One buffet at a time - Dallas, Texas

Texas is known for going big or not going at all, and so I wasn't all too surprised when I saw signs for buffets all over the city. I had the gluttonous pleasure of trying out some of these all you can eats, including sushi, Korean BBQ, Mediterranean, texmex. Here are my thoughts on them:

Gui (2719 McKinney Ave, Dallas)

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, Gui offers an all you can eat deal - $20 for regular rolls only or $25 for regular plus specialty rolls. This is by far the best value, especially if you order primarily the specialty rolls, which are normally ~$8 a roll. We (two people) ordered 21 rolls, which would have likely cost us ~$150 had we ordered each a la carte.

The caveat is that you have to pay for anything that you don't eat and you can't be shady and eat everything but the rice.

Terra (5910 N Macarthur Blvd, Irving)

For less than $13, Terra's Mediterranean lunch buffet offers a plethora of meat options, with even more salad and vegetarian choices. Anyone looking for dessert, however, will have to look elsewhere. There are only fresh fruits and rice pudding that fit in the sweets category.

Sura Korean Bistro (2240 Royal Ln, Dallas)

Sura offers about a dozen selection of meats ranging from chicken to brisket, but no fish. There's a small selection of self-served vegetables that include carrots, mushrooms, onions, etc. More salad and kimchi are provided when asked, although sometimes you have to ask multiple times to finally get it. The price tag was ~$24.

Full disclosure, my stomach did get sick immediately after eating this and also the following day. My dining mate didn't, however.

Blue Mesa Grill (7700 W NW Hwy, Dallas)

For $20, the Sunday all you can eat brunch was an okay choice. I have to give Blue Mesa props for the initiative to put some, but not all, of its nutritional info online.

There's a decent selection of food from enchiladas to an omelette station to taco fillings to salads and grilled fish. With the exception of the grilled fish, I found everything else to be a bit at or below average. A lot of the food is soaked in no trans-fat oil, but the oil doesn't seem to add to the dishes' flavor. The dependency should be on the spices for the flavor, not the oil.

I shouldn't forget to mention that the price includes unlimited mimosas, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. The coffee is made with a boatload of cinnamon (which I liked, but be forewarned).