By Mike Dillion

Here is the first installment of my search for a new “favorite” Chinese restaurant. My wife, Shanda, her daughter, Sara and I decided to try one of the newer places, Peking Chinese Super Buffet and Grill, at 6309 MacCorkle Avenue, SE, in Kanawha City . As the three of us were ready for a fairly quick dinner, we opted for a buffet, rather than waiting for menu-ordered entrees.

To be honest, it probably isn’t possible for anyone to eat any type cuisine and not compare it to their established favorite and I’m no exception. Call it your personal “gold standard,” if you will. So I’ll admit to beginning this quest with a jaded palate. I know what I like and where to find it, and I felt like I was betraying an old friend. However, in the name of research…

For starters, the restaurant was a cookie-cutter Chinese buffet in price ($5.99 lunch, $8.59 dinner, both including the Mongolian bar), appearance, and decor. See one, you’ve seen ‘em all. No ambience whatsoever. But it was very clean, the wait staff attentive, and the food on the buffet mostly fresh, plentiful, and varied. All in all, not a bad first impression. But from there, it’s a roller coaster ride.

Shanda and I each love good Vegetable Lo Mein, and this offering looked to be very tasty, with lots of vegetables (too many for Sara’s eclectic taste, though) and a nice, golden-brown color. This is where the up and down parts of the ride start. The first bite Shanda took was of Lo Mein, and she actually made a face and uttered “ugh,” or some similar sound. I tried it and found it not to be bad, but rather tasteless–totally tasteless. She said it was just “bad,” period. Not a good start to the experience, but it gets better–for a while.

The three of us agreed that the Honey Chicken was very good, and the Black Pepper Chicken was excellent; lightly crispy, not swimming in its sauce, and very spicy, without being overly hot. Likewise, the Pepper Steak with Onion was as good as, if not better, than any I’ve tasted, featuring a rich garlic sauce with large, crisp-tender pieces of onion and green bell pepper. The egg rolls were quite good, too, with more meat filling than most I’ve sampled locally, lightly fried and crisp. Not the best I’ve ever eaten, but way above average in my book. I’m not a fan of sweet ‘n sour sauce, and usually go for mustard as a condiment for egg rolls. I was told that the mustard is made in-house and I’ll take their word for it. I’ll say that it is very hot, but has a kerosene aftertaste. This mustard just doesn’t cut it for me!

On the upswing again, I’ll go on record to say that the Peking Beef contains the most tender steak I’ve ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant, and the mushrooms were plentiful and just the right size–healthy sized, but not too large to eat in one bite. On the down side, this dish had almost as little flavor as the Vegetable Lo Mein. To a degree, when it comes to steak, I’ll sacrifice a little tenderness for the sake of flavor, but not the other way around. Another disappointment, I’m sorry to say.

Likewise, the Fried Rice was pretty on the plate, a bright golden-yellow with lots of veggies, but had as much taste as a piece of paper. The General Tso’s Chicken was pretty tasty, but not nearly as crispy as Shanda and I like. The breading was a little on the heavy side and the sauce was heavy and sticky, both of which likely led to the breading being a little soggy. And the Frog Legs–let’s not even go there. Suffice it to say they weren’t gigged locally, and were nothing like home-fried.

As for deserts, the buffet was well-stocked in this area. The apple pie that I had was standard Chinese buffet fare, as were the doughnuts (which resemble, and I suspect are deep-fried canned biscuits coated with sugar), the same as at my own favorite place. The Almond Cookies were excellent. They actually tasted much like peanut M&M’s, covered with a hardened confectioners sugar coating. I liked these very much, and they provided a way to top off a so-so meal on a high note.

To sum up, would I make a second visit to Peking Chinese Super Buffet and Grill? If I were with a group and that’s where the consensus wanted to eat, yes. Would I choose to go there on my own? Not likely. While a few items ranged from very good to excellent, far too much of it was below average to suit me.

IF YOU GO: Peking Chinese Super Buffet and Grill, 6309 MacCorkle Ave. 926-0665

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