Kobe Buffet
- Thread starter socal78
- Start date
The Motor Court Company
Well-known member
what do you expect? finally something new in that run-down city of Foothill Ranch to be excited about; SoCal goes out her way to promote her beloved city in any way possible.
aquabliss
Well-known member
Went by this place at 12:30p today during my lunch break. Parking lot right in front was nearly empty - about 10% full. A very bad sign during lunch hour. Not sure how long they will last. Part of me feels bad because they spent a loooong time getting this place ready and I'm sure they invested over $100k - but without much traffic, I give it 6-8 months.
socal78
Well-known member
aquabliss said:
Yeah, 6-8 months seems like a fair estimation. The reason I predicted under 2 years is because I think while it will be doomed much sooner than that, I predict the owners will throw more money at the problem, thereby prolonging the inevitable.
Did you stop inside for lunch?
The owners must have read everyone's comments here on TI. They've lowered their prices by $2 across the board and scrapped the children's pricing by height. Now it's 85 cents x child's age for lunch, $1 x age for dinner.
Quality was pretty good for a buffet... Food was all very fresh with lots of seafood choices and nice thick cuts of sashimi, so no need to waste any sushi rice. It's definitely worth a try if you like buffets.
Quality was pretty good for a buffet... Food was all very fresh with lots of seafood choices and nice thick cuts of sashimi, so no need to waste any sushi rice. It's definitely worth a try if you like buffets.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Still a bit high... I think 75 cents per year is more fair but it's better than their old pricing.WTTCHMN said:
ATB charges $10 for children but only up to 8 years old, so $10 for a 10-year old might be ok.
We might try this out but one of my kids doesn't like Asian food.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Nope... they think it's spicy... they'll tolerate PickUp Stix... but only the Honey Chicken.ps9 said:
It's hard because they oppose each other, one likes Asian, the other does not, one hates Italian the other doesn't mind it, etc etc etc.
The Motor Court Company
Well-known member
yup I was going to say the price, while cheap by Irvine's standard, is a little steep for Foothill Ranch residents. If they don't get many out of town patrons, the buffet is doomed.
WTTCHMN said:
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I'm not a fan of the food there... and parking is a pain.ps9 said:
The worst thing is now they are not babies, they are more adamant about their dislikes, they don't like Mexican (sorry qwermigo).
#HaventBeenToJaviersInAWhile
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
I tell them that more likely than not, any food made at any restaurant is Mexican.qwerty said:That's great IHO, making them racists at a young age
#I<3Mexicans
socal78
Well-known member
ps9 said:
Speaking of Benihana. Did you guys hear what happened to Tori Spelling? Horrific. I can no longer see or hear the word "Benihana" without my mind going there. Frightening. Now, I do not know how one would simply "fall" onto the grill at Benihana without first having drank several glasses of sake then danced on the table and tumbled into it. But I digress, that is not her story. But let's just say there is some distance between the seating area and the cooktop.
"Tori Spelling Hospitalized With Burns After Falling Onto Hibachi Grill At Benihana"
ps99472
New member
$20 on weekends, $1.25 per year for kids. It was better than expected but we probably won't be going back. Started with the teppan. Got some steak and shrimp for my daughter, no marination, just salt and some sort of light teriyaki sauce on top. Shrimps ok since it tastes fresh and has a nice snap. The cook manning the station is pretty loud, can use some more guidance instead of just repeating "pick anything you want." They also have lamb chops, some sort of sliced beef, and chicken as other protein choices. Veggies are bean sprouts, green squash, onions and broccoli. Needs more selections, maybe cabbage or spinach?
Got some sashimi next, wife mentioned the yellowtail was decent and I definitely agree. Had almost the entire fish myself. Crab legs were also pretty good, not overly salted like most Vegas buffet's. Shrimp cocktail was also of above average quality for buffet's. Their hot food section is kinda sad looking. Walked past the orange chicken/broccoli beef/Panda Express section. The steamed clams with ginger and peppers and sea cucumber dish were the only memorable dishes. Frog legs was weird. Don't like the curry seasoning on them and the big old frog veins was kinda stomach turning. The steamed dim sum section is also worth skipping. It's tastes like the frozen dimsum you can buy at 99 ranch. Yuck. Turnover was slow for the hot trays and not enough worker disturbance to churn the film that forms on the heavily sauced dishes. Not appetizing. Super disappointed with the squid with a sickening sweet teriyaki sauce. Wow, that really ruined my taste buds. Back to the cold dishes.
We called ahead and was told no lobster today, not sure if it was just today though. The chocolate fountain was the highlight of the trip out to Lake Forest, kid downed 4 marshmellows, 3 strawberries, and 1 tummy ache later. Never seen her skip to her food (chocolate fountain) like that before.
Seems like there are more workers than customers. Hostess sat people randomly over the big restaurant, it was less than half full. Workers were just standing around and chatting/goofing off with each other. They cleared the dishes well but need to be more professional.
Got some sashimi next, wife mentioned the yellowtail was decent and I definitely agree. Had almost the entire fish myself. Crab legs were also pretty good, not overly salted like most Vegas buffet's. Shrimp cocktail was also of above average quality for buffet's. Their hot food section is kinda sad looking. Walked past the orange chicken/broccoli beef/Panda Express section. The steamed clams with ginger and peppers and sea cucumber dish were the only memorable dishes. Frog legs was weird. Don't like the curry seasoning on them and the big old frog veins was kinda stomach turning. The steamed dim sum section is also worth skipping. It's tastes like the frozen dimsum you can buy at 99 ranch. Yuck. Turnover was slow for the hot trays and not enough worker disturbance to churn the film that forms on the heavily sauced dishes. Not appetizing. Super disappointed with the squid with a sickening sweet teriyaki sauce. Wow, that really ruined my taste buds. Back to the cold dishes.
We called ahead and was told no lobster today, not sure if it was just today though. The chocolate fountain was the highlight of the trip out to Lake Forest, kid downed 4 marshmellows, 3 strawberries, and 1 tummy ache later. Never seen her skip to her food (chocolate fountain) like that before.
Seems like there are more workers than customers. Hostess sat people randomly over the big restaurant, it was less than half full. Workers were just standing around and chatting/goofing off with each other. They cleared the dishes well but need to be more professional.