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Mid Rivers Newsmagazine is St. Charles County's
exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
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Restaurant Spotlight Archive |
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China Buffet And Grill Offers More Than 150 SelectionsBy Mary Ann O'Toole Holley
China Buffet and Grill could never be confused with standard cuisine. “Good food, great variety, cleanliness and customer comfort,” says owner Steven Song, a culinary master when it comes to Chinese, Japanese and American cooking. Song rushes from the grill to the kitchen and around the five steaming gleaming buffet tables making sure everything is perfect. When stir fry is asked for, it’s grilled to perfection and always made to order. Whether it’s going heavy on the soy sauce or light on the legumes, Song finds the right mix and makes it before your eyes. After 10 years in the United States, Song has found his niche, creating something for everyone, and everything area diners want. Barbara Ciuffitelli of O’Fallon is a gourmet cook, but when she takes time out of her own kitchen, she says China Buffet and Grill is her favorite. “The walnut shrimp is to die for. The shrimp is quick fried with a white sauce that is so good, it’s addicting. It’s the kind of dish you tell yourself you have to have,” Ciuffitelli said. “As a gourmet cook, sometimes you expect too much when you dine out, but China Buffet! Ooooh. It’s a favorite.” Sushi is made on the premises, and Song spends hours creating fabulous chicken, beef and pork selections. There’s honey chicken, and crispy chicken, but the secret orange-coconut-based sauce on the champagne chicken seems to call your name. Crab Rangoon is always crisp and fresh, and the butter potatoes are almost more than you can ask for. Start with an egg roll or boneless spare ribs, add a bowl of egg drop soup and finish it off with sweet and sour shrimp or beef with mixed vegetables and steamed rice. There’s lo mein and chow mein, egg foo young and hot and spicy dishes. Song says all spices can be altered according to your taste. Whether you’re a Chinese food fan or enjoy only bits and pieces, China Buffet and Grill has 150 options. Baked hotdogs wrapped in a flaky pastry are scrumptious, and the variety of meatballs and stuffed mushrooms are pleasant surprises. There’s even a full salad bar, fruit bar (with peaches, pears and even apricots), but if a fuller meal is on your mind, try the baked salmon. There is a full line of desserts, like the sugary little pastry shells spritzed with chocolate, and you won’t find mystery ice cream streaming from a tap. Blue Bunny hand-packed ice cream vats fill one wall providing every flavor imaginable to top off your meal. Every day can be a new experience at China Buffet and Grill. Go for the all-day combination platter specials served with roast pork, fried rice and egg roll or crab Rangoon, but that’s in addition to your shrimp or beef with garlic sauce, sesame chicken or Moo Goo Gai Pan. “I enjoy it here,” Song said. “We get really busy during the lunch and dinner hour, but make everyone comfortable. It’s a lot of work, but I have a lot of help. It’s a family business, and we want customers to be happy.” China Buffet and won’t just be your favorite, it’s currently a candidate for one of the top 100 Chinese Restaurants, a competition sponsored by the Chinese Restaurant News.
China Buffet and Grill Chinese, American and Japanese Cuisine 373 Winding Woods Dr. (Located along Hwy. K in the Winding Woods Center) O’Fallon
Carry outs by the pint or quart Call 636-272-7888 or fax your order to 636-272-7889
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The apple pie is soft and gooey, the General Tso chicken melts in your mouth and the Mongolian Barbecue begs for second helpings.
