Not Much Of A Difference

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0189 . . . OPEN:


With the holiday craziness finally over, I went by Mid-City Super Buffet for lunch today. I was curious to see what changes, if any, had been made since #1 Asian Buffet had closed several months ago.

In a word -- not much. As I noted when I went in to pick up one of their takeout menus, the decor looked the same. The arrangement of the booths and tables, the location of the sushi bar and buffet tables -- same places. I'm guessing that the new owners/management didn't feel the need to make any sweeping changes to the place that were not necessary.

After being shown to a booth, I shed my jacket, backpack, and helmet, and went to the buffet. My first stop at any Asian buffet is usually the sushi bar. I was a little disappointed by the sushi selection. Now, it may have been because the restaurant had not been open too long when I arrived, or it may be that the selection may be more limited at lunch, but the only choices available were various rolls -- including a very good cream cheese roll. I was hoping for some nigiri sushi, but they didn't have any at the time.

The food was your typical Asian buffet fare, including such exotic Chinese dishes as French fries. (Okay, I'm guessing that most of these places have fries because it will be something that keeps the younger kids happy.) I made several trips to the buffet, eating until I was pleasantly full. I think I found the secret to avoid that feeling of having a lump of spent uranium in your stomach -- take your time to enjoy the food. Don't be in a rush.

And of course, the meal ended with a fortune cookie. My fortune read as follows:

"Your wealth is where your friends are."

Okay, this makes it sound like my friends are picking my pocket.

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0189 . . . CLOSE

Restaurant Regeneration

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0183 . . . OPEN:



This is something that happened back in May, if I'm not too mistaken. At least, I remember it happening around Derby time.

At the time, I was making a trip to Mid-City Mall. More than likely, I was going to the Highlands/Shelby Park branch of the library, which is located there. But as I was coasting up to the mall's entrance, I noticed something unusual at #1 Asian Buffet. It was closed.

No, I don't mean closed in the sense of "not yet open for the day." I mean CLOSED, as in "shut down for good."

I was a little surprised, because when I went to Mid-City Mall a few days earlier, they were open as normal. The closing was abrupt, to say the least. And a few days after that, I was again coasting up to the entrance of Mid-City Mall. I was talking briefly with someone, and for some reason, we were talking about the restaurant's closing. The other guy wasn't sure, but he told me that he thought he had heard something about the health department closing #1 Asian Buffet down after a routine inspection.

Well, that isn't out of the realm of possibility. The local health department does have the power to do that. Given that it doesn't happen often, I'm surprised that I didn't read or hear anything about it in the local news.

The space remained occupied through the summer. Then either in late September or early October, I saw a sign that a new restaurant would be opening soon -- Mid-City Super Buffet.

It finally opened last month, but I haven't had a chance to dine there yet. As best as I can tell, it's an entirely new restaurant -- new management and everything. I have stepped in a couple of times, to pick up their take-out menu, and it doesn't look as though the decor has changed.

I plan to go there for lunch before the end of the month. It will be interesting to see what changes have been made.

JANUSFILES2 . . . ENTRY #0183 . . . CLOSE