The Loose Moose (Buffet)

Alright, all the warnings were there, including web reviews and first-hand accounts by friends, but we decided to do the buffet at The Loose Moose in the Great Wolf Lodge anyways.  It was purely out of convenience as we didn't want to waste time driving somewhere and miss out on valuable water-slide action!  On second thought, a full stomach full of mediocre buffet food and dizzying water slides may not be the best combination...  Well, it was too late to reconsider!

I started things off with the Chicken Orzo Soup and it was lukewarm at best.  It did taste okay with a dominant lemon zing while easy on the sugar.  The orzo was pretty soft while the chunks of chicken were dry and chewy.  My first dish of food consisted of the Roast Pork Loin, BBQ Ribs, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini and Mushrooms.  Encrusted with black pepper and kosher salt, the pork loin was adequately seasoned albeit mostly dry (but to be fair, it usually is).  The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, yet the BBQ sauce was too sweet.  Completely obliterated, the corn was inedible.  On the other hand, the veggies were on point being barely cooked and mildly seasoned.

For my second plate, I decided to get a little bit of everything including Fried Fish, Pork Skewers, Wings, Seafood Pasta, Creamy Tortellini and Curry Shrimp.  Completely oil-drenched, the fish was actually decently moist while at that the same time mushy.  The pork skewers were probably the best thing I had all meal (relatively-speaking) since they were juicy and tender on the inside while sporting a caramelized char on the outside.  The pastas were all forgettable because they were soft and over-sauced.  To be fair, that is usually the case for any pasta sitting in a buffet chaffing tray.  Viv had almost the same items on her plate except for some things from the Asian section including Potstickers.  These were a bit hard where the filling was mushy.

One section in the buffet (other than the pizza and desserts) was dedicated to kid-friendly eats including Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, Mac n' Cheese and Chicken Strips.  Nothing interesting here and really pretty standard fare.  At least they know who their most important clients are.  Yes, the parents shell out the cash, but the kiddies are the ones that need to be impressed.  That they do well at Great Wolf Lodge since my kids were already planning the next trip without even asking if I wanted to return.  So the fact that I disliked the buffet is pretty irrelevant in the end.

The Good:
- Kid-friendly (duh)
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Food was not hot
- Food was not good