Four Season Buffet

Way back in early January, we made our way to Burlington and paid a visit to Four Season Buffet.  Yes, we drove all the way there to eat.  I'm sure some people would like to point out that Wonderful Buffet in Bellingham is much closer and cheaper.  However, I would like to say that I've been to Wonderful many times and it is merely "okay".  I think the price is what lures people in.  So I was interested in how the slightly more expensive Four Season would compare.

Of course we would attack the Sushi Station first and there was a modest amount of sushi rolls, nigiri and marinated seafood.  This was a slightly bigger selection than Wonderful, but considerably smaller than what you'd find at Harvest Buffet in Tacoma.  Overall, this was acceptable with a balanced amount of rice for the rolls and nigiri.  The ingredient quality was good and things were constructed decently.  I liked how the specialty rolls were not all California roll based.

After grabbing our sushi plates, the next course of action is to do what we usually do - go get some Seafood!  We ended up with some snow crab legs, crayfish, mussels, clams, fried butterflied shrimp, salt & pepper shrimp, calamari and baked seafood in crab shell.  I would say the highlight was the snow crab as it was still springy in texture and briny.  The fried shrimp had a good snap texture while the clams were buttery.  Didn't like the baked crab shell as it was heavy and overcooked.  Off to the side, we also found a selection of soups including egg drop, hot & sour and wonton.  These were typical with the hot & sour being the best of the bunch.  The wontons were not very good.

Our third plate consisted of a random assortment of items that included BBQ Ribs, Walnut Prawns, Baked Mushroom Caps, Sausage, Orange Chicken, Stir-Fried Veggies and Fried Rice.  I wasn't a fan of the ribs as the meat wasn't that tender.  Nice char on them though.  Walnut shrimp was good with a sweet mayo sauce.  Orange chicken was tender but the batter was a bit bready.  Veggies were cooked properly where they weren't soggy.

After all that, we made our way to the Mongolian Grill section of the buffet.  I went ahead and chose my items and then went over and presented it to the grill chef.  I also selected the sauces I wanted (Garlic and Teriyaki in this case) and waited for it to be prepared.  The noodles were nicely caramelized and al dente.  Shrimp had a sweet snap while the veggies were more or less a bit soft.  As for the beef, it was sliced too thick and hence, was on the chewier side.

Onto the Dessert Station, we found various pre-packaged cakes, Jello, mango pudding and fruit.  Nothing particularly amazing here, but it did the job.  I loaded up on the fruit because it was a refreshing way to end the gluttony.  There was also soft-serve ice cream available.  Overall, Four Season Buffet is a great value in my books.  The food is acceptable enough and the selection is pretty good for the price.  About that price (as of January 2025), well, it is quite complex:

Mon - Thurs Lunch $11.99

Friday Lunch $15.99

Saturday Lunch $16.99

Monday - Thursday Dinner $18.99

Friday Dinner $20.99

Saturday Dinner $21.99

Sunday All-Day $22.99 

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent
- Good variety

The Bad:
- Well, it is a buffet, if you don't have reasonable expectations, then some things will be subpar

Burgermaster

While driving the I-5 to Seattle, it is not hard to miss Burgermaster on the right hand side just past Burlington.  Occupying the old Cranberry Tree (that place was deserted so long ago...), Burgermaster offers up the classic drive-in burger experience with fresh grass-fed beef.  Costanza and I put that down on our schedule for lunch on our drive home.  Somewhat similar to Sonic (but not) in Lynden, we drove up to a spot, turn on our lights and a carhop (wow, haven't used that word before!) was there to take our order.

For Costanza, he went for the Mushroom Burger with a side of Onion Rings. I'm not sure if the picture does the burger justice as it was greasy, messy, juicy and stuffed with sauteed mushrooms.  We found the bun soft and somewhat malleable, which helped grip and keep everything inside.  There was a good sear on the meat where it stayed moist and juicy.  Lots of umaminess and Earthiness from the mushrooms.  The breaded onion rings were fantastic being crunchy and not too thick.  There was more breading than onion.

For myself, I only had eyes on the Baconmelt consisting of 2 patties and double cheese.  Again, there was a good sear which increased the pop of meat flavour.  In addition, the ample crispy and lean bacon combined with the melted cheese made the burger a touch salty, but who cares, it was tasty!  For my side, I got an order of the Fries which were crispy and slightly salty. Since they were skinny fries, there was less potato texture left on the inside, but I still enjoyed them.  In fact, I enjoyed my burger very much and it was far superior than the one I had at The Habit the day before.  If you are driving down I-5, go ahead and give Burgermaster a try!

The Good:
- Big messy and juicy burgers
- Soft malleable bun that didn't fall apart
- Solid sides

The Bad:
- Not the best when the weather is wet and cold