PrintChinese Buffet With Peking Duck For Under $10? Be Skeptical
Photographs by Zach Brooks
I know SE:NY's Zach Brooks loves Chinese buffets, so I wondered why he'd never told me about the buffet mentioned in the New York Times this weekend, East Buffet and Restaurant in Flushing, which includes both Peking duck and suckling pig. I had to investigate. Why? Look at these prices:
Weekday lunch: $7.50
Weekday dinner: $14
Weekend lunch: $9
Weekend dinner: $15.50
Well, it turns out that even Chinese buffet lover Mr. Brooks had tried East and found it wanting. "We tried it a couple of months ago and thought it was pretty mediocre." Clinton Street Baking Company chef-owner Neil Kleinberg came to visit SE World HQ and said, "Hey, did you see that cheap all-you-can-eat Peking duck place in the Times? I spent 90 minutes driving out there yesterday, first to Brooklyn to pick up my son, then to Flushing, and man, were we disappointed. The Peking duck was so fatty."
When I mentioned the idea of cheap Peking duck preparations, Serious Eats' Kathy Chan suggested the $1.75 Peking duck window in Flushing. She even sent me a photo.
Now this looks like cheap Peking Duck worth trying.
The moral of this story: Be skeptical of those Times round-ups. They're often culled from old reviews and compiled without revisiting the restaurants; in this case the Times critic last visited East Buffet in 2001. Who knows, maybe the Peking Duck was fatty back then as well? Also, maybe Zach can be trusted when it comes to Chinese buffets. And third, trust the young serious eaters like Kathy Chan. The woman gets around food-wise.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
11 Comments:
When you write "cart," do you mean "cart," or is Kathy Chan referring to the streetside window near the corner of Main and (I think) 40th Rd.?
EatingInTranslation at 11:40AM on 11/18/08
He meant window... I fixed it. Thanks Dave!
Zach Brooks at 11:47AM on 11/18/08
ha. thanks for looking into this. when i saw it in the times, i wondered if i was remembering the wrong place, but the memories were not so fond...
ninalalli at 11:57AM on 11/18/08
Thanks for the tip Ed - East Buffet and Restaurant sounds like some place to avoid! Those $1.75 buns are such a wonderful deal, I've been told that if you ask politely in Chinese, they'll sometimes cut you an extra crispy bit of skin. But whether in English or Chinese, it never hurts to ask! ;)
Kathy YL Chan at 1:02PM on 11/18/08
Where are you getting your prices from?
East's website lists them as:
TIME ADULT/KIDS
M - F 11:30AM - 3:30PM $14.99/$8.99
Sat & Sun 11:30AM - 3:30PM $17.99/$11.99
M - T 5:00PM - 10:30PM $27.99/$14.99
F - Sun 5:00PM - 10:30PM $30.99/$16.99
Kids Prices 4 1/2 Feet & Under Kids Prices / Under 3 Feet Eat Free
http://www.eastbuffet.us/mainSite/content/blogcategory/23/12/
spanky28 at 4:42PM on 11/18/08
I got them from a woman who answered the phone at the restaurant on Sunday. After giving me the prices, I then called her back to confirm the prices. And Zach Brooks tells me that a few months ago they halved their prices and left them there, so who knows?
Ed Levine at 4:46PM on 11/18/08
East is a weird buffet that actually has gotten cheaper over the years...
foodinmouth at 5:03PM on 11/18/08
At those prices, it's a great bargain for a semi-decent buffet. Thanks for the heads up on the price drop. Besides the fatty Peking duck, hopefully the quality hasn't suffered.
spanky28 at 5:12PM on 11/18/08
Yah, seriously this place is not worth going out of your way for, and I live(d) in Queens! It's a shame—it used to be a destination spot.
http://saltysavorysweet.blogspot.com/2008/09/east-buffet-will-knock-you-flat-but-not.html
soopling at 10:26PM on 11/18/08
Is the duck window in the line of windows underneath the LIRR bridge on Main St.?
tynanch8 at 8:58PM on 11/20/08
The Peking duck window is run by Corner 88. It's on the first level of the restaurant. The $1.75 bun is worth every penny!! The window sells some other yummy treats too.
winkyj at 12:07AM on 11/22/08