I read a management philosophy book once, so I’m going to write this review in the form of a Compliment Sandwich. That’s where you say something positive, and then you introduce a criticism, and then you finish up with another positive observation. Here goes:

New China King Buffet is conveniently located on 380 / University, near Carroll!

The food was cold.
Our waitress was rude.
The sushi guy told me something was a salmon roll and it was spicy tuna.
For two buffets, a water, and an iced tea the bill was 22 dollars.
Whatever wasn’t bland tasted weird.
Ever since I got home I’ve had awful shits.
Seriously.
We ate there at about 8, and it is 2:30 in the morning.
I’m sitting here sweating and shivering like a hound dog trying to shit a peach pit.

They have a deep freezer with real ice cream:
I had cookies and cream, which was pretty good!

Score: New China King Buffet gets a 1 out of 5.

Mr. Chopsticks is not crazy gourmet. I think of it as the Asian equivalent of a really good neighborhood deli or pizza joint. I love eating here because I’ve been eating here for years, I am familiar with the staff, and I see my friends there all the time.

Not all of the food is incredible, but it is all at least pretty good. Some of the selections – like the pho, for instance, or the pad thai – are as good as you would find at a more specialized restaurant of comparable quality. The service at Chopsticks is usually quite good.

I think people that complain about the sushi here have unrealistic expectations, or maybe have developed a more refined sushi palette than Chopsticks or any local non-specialty, non-gourmet place can deliver. This is like a Level 2 Sommelier complaining about the house wine at Olive Garden. Stop being a jerkhammer.

The recent expansions have done a lot of class the place up.

People give Chopsticks bad reviews because they think it is something other than what it really is. Chopsticks is a pretty good, totally local restaurant that is fun to go to with a bunch of friends. If you think it is something other than that or expect something more, you’ll be disappointed. But then again, you probably feel that way all the time, so what’s new?

Score

Mr Chopsticks gets a 4 out of 5.

Buffet King is always packed and Diana and I wanted to know why. You find out one reason when you walk in the front door: the prices are reasonable. Lunch buffet on the weekend was $7 and change, and the total bill for two buffets and two drinks was right at $20.

This is a nice change from some other places in Denton that try to class it up, like Red Peppers, where you can spend $30 between two people. After that you think, “HEY DAMMIT I COULD HAVE GONE TO CHILI’S FOR THAT” and the crab legs aren’t even worth it. Am I right?

So anyways, the food at Buffet King is hot and fresh, which is a big deal for Chinese buffet food. This is likely a byproduct of how busy the joint is, but the service – which here consists of drink refills and table busing – are also very efficient, so speed is obviously a focus.

Included in your meal is a sushi bar with all the beginner stuff like tuna rolls, California rolls, and Philadelphia rolls. The Mongolian grill is basically what you would find any place that advertises it and is almost as good as the one in Vista Ridge Mall; if you know your mall Mongolian grills, you know that Mongol Bowl at Vista Ridge Mall is the Cadillac of mall Mongolian grills.

The buffet offerings are pretty standard, with some exceptions. Sure, you can rock a sugar biscuit or some teriyaki chicken so hard, but they also have a gang of weird shit, like baby octopi. If you’re into that, congratulations.

The desserts are good too, although they are unlabeled. I had some appie pie that was pretty solid, along with fresh fruit. Diana had some soft serve which was rad, but then she also had something that looked like a danish which seemed to have shrimp and mayonnaise in it.

I think Buffet King is probably the best buffet in town. If you like beginner sushi and basic Chinese fare, the bargain here is obvious.

Score

Buffet King is pretty good, and it is the best Chinese buffet in town thus far. For this, Buffet King gets 4 out of 5.