A friend of mine went to dinner at The Lucky Buffet in Palm Coast
Florida and afterward, told me he was astounded by the selection and
quality of the sushi offered on the "All you can eat" buffet for $12 a
person.

After reading many times about how this was unlikely, I decided to
give it a try. I've been spending $50 a visit for my usual place and
I've had to cut back because of the cost.

Well, I went last night. I arrived at 6:15pm and the place was about
1/3 full of customers. By 6:45pm, almost no seats were available and
the place holds about 200 customers.

The staff were surprisingly helpful and seemed happy. English was
spoken fairly well and always with a light tone and a smile. This is
much different than what I've experienced in the AYCE places before,
having been treated as a cow by unhappy, unsmiling, sometimes rude
employees.

Now for the food.

The sushi consisted of an unheard of 8 different types of Nigiri
sushi, and 10 types of rolls. All were in portions that were balanced
and displayed well.

Two sushi chefs were working almost non-stop and each item was timed
as to provide about 6 pieces of Nigiri and two rolls at a time on the
serving plates.

I had requested seating so that I could watch the entire sushi area
and the chefs. They were both young. About mid twenties. Both showed a
professional bearing and were very conscientious about the cleanliness
of there respective work areas. Their ability was unmatched by
anything I've seen in much more prestigious surroundings. Each roll
and each piece of Nigiri was created using very fresh looking
ingredients and the design of the rolls was varied and interesting.
The Nigiri was prepared with a normal and appropriate sized portion of
sushi rice and the meats were fresh looking and presented in a size
that was fair and well balanced to the amount of rice.

Well, by this point in time, I was favorably impressed.

Now for the taste of the sushi.

I cannot bring myself to place one piece of one type of sushi on my
plate. It's never been done anywhere and I continued the practice of
two each. Therefore, I only had 8 types of the sushi. 16 pieces filled
me to almost being uncomfortable.

The sushi rice had a well balanced taste and the only thing that I
noticed that was mildly displeasing was that it was too tightly
packed. The flavor was not great, but was good. Not quite as sweet as
I'm used to. The meat on each piece was about 3/16th of an inch thick
and was sized to fit the rice perfectly. Each piece was an adult sized
mouth full. Very fair.

The meat was very fresh and tasted wonderful. At my first bite, I was
pleasantly surprised by it's freshness and flavor.

I was very impressed by this time.

I had Ebi, Maguro, Saba, Sake, Unagi and what appeared and tasted to
be snapper. I also had a tempura type roll that contained only
vegetables and cream cheese that was tasty and a tuna, cream cheese
type roll that was also very good.

Each bite I ate was enjoyed with one minor exception. One of the
pieces of Maguro had a stringy texture to it. The flavor was
unaffected.

During my time of eating, my waitress came by, smiled very sweetly and
observed my plate and table without saying a word. Very professional.
There was none of the waiting until your mouth is full and asking
questions. That always disappoints me when it happens.

I only took four pieces at a time and each time I was finished, the
waitress would take my plate, wipe the table and present a fresh
napkin before I returned to the table.

This is an "AYCE" place, you say? Yes, it is, and I could hardly
believe it.

The other offerings included an ice bar with steamed and raw oysters,
iced snow crab legs that were slightly overdone, (I tried one leg),
and steamed clams. The shellfish were all presented on the half shell,
but had not been detached from the muscle holding them to the shell.
None were overdone and they were presented well.

The hot bars were organized in groups of American foods, Americanized
Oriental foods, and traditional Oriental foods including all of the
usual dishes and a few that were different than I've had elsewhere.
This included a dish named "Seafood Mayonnaise" that was a battered,
seasoned whitefish mixed into a very tasty mayo base. I had a small
portion of this to try. They also had several types of soups and dim
sum.

The desert table was a delightful mixture of American and Oriental
sweets that made me wish I had a second stomach, as the one I do have
was already much too full.

I enjoyed the remainder of my mid-range sake which was served by draft
and when presented with my bill after being asked clearly and with a
beautiful smile "Are you finished eating sir?", I proceeded to the
polite and friendly cashier who accepted my Debit card and took
payment of a staggering $17.50.

This place has left an indelible entry in my list of places to go.
It's a bit of a drive for me, but well worth the experience.

All in all, I was very impressed.

Here is a link to others reviews of The Lucky Buffet:

http://www.palmcoast.biz/portal/show...1&EntryID=1966

Sound great! I'm a fan of the Todais and Onamis and the great Harvest
Buffet in NY!

I'm glad you can approve of a all you can eat place.
We had one in OKC,OK. But the sushi snobs would not have approved. But it
was a value for the money, if you don't like of how one sushi is presented
"Don't eat it".
It was called Sushi Plus. Lasted quite a few years, but people grow tired of
places pretty quick.If you have to take a micrometer to a restaurant, you
are in the wrong place.
Malcom
"LivinGoodAndLovinIt" > wrote in message
...
> A friend of mine went to dinner at The Lucky Buffet in Palm Coast
> Florida and afterward, told me he was astounded by the selection and
> quality of the sushi offered on the "All you can eat" buffet for $12 a
> person.
>
> After reading many times about how this was unlikely, I decided to
> give it a try. I've been spending $50 a visit for my usual place and
> I've had to cut back because of the cost.
>
> Well, I went last night. I arrived at 6:15pm and the place was about
> 1/3 full of customers. By 6:45pm, almost no seats were available and
> the place holds about 200 customers.
>
> The staff were surprisingly helpful and seemed happy. English was
> spoken fairly well and always with a light tone and a smile. This is
> much different than what I've experienced in the AYCE places before,
> having been treated as a cow by unhappy, unsmiling, sometimes rude
> employees.
>
> Now for the food.
>
> The sushi consisted of an unheard of 8 different types of Nigiri
> sushi, and 10 types of rolls. All were in portions that were balanced
> and displayed well.
>
> Two sushi chefs were working almost non-stop and each item was timed
> as to provide about 6 pieces of Nigiri and two rolls at a time on the
> serving plates.
>
> I had requested seating so that I could watch the entire sushi area
> and the chefs. They were both young. About mid twenties. Both showed a
> professional bearing and were very conscientious about the cleanliness
> of there respective work areas. Their ability was unmatched by
> anything I've seen in much more prestigious surroundings. Each roll
> and each piece of Nigiri was created using very fresh looking
> ingredients and the design of the rolls was varied and interesting.
> The Nigiri was prepared with a normal and appropriate sized portion of
> sushi rice and the meats were fresh looking and presented in a size
> that was fair and well balanced to the amount of rice.
>
> Well, by this point in time, I was favorably impressed.
>
> Now for the taste of the sushi.
>
> I cannot bring myself to place one piece of one type of sushi on my
> plate. It's never been done anywhere and I continued the practice of
> two each. Therefore, I only had 8 types of the sushi. 16 pieces filled
> me to almost being uncomfortable.
>
> The sushi rice had a well balanced taste and the only thing that I
> noticed that was mildly displeasing was that it was too tightly
> packed. The flavor was not great, but was good. Not quite as sweet as
> I'm used to. The meat on each piece was about 3/16th of an inch thick
> and was sized to fit the rice perfectly. Each piece was an adult sized
> mouth full. Very fair.
>
> The meat was very fresh and tasted wonderful. At my first bite, I was
> pleasantly surprised by it's freshness and flavor.
>
> I was very impressed by this time.
>
> I had Ebi, Maguro, Saba, Sake, Unagi and what appeared and tasted to
> be snapper. I also had a tempura type roll that contained only
> vegetables and cream cheese that was tasty and a tuna, cream cheese
> type roll that was also very good.
>
> Each bite I ate was enjoyed with one minor exception. One of the
> pieces of Maguro had a stringy texture to it. The flavor was
> unaffected.
>
> During my time of eating, my waitress came by, smiled very sweetly and
> observed my plate and table without saying a word. Very professional.
> There was none of the waiting until your mouth is full and asking
> questions. That always disappoints me when it happens.
>
> I only took four pieces at a time and each time I was finished, the
> waitress would take my plate, wipe the table and present a fresh
> napkin before I returned to the table.
>
> This is an "AYCE" place, you say? Yes, it is, and I could hardly
> believe it.
>
> The other offerings included an ice bar with steamed and raw oysters,
> iced snow crab legs that were slightly overdone, (I tried one leg),
> and steamed clams. The shellfish were all presented on the half shell,
> but had not been detached from the muscle holding them to the shell.
> None were overdone and they were presented well.
>
> The hot bars were organized in groups of American foods, Americanized
> Oriental foods, and traditional Oriental foods including all of the
> usual dishes and a few that were different than I've had elsewhere.
> This included a dish named "Seafood Mayonnaise" that was a battered,
> seasoned whitefish mixed into a very tasty mayo base. I had a small
> portion of this to try. They also had several types of soups and dim
> sum.
>
> The desert table was a delightful mixture of American and Oriental
> sweets that made me wish I had a second stomach, as the one I do have
> was already much too full.
>
> I enjoyed the remainder of my mid-range sake which was served by draft
> and when presented with my bill after being asked clearly and with a
> beautiful smile "Are you finished eating sir?", I proceeded to the
> polite and friendly cashier who accepted my Debit card and took
> payment of a staggering $17.50.
>
> This place has left an indelible entry in my list of places to go.
> It's a bit of a drive for me, but well worth the experience.
>
> All in all, I was very impressed.
>
> Here is a link to others reviews of The Lucky Buffet:
>
> http://www.palmcoast.biz/portal/show...1&EntryID=1966

LivinGoodAndLovinIt wrote:
> two each. Therefore, I only had 8 types of the sushi. 16 pieces filled
> me to almost being uncomfortable.
>
It take 30 for me. That's why I really need to eat at AYCE places.

James wrote:
> LivinGoodAndLovinIt wrote:
>
>>two each. Therefore, I only had 8 types of the sushi. 16 pieces filled
>>me to almost being uncomfortable.
>>
>
> It take 30 for me. That's why I really need to eat at AYCE places.

Yeah, 30 is about my limit too.. Problem I have with AYCE places is they
load up with rice compared to fish. We used to go to a place that had
AYCE sushi, and would make it all fresh for $25/person. It was good
sushi too. They closed, I think it was a bad location. Now, that
location would be killer! They were too soon for the area.

--
Dan

.. Problem I have with AYCE places is they
load up with rice compared to fish.

______________


That's why I like Todai/Onami - they don't complain if you eat a lot of
fish and leave over the excess rice.

I've noticed that as more places open up the rice/fish ratio drops.
Some times I even eat the whole thing instead of cutting out some rice.

wrote:
> . Problem I have with AYCE places is they
> load up with rice compared to fish.
>
> ______________
>
>
> That's why I like Todai/Onami - they don't complain if you eat a lot of
> fish and leave over the excess rice.

Really? Wow, I remember they did an AYCE at Mr. Sushi and would explain
that they would charge you extra if you left a load of rice. Then of course
they delivered an extra something huge maki that we didn't order. We did
that once.. didn't like the "you're not our priority" attitude from the waitress.

Minado Japanese Seafood is probably the only AYCE place that works, in this area
at least. They are always very busy, so turnover is good. They have robots to
make nigiri rice balls. My only complaint is that they don't put out everything
they offer each day. They apparently serve uni, but I've never seen it.. probably
on Tuesday or something.

--
Dan

Dan wrote on Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:59:01 -0500:

DL> wrote:
??>> . Problem I have with AYCE places is they
??>> load up with rice compared to fish.
??>>
??>> ______________
??>>
??>> That's why I like Todai/Onami - they don't complain if you
??>> eat a lot of fish and leave over the excess rice.

IMHO, If I were a reaturant owner, I would not want you as a
repeat customer! The only "all you can eat" buffet that I like
at all in the Washington DC area is the Hinode in Rockville. The
quality is reasonable tho' the items are perhaps a little small
but the amount of rice is proportionate. They also have very
respectable soup, salad and all the standard Japanese restaurant
items in a parallel buffet. The Matuba restaurant in Bethesda
has a Kaiten section that I quite like with rather good sushi if
the selection is a bit limited and at least half of the items
are not sushi.

James Silverton.

I've never been to a Todai or Onami that had the slightest complaint
over left over rice. They just come by and haul the dishes away.

wrote:
> IMHO, If I were a reaturant owner, I would not want you as a
> repeat customer!
>
> ______________
>
> Well, if I owned one of those all-you-can-eat joints, what I would do
> - right after I finished banning people like me! - is install nice
> narrow entrance gates!
>
>

Heh.. "You have to be this thin to enter."

--
Dan

"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
> > IMHO, If I were a reaturant owner, I would not want you as a
> > repeat customer!
> >
> > ______________
> >
> > Well, if I owned one of those all-you-can-eat joints, what I would do
> > - right after I finished banning people like me! - is install nice
> > narrow entrance gates!
> >
> >
>
> Heh.. "You have to be this thin to enter."
>
> --
> Dan



Getting in wouldn't be the problem... getting back out might pose one,
though!

; )

I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by padding the
fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you consume it all. Are the
places mentioned above like that?

wrote on 26 Feb 2006 15:20:39 -0800:

w> I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by
w> padding the fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you
w> consume it all. Are the places mentioned above like that?

To whom are you replying? I mentioned two in my area that did
not boost the rice proportion. Mostly however, IMO,
all-you-can-eat "sushi" buffets economize on the quality of the
fish even if the stuff looks quite good.

James Silverton.

But do they make you eat all the rice? I recall that in the otherwise
awesome Harvest Buffet, Long Is., NY they had a little sushi KGB agent
patrolling the isles and rather loudly and aggressively pointing out a
little sign indicating that there would be an extra $15 (I think it
was) charge to transgressors - but that place specialized in
(excellent) Chinese food*, not sushi, though they had a small, but good
selection of the latter.

"...economize on the quality of the
fish even if the stuff looks quite good. "

No question - but in the good places it can be quite good, too. I
wonder how they keep the fish safe when they deal in such large and
relatively inexpensive quantities.


ww


* All you can eat Chilean sea bass, to name just one thing!

wrote:
> I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by padding the
> fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you consume it all. Are the
> places mentioned above like that?

Minado is not.. this was Mr. Sushi that I was talking about. We never went
back after that one time. Poor treatment and long delays for our sushi made
it a bad evening.

--
Dan

James Silverton wrote:

> wrote on 26 Feb 2006 15:20:39 -0800:
>
> w> I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by
> w> padding the fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you
> w> consume it all. Are the places mentioned above like that?
>
> To whom are you replying? I mentioned two in my area that did
> not boost the rice proportion. Mostly however, IMO,
> all-you-can-eat "sushi" buffets economize on the quality of the
> fish even if the stuff looks quite good.



Sure. Anybody who thinks they can get a $60 sushi dinner at a $20 AYCE place
is kidding himself.

Still, some of them can be at least acceptable. There are times when I'd
like to save a few dollars, but feel like having sushi. I'd like to be able
to have the best food available every night (whether sushi or any other
kind), but I can't afford it

It's usually easy to find the best of something, whether it's a restaurant
or anything else. What's a lot harder is finding the best value.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Ken wrote on Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:46:33 -0700:

??>> wrote on 26 Feb 2006 15:20:39 -0800:
??>>
w>>> I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by
w>>> padding the fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you
w>>> consume it all. Are the places mentioned above like that?
??>>
??>> To whom are you replying? I mentioned two in my area that
??>> did not boost the rice proportion. Mostly however,
??>> IMO, all-you-can-eat "sushi" buffets economize on the
??>> quality of the fish even if the stuff looks quite good.

KB> Sure. Anybody who thinks they can get a $60 sushi dinner at
KB> a $20 AYCE place is kidding himself.

KB> Still, some of them can be at least acceptable. There are
KB> times when I'd like to save a few dollars, but feel like
KB> having sushi. I'd like to be able to have the best food
KB> available every night (whether sushi or any other kind),
KB> but I can't afford it

KB> It's usually easy to find the best of something, whether
KB> it's a restaurant or anything else. What's a lot harder is
KB> finding the best value.

Yes, your mentioning a price makes me wonder what are usual
prices since the best place I know, Hinode in Rockville, charges
$10 for their week day lunch time buffet. It is deservedly
popular and has good things, IMHO, like surf clams available. I
would be hard put to get much more than two 2-piece items for
the price at my usual sushi bar even if they would be larger.
There is also quite a lot of rather interesting vegetable Nigiri
on the counter. Incidentally, is Nigiri the right word for
non-fish items?

James Silverton
Potomac Maryland.

James Silverton wrote:
> Incidentally, is Nigiri the right word for non-fish items?

Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on top.
For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you could strap
a veggie on with a strip of nori.

--
Dan

Dan wrote on Tue, 28 Feb 2006 08:25:19 -0500:

DL> James Silverton wrote:
??>> Incidentally, is Nigiri the right word for non-fish items?

DL> Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on
DL> top. For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you
DL> could strap a veggie on with a strip of nori.

Yes, that is exactly what I was talking about. The items I most
like are strapped onto the rice with nori and are cooked thin
asparagus spears and strips of some yellow pickle. They make a
refreshing contrast to the fish items. As I was writing this, I
thought to find my favorite sushi book, "Sushi" by Ryuichi
Yoshii and see what was there. He refers to them just as
"vegetable sushi" and has recipes for tofu, asparagus, snow
peas, avocado, shiitake and eggplant. He invariably calls for a
small garnish like miso or mayonnaise to be placed on top.
Sorry, I should have looked it up before I asked the question.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

James Silverton wrote:

> Dan wrote on Tue, 28 Feb 2006 08:25:19 -0500:
>
> DL> James Silverton wrote:
> ??>> Incidentally, is Nigiri the right word for non-fish items?
>
> DL> Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on
> DL> top. For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you
> DL> could strap a veggie on with a strip of nori.
>
> Yes, that is exactly what I was talking about. The items I most like are
> strapped onto the rice with nori and are cooked thin asparagus spears
> and strips of some yellow pickle. They make a refreshing contrast to the
> fish items. As I was writing this, I thought to find my favorite sushi
> book, "Sushi" by Ryuichi Yoshii and see what was there. He refers to
> them just as "vegetable sushi" and has recipes for tofu, asparagus, snow
> peas, avocado, shiitake and eggplant. He invariably calls for a small
> garnish like miso or mayonnaise to be placed on top. Sorry, I should
> have looked it up before I asked the question.

No problem asking.. I've mostly seen veggie sushi in maki form, like oshinko
maki and asparagus and stuff maki. Occasionally my sushi chef puts baby
sprouts on top of saba nigiri.

--
Dan

Ken Blake wrote:
> James Silverton wrote:
>
>
wrote on 26 Feb 2006 15:20:39 -0800:
>>
>>w> I'd never go to an a-y-c-e sushi joint that cut corners by
>>w> padding the fish with a lot of rice and demanding that you
>>w> consume it all. Are the places mentioned above like that?
>>
>>To whom are you replying? I mentioned two in my area that did
>>not boost the rice proportion. Mostly however, IMO,
>>all-you-can-eat "sushi" buffets economize on the quality of the
>>fish even if the stuff looks quite good.
>
>
>
>
> Sure. Anybody who thinks they can get a $60 sushi dinner at a $20 AYCE place
> is kidding himself.

I don't know.. I did an AYCE once and was able to scarf down 33 pieces.
At an average of $4 per pair, that's $64. They served uni, which brought
up the average. Most AYCE places around here are about $25/person. I can
certainly eat $25 worth of sushi, as long as the rice isn't loaded up.

--
Dan

Dan Logcher wrote:

>> Sure. Anybody who thinks they can get a $60 sushi dinner at a $20
>> AYCE place is kidding himself.
>
> I don't know.. I did an AYCE once and was able to scarf down 33
> pieces. At an average of $4 per pair, that's $64. They served uni,
> which brought up the average. Most AYCE places around here are about
> $25/person. I can certainly eat $25 worth of sushi, as long as the
> rice isn't loaded up.




Sorry, I confused you. I wasn't referring to how much you got, but to the
quality. I meant that, given an equal amount of sushi you eat, you can't
expect to get the same quality for $20 as for $60.


--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Ken Blake wrote:

> Dan Logcher wrote:
>
>
>>>Sure. Anybody who thinks they can get a $60 sushi dinner at a $20
>>>AYCE place is kidding himself.
>>
>>I don't know.. I did an AYCE once and was able to scarf down 33
>>pieces. At an average of $4 per pair, that's $64. They served uni,
>>which brought up the average. Most AYCE places around here are about
>>$25/person. I can certainly eat $25 worth of sushi, as long as the
>>rice isn't loaded up.
>
>
>
>
>
> Sorry, I confused you. I wasn't referring to how much you got, but to the
> quality. I meant that, given an equal amount of sushi you eat, you can't
> expect to get the same quality for $20 as for $60.

Only once have I found equal quality. It was a sushi bar that offered AYCE
two night a week for $25/person. They made it fresh to order. We ate there
about three times, it was a little far away from us. It was excellent quality.
But unfortunately, their location was poor. Had they opened it now, that location
would have been prime, as Boston's South End is now Up and Coming.

--
Dan

In article >,
says...
> Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on top.
> For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you could strap
> a veggie on with a strip of nori.
>
In the UK, I've seen red pepper (capsicum type, not chili) or Omelette
Nigiri.
--
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

"NeedforSwede2" > wrote in message
t...
> In article >,
> says...
> > Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on top.
> > For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you could strap
> > a veggie on with a strip of nori.
> >
> In the UK, I've seen red pepper (capsicum type, not chili) or Omelette
> Nigiri.
> --
> Carl Robson

There is a boom in unusual fusion-type sushi. I got back from Japan last
week where I saw small
square hors d'ouvre type sushi using all sorts of unusual vegetable things
and smoked salmon.
I know there are slme book out that specializes in these kinds of
non-traditional sushi.
My guess is that it is reverse importation of items created outside of
Japan.
The first time I saw a red pepper nigiri was when Morimoto Masaharu made it
on Ryouri no Tetsujin-
aka Iron Chef (the original Japanese version) years go.
In terms of traditional sushi using vegetables, in terms of nigiri I can
think of none.For hosomaki there is
of course Kappa (cucumber) and Kanpyou. And Futomaki as well as Chirashi and
other forms of sushi
use various vegetables.

M

"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
...
> James Silverton wrote:
> > Incidentally, is Nigiri the right word for non-fish items?
>
> Nigiri is the word for a rice ball with a sushi neta on top.
> For the most part its a fish item, but I'm sure you could strap
> a veggie on with a strip of nori.
>
> --
> Dan
>

Essentially yes.
Technically, "Nigiri" short for Nigirizushi, comes from the verb "Nigiru"
meaning to grip, as in a fist.
Obviously refering to the manner in which the shari (rice) is made into
something of a ball.
M

Hello all !

Well, on my way back from the fun in the sun, thong review and music of
Bike Week 2006, Daytona, I stopped at the AYCE Lucky Buffet again to
see if the first time had been a fluke.

It was great again! The rice balls were slightly larger than perfect,
but what the hell, I had 16 pieces of nigizushi, four pieces of maki,
some oysters on the half shell, some chilled snow crab and two tall
containers of saki !!

This feast cost me $21 dollars plus a $4 tip.

What a place!

The staff was again, very helpful, polite and friendly. The place is
spotlessly clean.

Five stars !!!!!!!!

I've had sushi that was better, but not that much better considering
the price difference.