cost was $10.20 for two which is not bad for a full breakfast buffet with an egg station.  I do not like the scrambled eggs on a breakfast buffet.  They are generally something like 'egg beaters' and don't taste like real eggs to me.  The only time I will get eggs on a breakfast buffet is when there is an egg station where the chef cooks fresh eggs to your specification.  I ordered an omelet with spinach and cheese.  I also got a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers along with sausage, hame and hash browns.  Coffee and orange juice rounded out my meal.

Watching the chef cook eggs in the egg station was quite fascinating.  We chit chatted as he cooked and that is one of the things I enjoy the most because I learn through the dialogue.  He did not use an egg flipper until plating and then only to help fold the omelet.   This would be  a very easy omelet to duplicate at home using steamed spinach.  While this omelet only had spinach and cheese I think adding mushrooms and onions would be very good as well.  Oh and smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese and capers is just absolutely delightful!  It would be very easy to make at home as well.

Prime Rib at Golden Nugget Buffet

One of our traditions before going to Las Vegas is watching the movie Vegas Vacation with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo.  There is a great clip of Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and Clark at a Las Vegas buffet.  As horrible as they portrait the buffet in reality most buffets in Las Vegas range from good to excellent even offering cooked while you wait items like omelets, eggs or stir fry.  Most also offer roast beef, pork, or turkey sliced the way you like it.  While there are fast food restaurants in Las Vegas, the buffets tend to be a better value for your food dollar.  They are all you can eat and include your drink of choice with some even offering complimentary beer and wine with the meal.  The food choices are considerably healthier for you than fast food.  There are appetizers, salads (make your own, pre-made), several choices for the main course, and a delectable array of deserts!  The only drawback is buffets encourage over eating.

Las Vegas is a city where you can eat like a king for next to nothing and even sometimes for nothing by getting the meals comped.  Casinos will give you free complimentary meals, reduce or eliminate room charges and other free perks based on your play.  In addition to comps there are coupon specials for 2 buffet meals for the price of one and similar restaurant savings.  All drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic are free when playing.  If you don't feel like playing there are bars within the casinos when the price will range from cheap to expensive depending on the casino.

We stayed at the Golden Nugget, one of our favourite casino and resorts.  Their buffet is quite good!  Pictured is the prime rib at the Golden Nugget buffet.  The chef graciously posed for the photo shoot.  He was very friendly as was the majority of the staff throughout the casino and resort.  The dinner buffet costs $18.99 per person which is not a bad price.  However, my husband was able to get a comp so we ate free!  The Golden Nugget buffets offers a seafood and more dinner Friday through Sunday for $21.99 per person as well as breakfast ($10.99) and lunch ($11.99) buffets daily.

Ling's Buffet in Lakeland, Florida

What impresses me most about vacation eating is how very quickly it differs from our eating habits at home.  At home there is a big emphasis on red meat and local caught fresh water fish.  At the same time there is the emphasis on cooking from scratch and not eating out much.  When we are on vacation the emphasis becomes seafood and depending on accommodations eating out is the norm.  With the purchase of our vacation home in the sunny south there will be more of an emphasis of homecooked focusing on seafoods (more on this to come) but for the first couple of days of our vacation we ate out.

Ling's Buffet is located at  4947 U.S. 98, Lakeland, FL 33809-3610  in a small plaza.  There are 3 other locations in the Lakeland area.  Ling's is a sushi bar combined with Chinese buffet.  The atmosphere is extremely friendly.  The buffet was $11.75 each that included all-you-can-eat with refillable drinks.  There are no alcoholic drinks available at Ling's but the food more than makes up for that.  The food offerings were more than substantial.  This restaurant is one we will be visiting again and one I would recommend if you are in the area.

Crab legs are one of my absolute favourite foods!  The only thing better is all you can eat crab legs.  Just look at this beautiful plateful of crab legs.  Ling's buffet had both hot a cold crab legs and let me tell you I did have a crab leg feast.  They also had hot and cold shrimp, shrimp dishes, raw oysters and shushi.

Sushi is a bit misunderstood in that sushi does not mean raw fish as some think it does.  Shushi refers to the presentation and surprizing may not even contain fish.  To the top on the left is the Californian sushi with avocado and to the right is a crab meat coated sushi of the day.  Both were quite good and something that would be easy to duplicate at home.  I've made sushi a few times so will share the how-tos shortly especially the Californian sushi. 

One of the most important things to remember when cooking crab legs, lobster or shrimp at home is to not over cook it.  Overcooking will cause this type of seafood to turn rubbery.  The shell will be a greyish blue when raw.  Place in boiling water until the shell turns an orangish red and no longer.  The colour change is like a built-in doneness indicator.  As soon as the shell turns colour, remove from the pot for serving.  Serve with drawn butter or in the case of shrimp serve with home canned seafood cocktail sauce.

Union Station Buffet, Harrah's Casino, Joliet, Illinois

Casinos are one of the best places to find a good value for food dollars if you know what you are looking for. They are also one of the best places to find some fairly high end, gourmet style dining to well beyond. The nice thing about eating at casinos is you can get from the low end to the high end to everything end eating without ever gambling so it becomes a matter of what you are willing to spend and the dining experience you want. In general most larger casinos have an excellent quality when it comes to buffets making them a frugal choice for eating out.

Union Street Station

During our travels we stopped at Harah's Joliet Hotel & Casino. Harrah's Joliet Hotel & Casino is located at 151 North Joliet Street, Joliet, IL. There is both self and valet parking. The hotel sports lovely, spacious rooms with excellent room service. What will really stand out immediately about this resort is the friendly atmosphere! I would have to rate this resort as one of the friendliest you will ever visit. I will note that this is a smoke-free resort something my husband and I really appreciate.

Union Station Buffet is located on the same level as the gaming floor but outside of the gaming floor. You can visit Union Station without going through the gaming floor as well. Union Station is well laid out with a nice choice of foods including salad bar and deserts. The price was $24.95 each so well within the average for an all you can eat buffet price.

Clams & Crawfish

When it comes to buffets I try to get pictures of foods I have not presented before on this blog. That doesn't always happen but I do try. There was a gorgeous looking clam and crawfish dish on the buffet. The colours were so bright and bckoning that I just had to try it!

The clams and crawfish were cooked to perfection with just a lovely hint of the south for seasonings. I took a huge scoop with a side of marinated mushrooms and rice. I definitely would like to try duplicating the clams and crawfish dish at home. We can get clams in the local grocery stores but I have seldom seen crawfish however if one knows where to look crawfish can be had for free. During one camping trip one of our kids practically filled a cooler with crawfish something the local racoons greatly appreciated which is a great story that perhaps I will share another time. At any rate I'm doing a bit of scouting for a nice supply of local crawfish to recreate this tasty dish.
Cherries Jubilee

Most casino buffets have an amazing array of desserts! I'm not a huge dessert fan myself preferring to end my meal with a little fresh fruit however my husband has not problem pointing out all the good dessert finds. I actually spotted this dessert, cherries jubilee. The tantilizingly sweet tangy aroma mingled with the eyes' delight. I just had to try a small scoop. It did not fail to delight! The cherries jubilee was warm, sweet, tangy and aromatic with a nice bit of light crust that my husband said went nicely with a bit of vanilla ice cream although I had mine without the ice cream. It was still quite good!

The Firefly Buffet - Soaring Eagle Casino

Once we left the kids we headed north to Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Traverse City, Michigan where we stayed overnight then left there for Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. We stayed there overnight then headed out mid-afternoon on our final destination of home. Today's casinos are much more than just gambling establishments. Their banquet facilities for special events are top notch. Their restaurants range from the lower end deli [but don't turn your nose up at that either because their offerings are quite good] to the mid-range buffets to the higher end restaurants. Most offer all three dining styles although the smaller one may not. All of the restaurants are open to the general public so you do have to gamble to enjoy their good food. If you want home cooked style foods the buffets really have it. There are very few foods offered on these buffets that could not be made at home which is one of their appealing features. Many of these casinos offer excellent live entertainment also available to the general public. I'm particularly fond of the spa facilities at Soaring Eagle but I'm not sure

The Firefly Buffet

My gosh, I think we have stopped at the Firefly Buffet at Soaring Eagle ever since the resort was built. The general layout of the buffet is quite lovely. I see they are moving away from the green tones to the blue tones with their recent renovation. The ceiling tiles over most of the buffet are studded with a multitude of LED lights to simulate a star light sky giving a lovely ambiance.

To the left and end is the actual buffet. There is the soup, salad and dessert bank tucked into the 'L' formed. Seating is quite pleasant with nice sized tables and comfortable chairs. The wait-staff is always very friendly and accommodating

I take a lot of pictures in restaurants and eateries. My philosophy is to always ask for permission and to not take pictures that can identify people. I have yet to have anyone decline permission. Most like the little bit of a blurb I do on them as well. If you are taking a picture of only your meal than you don't need to worry about asking. Still it is a nice way to strike up a conversation with the chef, cook or wait-staff.

Sculptures & More

The dessert bar had two gorgeous chocolate sculptures (1, 2) so I of course had to ask if it was ok to photograph them. She told me these sculptures came over from the banquet hall. They had been used for an event there then rather than discarding them were added as displays in the buffet. Just look at the beautiful detail! I'm always impressed when food is used as part of the design. A few times we have visited they had some impressive ice sculptures. All this adds to the overall ambiance and dining experience.

Just take a look at those little cherry tarts (3). Aren't they simply delightful? Doesn't your mouth just start watering in anticipation of that pork tenderloin (4)? Both of these dishes can easily be made at home and they can look just as nice!

Crab Legs

I love crab legs so that is always my first choice when they are on a buffet. Pictured is my crab legs meal. Just look at those gorgeous contrasting colours! I had the steamed broccoli one my favourite vegetables paired with king crab legs with drawn butter and Oysters Rockefeller. Again this is a meal that can easily be duplicated at home. The crab legs are usually bought frozen in our area and simply popped into boiling water or steamed to reheat. Oysters Rockefeller are oysters served on the shell topped with parsley or spinach, cheese, butter sauce and bread crumbs. The oysters are then baked.

Crab legs take a bit more effort to eat but the meat is so sweet and tender it is well worth the effort. A crab cracker that looks similar but smaller to a nut cracker is a very useful tool. Crack the leg then use a seafood fork or picker to remove the succulent meat, dip it in hot drawn butter and enjoy. This is a very hands on in the literal sense of eating food :)

French Market Buffet at The Orlean's Casino

Our final day in Las Vegas was exhausting mainly because we were so tuckered out from a very busy vacation. We took our time checking out of the Four Queens then decided to find a slightly lower keyed casino to spend the afternoon then have dinner. The Orlean's was just perfect for this purpose being sufficiently busy but not over crowded. This casino has a New Orlean's theme heavy on the crocodiles and Mardi Gras, laid back and fun with an 18 screen movie theatre on the second floor and a 70 lane bowling alley for those wanting other entertainment. Like most casinos, The Orlean's buffet is impressive so I thought I would post a few more pictures just so you have a better idea of what Las Vegas buffets look like.

French Market Buffet

Huge green gator statues greet visitors to the casino. Througout the casino more huge character statues form part of the decor. Outside of the French Market Buffet two larger than life chef statures great you just before the wonderful aromas hit your senses. This is in an all-you-can eat restaurant served buffet style. It features Italian, Mongolian, Barbecue, American, Seafood, Mexican and Chinese cooking. The inside of the restaurant is spacious and the staff is very friendly. It's has a nice glittery glam with a lot of shiny surfaces but the mood is comfortable and relaxing.

Food choices are divided into stations. The large salad bar and dessert bar is in the centre of the serving areas with the food stations around the end perimeter of the restaurant.

It was all you could eat sirloin steaks for $14.95 but again we had a two-for-one coupon. The meal came with complimentary non-alcoholic drinks or wine. As with most buffets it included a lovely soup and salad bar, many options for the main course and a good selection of desserts including fruits and ice cream. You can't go wrong with all all you can eat steak buffet providing the steaks are cooked the way you like them.

Steak, Ribs & Seafood

I should mention that proper etiquette when photographing inside any restaurant and even the facade is to get permission. I've never been turned down yet but it is always nice to ask first. I have some wonderful pictures of me with various chefs that make for great scrapbooking layouts. Don't worry about what other diners might think either. Just get some good photos and enjoy your meal!

The salad bar is quite large with a substantial offerings of salad greens, salad vegetables, dressings and toppings. Prepared salads such as macaroni are also available. Soups were at one end of the salad bar. Peel and eat shrimp was chilled on ice ready for plating. They were a nice sized shrimp with shrimp cocktail sauce and lemon wedges available. The crayfish were also abundant, cooked to perfection. House smoked ribs were available from a server in the barbeque station. He cut off the desired number for you. They were as promised finger-licking good!

What was impressive was the sirloin steak because immediately one would suspect that any steak on a buffet wouldn't be all that great. The steak was cooked to varying degrees of doneness then placed in a large warmer. What this did was to allow the steak to rest slightly before being plated and since steak continues to cook for a brief period after removing from the grill, I suspect the chef slightly under cooked each steak.

Casseroles

One of the best features of buffets is you can pick and choose what you want combining cuisines to your heart's content. It's also a good way to do a small sample test without taking a whole serving. I often browse through a buffet with plate in hand for this very purpose taking only a table spoon of a few things I would like to try. Two casseroles that caught my eye on the buffet were turkey enchilada and lasagne. There were other combination dishes but these two had wonderful eye appeal and looked mouthwatering! Lasagne has long been a family favourite here so I make it fairly often using 9 cheeses and homemade spaghetti sauce with meat. The turkey enchilada is something a little different. Buffets are wonderful for this because they will tempt you to try something you might not otherwise try. Chances are with a bit of tweaking you can come very close to the dish when making at home. The important thing is this really gives you a basis to start with.

I simply had to have a little taste to see if this would be a possible family favourite. I think it has the potential even though my husband wouldn't eat it with black olives. That means a bit of tweaking. So I'm going to be searching for a tried and true recipe as well as doing a bit of experimentation for turkey enchilada casserole to fine tune at home. I'll post my version once tweaked.

Desserts

Talk about tempting eye candy! Never mind fighting the urge to resist and you know they do say two desserts are better than one. The French Market Buffet, located so you have to pass it to get to the main course offerings has a large selection of scrumptious desserts including sugar free versions. The various beautifully decorated cheesecakes are sure to tempt but it doesn't stop there. Cream puffs, chocolate eclairs and other pastries line display cases. Slices of luscious fruit, cream and meringue pies enticingly fill a counter. If you are looking for something cold there is soft ice cream with the option of various toppings. Fresh fruit is always an option for those who don't want a heavier dessert.

Plated

I decided on a tossed salad followed by the sirloin steak (medium rare) with crayfish, baked potato, mixed vegetables and glass of house wine. Sour cream was available for the baked potato as was drawn butter for the crayfish. I skipped the heavier desserts opting instead for a nice bowl of watermelon. It was a lovely meal!

I should mention a couple of things about buffets. First there is so much that there is the temptation to over eat. The second problem is sticking to the tried and true bypassing anything you are not familiar with. Buffets are certainly the time to indulge but that doesn't mean you have to over indulge. It is quite possible to enjoy a buffet while staying within any dietary restrictions. Other than that experiment and try new things.