FOODIE

Best Buffet Is Back In Business
By Danny & Rosie/ foodie@longislandernews.com

Best Buffet, formerly the East Buffet at 271 New York Avenue, Huntington Station, is back in business after being shuttered in August 2008 by a fire that heavily damaged the interior. The smoke damage and subsequent repairs closed them for many months, but they’re back, much to the delight of the brisk Huntington Station lunch crowd.

With them comes a fine choice for a wide-reaching meal. If you liked it before, you’ll still like it now. It’s a good Chinese buffet to keep in mind.

The interior, complete with rustic-looking tile floors, lavender seating and curtains dressing each window provides a comfortable space to sit a spell and eat. The music, which includes many instrumental renditions of classics like the Beatles’ “Something,” is pleasant, which is more than we can say for most similar attempts at converting pop music to dinner music. There’s plenty that harkens back to the days as East Buffet, including the plates and the window art inside that reads “East Buffet.”
The wait staff is helpful and keeps one’s plates cleared and beverages, whether soda or tea, refilled at a brisk pace. They’re also quick to help you out and pitch chopsticks your way should you have sushi and nothing but either forks or fingers to nosh with.

As far as food, there’s plenty to go around here, complete with stations for fruit, international selections, desserts, sushi and Southeast Asian fare. There’s a sushi station, a hibachi grill, barbecue pit-stop, a chef’s carving board and several soups. To get the bang for your buck ($11.99 lunch Monday – Friday, $16.99 brunch Saturday and Sunday, $21.99 dinner Monday – Thursday, $26.99 dinner Friday – Sunday), come with a rumbling tummy and an open mind.

The barbecue spare ribs, tender and sweet with a hint of honey, are a good bet. Go for the veggie lo mein, too, which comes with carrots, celery, cucumber and zucchini. The Italian-style mussels, sautéed in onion and peppers, are another attractive choice.
The dish they call Buddhist delight, which comes with tofu, mushrooms and carrot, is a creative choice, and the sautéed string beans, complete with a salty, savory kick, are a Chinese staple done well here.

Their grilled hibachi chicken, sautéed is in sauces, is pleasant and tasty, and their fried sesame chicken has a sweet note, making it a fine choice if you’re feeling indulgent. When it comes to the seafood with X.O. sauce, we don’t know exactly what X.O. sauce is – the seafood itself is of the squid/octopus family – but it has a kick with a zesty ginger flavor. It’s surprisingly tender, as well – no rubbery octopi here. Seafood lovers and people who like their food with a zing ought to give it a try.

The sushi station is another good choice for diners – it was for us, to be sure – complete with a wide variety of selections including shrimp, tuna, eel, and, for folks who balk at raw fish, vegetarian California rolls.

To cap off a meal (provided you have any room left), check out their soft-serve ice cream machine, which pumps out the sweet treats for the end of your stay at Best Buffet.

Best Buffet
271 Walt Whitman Road (Rt. 110 North)
Huntington Station
631-385-0800

Atmosphere – Comfortable, clean buffet

Cuisine – Chinese with international influence

Price – Moderate special prices for kids
3 – 4.5 feet tall; kids under 3 ft. free

Hours – Monday – Thursday
Noon – 3 p.m. lunch, 5 – 9 p.m. dinner

Friday
Noon – 3 p.m. lunch, 4:30 – 10 p.m. dinner

Saturday
Noon – 3 p.m.
brunch, 4:30 – 10 p.m. dinner

Sunday
Noon – 3 p.m. Brunch, 4 – 9 p.m. dinner

Main Menu