During our recent visit to Shades of Green we tried the dinner buffet at the Garden Gallery restaurant. We ate there on a Friday night, which is the night they serve their Prime Rib Buffet. The price was: adults $18.95 and kids (4-9) $8.00. On the other nights of the week they offer similar items without the prime rib for $12.95/$5.95.
I know a buffet is a risky venture, both for the restaurant and the guest. The key to pulling it off, besides great recipes, is small batches cooked often so as to keep enough, but not too much, fresh food in the serving pans. Unfortunately Shades of Green hasn’t mastered this.
Many of the buffet items had been sitting out too long making them dry. Much of the food offered was just okay in flavor, nothing special. Many of the items listed on the menu for the Friday buffet were missing and other items were substituted, makes you wonder why.
Several items were quite good. The Kahlua Pork had a nice flavor and would have been really good if it wasn’t so dry. The cold asian salad and potato salad on the salad bar were very good.
There was a nice low table set up for the kids with Mac and Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, and Fries.
We tried all the offered deserts and were unimpressed, many were overly soft from being out too long and not all that flavorful.
Overall not a restaurant I’d recommend for their Dinner Buffet (the breakfast buffet was good though). This is unfortunate as meals in the Garden Gallery are included in many of Shades of Green’s current packages. Definitely not a meal I’d pay $18.95 for again, I might give it another try for the regular price sometime, maybe I hit them on a bad night. I have had a nice ala carte meal there in the past.
If I’m going to eat dinner on Shades of Green’s property I think I’ll opt for Manginos!
The Garden Gallery’s published Prime Rib Buffet menu consists of (comments in parenthesis):
Hand Carved Prime Rib (dry)
French Minestrone (not offered)
Fresh Tomato Bisque (not offered)
Chicken Marsala (not offered)
Beef Stroganoff (not offered)
Egg Noodles (not offered)
Baked Grouper in Provencal Sauce (Good)
Kahlua Pork (good flavor, dry)
Yellow Rice (dry)
Parsley Potatoes (very good)
Peas and Carrots
Sweet Corn
Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage (okay)
Meat Loaf (dry)
Assorted Dinner Rolls (hard)
Full Salad Bar (good)
Items not on the menu (comments in parenthesis):
Pot Roast (okay)
Clam Chowder (good)
Beef w/ Vegetable Soup
Fried Clams (okay)
Fried Shrimp (good)
Various Deserts (left out too long, warm)
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