The Buffet Returns

 One of the best things pre-pandemic was the all you cna eat buffet. It went dark for the pandemic and now it's coming back with a force. People are enjoying their favorites in large quantities in a fun place.

Kim Severson wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section.Buffets have been taking  hit in th e last years but they're coming back. People want  a good value for their meal and they want flavor and choice. Lily Jan, a food and beverage lecturer at Cornell University  calls it   the Cheesecake Factory effect . She says Americans want the consistency because they are afraid to takes risks with their dollars as it trlates to food.They want to go somewhere with the kids where everyone can have what they want at a good price. They don't have to break the bank to make it an experience. Yet the pandemic helped to  winnow out the weakrer,less popular ones. Fresh Acquisitions which owned Hometown Buffet  and Oldtown Buffet along with another went bankrupt. They cited that some of their restaurants couldn';t meet the seventy-five per cent capacity to keep them going and ruen a profit.It also symbolized an end to those cheap Las Vegas buffets. Only eight remain out of the original sixteen.

Yet diners jkeep coming and enjoying their offerings, expecially in Las Vegas. The buffet was born there as a way to keep gamblers from leaving the casinos. That may be true now as well but many go for the vast array of choices. Sheri Orner  who mananged  buffets for Station Casinos where they had to close for the pandemic now works at the very popular Wicked SPoon at the Cosmpopilitan Casino. It reopned in June 2020, On a busy day they serve 1,800 (!) diners at a pricry $49 dollars a head. The price shoots up to $75 if diners want alcohol. These buffets would be unrecognizable to Frank Sinatra or other headliners of Vegas' Golden Era. There are Korean spiced chicken wings and a deep purple horchata, a milky cinnamon spiked Mexican drink. Diners can try a black garlic ramen made for order. Yes there's those gleaming piles of lobster and crab claws that are always a draw. Other buffets all over the country are following the Vegas ones. Gen Xers' who grew up in the golden age of buffets in the early 2000 's are  embracing them, heading to local Chines e buffets , the Sizzler and even Pizza Hut.For many immigrant kids like professional pianist Choo Choo Hu this was the first taste of America. Kids were told no noodles and no rice. , their parents wanting them to eat the best of what the buffet had to offer. They offer newcomers American food while offering American a chance to  have a culinary travel trip.

Buffets are here to stay. They;re a fun escape, full of interesitng and tasty dishes.People want them .

Dallas The Next Big Foodie Town

 Dallas has always been known for rich oilmena nd luxury stores. Now this always thriving Texas city is beginning to be known for its' food scene. The city is hosting a wide and unique varity of restaurants catering to the next generation.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna wrote about the city 's thriving food scene in today's New York Times. dallas has become a magnet thanks to new development and new money. Not only that the population increased by a whopping 122,000 residients in the Dallas - Fort Worth area.Another plus is that Dallas households spent more on eating out than ones in the bigger cities of New York and San Francisco. even though the area does have it's share of poverty. (around 17.7 of the population lives in poverty) Yet fancy restaurant chains are wanting in The famed Sadelle's has been there for a year , having diners making reservations three months in advance. The owner of the wildly expensive Las Vegas based Neta Cocina y Lounge Ryan Labble prefers Dallas. he feels that people go to restaurants for the experience where in Las Vegas an eatery is just a quick stop to a casino or show.

Dallas wasn;t always on some  restauranteurs radars. Eugene Remm had to be convinced to see what was happening and was surprised to see packed dining room and guests spending money. He now plans to open an upscale seafood restaurant Catch in the city's fast growing Uptown neighborhood. He's surprised that the city is much like his native Manhattan. There are member;s club as well as famed designer stores like Dior and Gucci. even bakery chains are joining the thriving scene. Sprinkles  Cubcake creator Candace Nelson opened  a Dallas branch as early as 2007 and recently opened up a branch of the Los Angeles Pizzana. She observes that  it's exciting for residents to have a place that they've visited come to their city. There are prpblems with the influx of these big corporate owned places. the chain restaurant Carbone's was sued by Julian Barotti the owner of a smaller Dallas restuarant  also named Carbone's. erinn willis owner of the french restrauranr RM 12.20 Bistro had to close. Her custoemrs were stolen by larger , glitzier french restaurants.

Dallas is getting on the culinary map. it may be the destination city to go to for a good meal instead of being known for cattle and oil fields. It will draw money and food lovers.

School Of Chocolate

Ever wonder how those glossy domes of chocolate bonbons are made. It's not an inherent art.It's actually learned and of course taught.Just like there's a School of Rock , there a school of chocolate as well.

Tejal Rao, a regular contributor wrote about this in today's New York Times Food section. She interviewed Melissa Coppel , head and master teacher at Atelier Melissa Coppel in Las Vegas. That may sound odd, One would think of a chocolatier in New York, or Los Angeles, yet Sin City is known for its' very good culinary schools and colleges featuring hospitality courses.The school is located in a nondescript  and unglamorous strip mall in Western Las Vegas where it shares a parking lot with an orthodontics office and a law firm. Yet it attracts students from around the world, from such diverse locations such as New Zealand and Trinidad. It is one of the few pastry schools in the world that teaches the art of  molded chocolate work, a dying art nowadays. As a result it is in competition with such prestigious schools as the Chocolate Academy and the French Pastry School, both in Chicago.

Chef Coppel, herself, is Columbian,born in Cali , and trained at Chicago 's French Pastry School. She is rare for a chocolatier. She then returned home and started to give classes in spring roll wrapping, dinner party planning and knife skills.Her classes were filled with cooks wanting to coking better for their employers and stay at home moms.Chef Koppel quickly realized she like teaching.She eventually finished her education in Argentina and wound up in the kitchen of L'Atelier Joel Robuchon. It was at a time when hotel pastry kitchens were shrinking and she saw an opportunity. She created such successes as chocolate bars filled with yogurt ganache and berry compote.it was served on a base of oat crunch. Another one was layered pineapple caramel with macadamia praline. Unlike other , mostly male, chocolatiers, Chef Coppel shares her methods with her students.They try to imitate her glossy, pristine domes, which will take some time to equal her. She celebrates the end of each class with a shared bottle of champagne. Luckily her chocolates will be available for sale on line in October for those who want those creative, glossy domes.

Chef Koppel is rare because she is a chocolatier willing to share the tricks of the trade. She will be responsible for a new generation of chocolate makers. Her skill is not only candy but also teaching how to make amazing bonbons

Vegas Dining

Most people will visit Las Vegas this summer - not for the gambling but for the .dining. It seems Sin |City is not known just for The Strip but for its' strips of fine beef along with top quality restaurants and chefs. The question is is Las Vegas dining as good as eating in LA, Chicago or even New York?

This was the question in two articles in todays New York Times Dining section. The respective pieces were written by the great Julian Moskin and newcomer Adam Nagourney. Ms. Moskin covers the new food book that features Vegas restaurants. The eateries form casino hot spots to trendy food trucks are rated by the unholy yet trendy trio of Al Mancini, John Curtis and Max Jacobson, They , especially Mancini have tasted and tried most of the hottest and newest foods trending in Sin City these days. The book is entitled "Eating Las Vegas:The 50 Essential restaurant" It's a must have for anyone who will be visiting the city  this summer.

Mr . Nagourney's article concerns itself with one particular neighborhood restaurant,Blue Ribbon Sushi, that branched itself out to the Strip, He laments that it went a little too Vegas. What used to be a great sushi place wirh reasonable prices went monster once it hit Casino Row, He finds that restauranteurs change their menus as soon as  they go Vegas to attract the high rollers. The food has to be cooked flamboyantly and offer a lot . This is done in order to grab in people who would rather spend their money on roulette wheels or cheesy entertainment venues,A restaurant has to outdo itself in order to survive. However , like anything else that hits Sin City it loses its' soul and integrity.

Las Vegas Dining is a big deal. People visiting there this summer should have at least one great restaurant experience. Howe4ver be warned for those vising branches of their favorite eateries , there's going to be a change  .They'll be big and showy  - much like the city itself.