Eagles Buffet (Tulalip Casino)

Believe it or not, I really don't mind shopping. In fact, I am a bit of a deal-hunter. I used to prowl Redflagdeals, Slickdeals and Techbargains quite often until this food blog has taken over my life. Therefore, I am no stranger to shopping at outlets. I regularly visit the Woodburn Outlets just south of Portland and the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip. Having visited Woodburn only 3 weeks ago, it didn't stop us from heading down to Tulalip on the Labour Day weekend. With our Nexus passes, we merrily bypassed the 2-hour lineup at the border and headed south on I-5. Our plan of attack was to snag a choice parking spot at the outlet and wander over to the Tulalip Casino. 

No, we weren't going gambling. Besides, I'm a terrible gambler. My poker face is as subtle as my reaction to good food. We headed over to the land of one-arm bandits and smoke to grab an early lunch (I guess brunch). You might be wondering why we didn't shop a bit first and eat at the food fair. Well, it's already $7.99 for a plate of food at Flaming Wok, the buffet is only $10.99. So if I was intending on eating crappy Chinese food for $7.99, why not pay $10.99 for that and 4 times the amount of food! Besides, you'll be much more comfortable sitting there while stuffing your face. I've been to this buffet quite a few times and I want to share some of my pet peeves about buffets:

- If you do not cut into a lineup at a store, do not cut into line to get that meatball
- Do not take a plate, touch it, inspect it and decide it's dirty and place it back on the plate stack in front of somebody
- Do not pick one-by-one, the best piece of rib in front of everyone
- Do not take all the shrimp when there is a lineup behind you
- Do not eat so much that you have to puke in the washroom for the next person to see
- Do not take a mound of food on 3 different plates, it's a buffet, there will be more food
- Do not secretly place food in your purse, it's against the rules and frankly it's disgusting
- Be polite, don't grunt like a caveman, even though you are gorging like one

Alright, let's get this out of the way first. You will never confuse the buffet at Tulalip Casino with any of the nicer Vegas spreads; but remember, you're only paying $10.99 ($9.99 on weekdays). The buffet makes up with quantity and selection where it may lack in quality. I'm not really into these types of buffets which are devoid of any seafood (except Tuesdays); but for $10.99 and with no immediate competition, I'll eat it. Starting at one end of the buffet is the Chinese food station. I give it to them that there is an actual Asian person wok-frying the food. However, it doesn't taste anything like the dish it is supposed to be. Some of the dishes include Egg Drop Soup, Spring Rolls, Potstickers, Fried Sui Mai, Fried Rice, Noodles, Orange Chicken, Vegetable Stir Fry, and General Tso's Chicken.. 

Whatever the case, I never touch this part of the buffet anyways. Moving along, you'll hit the Italian pasta bar. There are choices of ingredients for a quick pan toss. Honestly, I don't hit this part of the buffet either. I think it's the "Chinese" values instilled in me. I was taught from an early age that things like pasta, mash potatoes, rice and the such should be avoided at buffets since they are only fillers. I guess that's why I also skipped the breakfast items. There is the usual selection of sausage links, sausage patties, bacon, potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast and pancakes.

Moving over to the next cluster of food, we find chicken fried steak complete with country gravy. I absolutely love this stuff; however, every time I eat it, my stomach doesn't do so well. Therefore, I skipped this as well. Finally, at the next station, I started to put food on my plate. This station consists of onion rings, wings, pot roast, mash potatoes, stuffing and gravy. The items here are pretty standard, however, the pot roast is actually pretty good. Just make sure to go easy on the gravy, it's quite salty. Totally disregarding the "Chinese" buffet strategy, I grabbed some mash potatoes. Hey, I love mash potatoes! Directly next to this station is the hot carving section. It includes fresh rotisserie chicken, a whole ham, salmon fillet and roast beef. I'm not sure what I have against baked ham; but I never seem to get any at a buffet. I also avoided the salmon because it's always overcooked. I did get some roast beef and at least this time, it was cooked perfectly medium rare and quite tender.

Moving on, past the carving station is another pretty decent spread of food. It includes ribs and fried chicken. I particularly like the ribs because they are both tender and sauced-up real well. I usually get a whack load of these. Since I'm there, I take the obligatory piece of fried chicken. Predictably, the fried chicken is overcooked; but I eat it anyways. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of this section. It could be that I was probably too interested in eating the ribs and forgot to take a picture. Continuing on, the next section includes a couple of pizzas, which I bypassed as well. The following portion of the buffet was actually added a year ago. If you have ever been to the Mongolie Grill, this will look familiar. Behind the spread of veggies, noodles, meat and sauces resides a large round Mongalie grill. You merely pick your items (a la U-Grill) and it is cooked fresh for you.

In the middle of the buffet resides an island where the soups, salads, desserts and ice cream reside. There are the usual mixed spring greens, romaine and lettuce with your choice of various items. There are the requisite pasta salad, potato salad and carrot salad as well. I didn't take a picture of this section partly because it was so busy and also, it's salad. I eat meat! *Grunt* There are 3 soup choices, usually a clear broth, a chowder of some sorts (today it was seafood chowder) and chicken noodle. Lastly, the dessert section is quite extensive and it includes an ice cream bar. There isn't much of a selection, but it's good for the kiddies and also includes all the toppings.

Beverages are also included with the buffet. Choices include juice, pop, coffee and tea. Honestly, the food at Eagles Buffet is quite average. You got some decent stuff mixed in with not-so-good stuff. But for $10.99, it is a good value considering that there are very few dining options around the Seattle Premium Outlets. Add the fact that you will pay at least $8.00 at the food court anyways, the buffet is a no-brainer (assuming you want to take time out of your shopping). If you can go in with reasonable expectations for $10.99, then you will come out thinking you got good value and a bit full.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Pretty good selection for the price
- Includes beverages

The Bad:
- Some of the food is iffy
- Lots of smoke from the Casino side

Tung Hing Bakery

Alright, another one of Holly's suggestions came to fruition today. We needed something quick, tasty and cheap; so I headed over to Tung Hing Bakery for some Banh Mi (Vietnamese subs). It wasn't exactly nearby or convenient to get to; but I really don't let that get in the way of good eats! I was driving on the other side of the street and instead of turning left onto Inverness, I decided to park across the street. Bad move. Try crossing Kingsway at an uncontrolled intersection in the middle of the day. I would have had better luck playing chicken with a large luxury SUV in Richmond. Trust me, I was having second thoughts about risking my life for a couple of sandwiches. I made it across alive to discover a clean and inviting establishment. You see, not all Vietnamese sandwich shops are that inviting.

I really enjoyed the fact that I could see them making my sandwiches right in front of me. Moreover, seeing all the ingredients was both novel and mouth-watering. I ended up getting 3 different Banh Mi - House Special, Honey Garlic Sausage and Meatball. It only cost me $8.50 for all 3! Luckily I arrived when I did, after I left, there was a pretty long lineup. I made it halfway across the street to the median on my way back to the car. Let me tell you, there is nowhere more precarious than hanging out on the median of a busy street.

Alright, about those sandwiches... The first thing you'll notice about them is the freshness of the ingredients. Veggies were crunchy and colourful. The meats were what they should be - moist, chewy and flavourful; but never dry. I particularly liked the sausage sandwich since there was ample amount of meat and it was tasted quite bold. Viv thought it was too sweet and probably it was; but I liked it anyways. The meatball sub was alright; but the one from Au Petit Cafe is both more meaty and flavourful. The house special sub was pretty standard with a variety of meat and plenty of fish sauce flavour. Although they baked their own French rolls fresh; I found that the bread was more dense and not as airy as the ones from Ba Le and Au Petit. By no means were they bad; it's just a personal preference of mine. With that in mind, the subs at Tung Hing are solid and inexpensive.

The Good:
- The place appears clean
- Inexpensive
- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- Bread could be a bit lighter

Szechuan Chongqing

Just like a scene from the Twilight Zone, we were transported to an alternate reality where there were no Chinese people other than us in a Chinese restaurant. That's right, cue the music, we were the ONLY Chinese people at Szechuan Chongqing for the duration of our dinner. Well, the staff were Chinese; but they don't count. If this happened at any other Chinese restaurant in town, it would send most people running for the hills. After all, isn't Vancouver like 50% Asian? How can it be that there are NO Asians in a Chinese restaurant? Well, I'm exaggerating here because when I go eat "Chinese" food in Delta, it's quite often I am the only Chinese person there. In fact, one time at Delta Wonton House, the server was downright in shock that a Chinese person walked into the place. The Chinese food was awful and well... the restaurant is now closed (I feel bad for them, but their food was not very good). Can it be that the food at Szechuan Chongqing is not actually catered towards Chinese people? I guess we'll have to see about that...

I honestly do not remember ever visiting this location of Szechuan Chongqing. Sure, I've been to the Broadway location; but that has only been for Dim Sum. I never got to try the Kingsway location before they changed hands to Big Lai Palace (which closed under suspicious circumstances). As the name suggests, the restaurant's main focus is Szechuan food, which is bold and spicy. However, my mom doesn't do spicy really well; thus we ordered mostly Cantonese dishes. I did make sure we got one spicy dish since this is what the restaurant is all about. We started off with a Cabbage Hot Pot with Assorted Meat and Seafood. Essentially, a hot pot with all the ingredients sitting in a broth. It's not the most exciting dish; but it was pleasant to eat, if not a bit bland.

Next up was the Moo Shu Chicken with Crepes. This dish was actually pretty good with a cornucopia of sprouts, chicken, onions, wood ear mushrooms and carrots. Strangely, the fried egg was left in one piece on top, rather than being julienned. Viv thought the dish was bland; but I thought it was fine because the hoisin sauce made up for any flavour deficiency. It was probably our fault for ordering the next dish - Crispy Chicken. This is a pretty difficult dish to make right and since this was a Szechuan restaurant, it is obviously not their specialty. It was overcooked and super salty. If there was such a thing as chicken jerky, this would be it. The best part of the dish were the shrimp chips.

One surprisingly good dish was the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. Unfortunately, they put green onions in it despite the fact we asked them not to. We didn't send it back in fears that it might be extra "runny" when we got it back. Onions aside, the eggs were perfectly fluffy and the shrimp was cold-water crunchy. Finally, the dish I had been waiting for - Orange Peel Beef. Loaded with beef, this dish had a nice rich colour. The combination of orange peel, dark soy, chilies and lots of sugar resulted in an intense flavour. The beef had a good sear (most likely from deep-frying) which gave it a nice crisp exterior. The only criticism of this dish was that it was a bit too sweet and the slightly watery sauce.

Overall, the meal was a bit better than expected considering our initial impressions. I'd definitely stick with the Szechuan specialties here since they are not a Cantonese restaurant. However, the fortune cookies that we got at the end of the meal gave a clear indication that we were not their target clientele.

The Good:
- Service was friendly and attentive
- The one Szechuan dish we had was pretty good
- Prices are quite reasonable

The Bad:
- Depending what your expectations are for Chinese food, there are better choices
- The fortune cookies at the end says it all (and I'm not talking about the fortune inside)

Bombay Se

It seems like every time I've tried to dine at Bombay Se, something happens and I never end up eating there. The first time, I met up with Herbie the Lovebug, Nikita and Bluebeard at the old smaller location (in the same plaza). Since it was such a small location, there was a big lineup and we headed somewhere else instead. The second time, I had a hockey game and it was only Viv who made it out there. When it moved over to it's bigger location on the 2nd floor of the same building, I really wanted to try it. However, it wasn't open for lunch! I'm only in North Delta during the day, so dinner was not really an option. When I heard that they are now open for lunch, I was a happy man. In fact, they have a "buffet" of sorts for $10.99. It's not the traditional buffet where you go help yourself to warming trays of food. Rather, it's served exactly like a regular combination platter; but it's unlimited. Yup, you can request more of what you like and they will bring it to you. I personally think this is more hygienic and a fresher way of eating an all-you-can-eat.

By virtue of never having a chance to dine at the old Bombay Se, I can't really compare with the new location. However, the new location is spacious, modern and very clean. In fact, I've noticed that most Indian restaurants I've visited are extremely clean. I wonder why Chinese restaurants cannot follow suit? I didn't need to look at the menu since I decided to get the unlimited lunch special. You can have it either in vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Guess which one I chose? Included on the platter was Butter Chicken, Goat Curry, Chickpea Curry, Aloo Gobi, Potato Pakora, Raita, Achar, Rice Pudding, Basmati Rice and Naan.

With tender pieces of chicken, the Butter Chicken was a bit spicy; however, the creaminess and tomato flavours were still discernible. This was the perfect sauce for the warm and soft naan. The Goat Curry was a bit weak; but the meat was tender. On the other hand, the Chickpea Curry had a bit of bite. The same could be said about the Aloo Gobi, the mixture of potatoes and cauliflower had a kick at the end. The Raita helped bring balance to the meal with the coolness of yogurt. From the sampling of these dishes, the food not bad; if not a bit standard. I've had better Indian food; yet with that being said, Bombay Se still brings together a combination of decent food and friendly service in an upscale environment.

The Good:
- Restaurant is nicely decorated and clean
- Service is good
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- Regular menu is a bit pricier than some other Indian restaurants

Boston Pizza

Alright, Emilicious gave me a hard time on Facebook about going to Boston Pizza. I really don't blame her. I don't usually visit Boston Pizza unless it's with my hockey team or with my family. You see, my former hockey team (yes, I'm no longer with them) is sponsored by the Brentwood Boston Pizza. Therefore, I had to go there in support of our sponsorship. There are times I have visited it with my family because admittedly, it is quite kid friendly. Well, not is all doom and gloom with BP since their pizzas are respectable. Not exactly authentic Italian thin crust pizzas; but BP never claims to be such. The real problem I have with BP are their pastas and some of their entrees. At regular price, you can practically eat anywhere else. Tonight, Coreymania, DB Hypno (click the link and you'll understand the nickname) and myself were at BP because it was part of a Whitecaps game and dinner deal. The deal was for 4 game tickets, 1 large pizza, 4 salads and 4 soft drinks at $20.00 per person. That is actually a pretty good value.

Honestly, I've never been much of a soccer (fine, English football) fan and probably never will. I'm all about the hockey! My last Whitecaps game
other than tonight was back in the old Empire Stadium! I'll admit that watching it live is a whole lot better than on TV. When I watch soccer on TV, it reminds me of the Simpsons episode when a game was played in Springfield. Whatever the case, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the Whitecaps ultimately won the game. After that, we headed off Boston Pizza for some food. Luckily for us, the salads (especially the Spinach Salad) at BP are decent. Plenty of toppings and being quite big, the salads were satisfying. Only complaint is that they should not toss the spinach in the dressing, it should be served on the side because it makes the spinach limp. As mentioned before, the pizzas are decent. We ended up with the Tropical Chicken which is a bit interesting because it substitutes Alfredo for tomato sauce. The tang is made up by the pineapple. The crust is not heavy nor oily at all.

We decided to get an order of their baked wings (they come fried as well) and since they are baked, they are still quite juicy and tender. They are not crisp like the fried ones; but they are a little healthier. On a side note, please do not get their Appy Platter, it was formerly known as the team platter. It is not worth the $20.00 because it is only sufficient if you were a team of 2 people. Mind you, their Cactus Cut Potatoes and Southwest Skins are respectable appies. Now we head into what's the matter with BP - their pastas. I do realize that they in no shape or form claim to be authentic. However, I've never had pasta so soggy in my life. They obviously have never heard of al dente before. I guess it's difficult to achieve that since the pasta is pre-made and merely reboiled. The sauces are pretty one-dimensional and bland, other than the Mama Meata which doesn't exist anymore.

Their "go-to" pasta is the Smokey Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs for $17.75. Despite the fact I've eaten this on many occasions with my team before; this is probably the most overpriced item on the menu. Don't get me wrong, the size of this pasta is decent; however the overall execution is lacking. Pasta is mushy and the sauce is bland. Although, the meatballs are pretty decent. They're quite meaty and flavourful. I really could go on and on about the menu because I've tried practically everything; but I think you get the idea. The food is hit and miss. For the price, you would be better served going to White Spot. However, BP still remains a good option for sports teams, families and people who just want some pizza late into the night.

The Good:
- Pretty decent pizza
- Portions are good
- Open late

The Bad:
- Most of the food is iffy
- Overpriced pastas and entrees

Las Tortas

I was tipped off a week ago by TS (eating_club Vancouver) about a new sandwich shop that had opened up 2 stores down from Pied-a-Terre. Oh, this is no ordinary sandwich shop. Rather, it is one of the few places you can get an authentic Mexican torta. No, no, not the ones you can get at Duffin's Doughnuts. These ones are made by real Mexicans (as opposed to fake Mexicans???). Being a real fan of good sandwiches (re: Ba Le, Au Petit Cafe, La Grotta del Formaggio, La Charcuterie), I put it high on my list to visit (apparently Kim had it high on his list too!).

Needing some takeout today, I took the opportunity to head down to Las Tortas for a couple of sandwiches. The method of ordering is a bit unique; yet really simple. You merely take a paper bag (which has the menu on it) and select what you want to order by checking off the item. You put down any special requests, put your name on the top, check off if you are eating in or out and present it to the cashier. I only wish they had real Sharpies rather than Crayola felt markers because it was not easy to write with them. My "no onions" became scrunched up and looked more like "noinions". Whatever, the cashier figured it out.

I decided to try the Pierna or slow roasted pork thigh marinated in Mexican spices. Essentially a pulled pork sandwich, it included tomato, cabbage, pickled onions (I didn't get this), jalapenos, guacamole, refried beans, butter and mayo. This is all served on a grill toasted telera. For $2.00, I added their house fried potato chips. I got Viv the Carne Asada con Queso, which is marinated roast beef with Oaxaca cheese. Her sandwich included all the aforementioned toppings. Since all of their sandwiches are made-to-order and served hot, I had to wait for a little while. During this wait, I grabbed the window seat (of course I did). In the process, I had to squeeze in between another table that was occupied already. The lady seemed to wonder why I had to pick the seat right next to her when there were plenty of other open tables. So, I told her what I was doing and I wanted the best lighting possible for my pictures. It was a bit surreal, I was chatting to a total stranger about food all of a sudden. Well, that is actually a good thing. She mentioned that she had just read a post on Corner 23 and wonder if it was me. It could've been, but then again, many other bloggers have a post on Corner 23.

I finally got down to trying out the torta and it was quite an enjoyable sandwich. The bun was quite crunchy and the fillings were not the usual fare I'm used to. The pork was on the drier side; yet it was still moist. I especially liked the crisp cabbage which gave a nice freshness and crunch. Surprisingly, the sandwich did not have the "wow" factor I was looking for. What I essentially got was a solid sandwich with Mexican ingredients. Interestingly, the star of the show was the house-made potato chips. They were slightly thick cut; but fried up nicely. Crispy, not salty nor oily, these chips were money. For $2.00, they were worth every penny. When Viv finally got her chance at sandwich, much later since I actually ate at the restaurant first, she pretty much echoed my sentiments. A solid sandwich; but not OMG wonderful.

My sandwich came out to $8.50, while Viv's was $9.30. The Cubana tops out at $9.95. While not exactly cheap (since you can get these for $5.00 in L.A.), it is not incredibly expensive for a made-to-order hot sandwich. It may have not knocked my socks off; but I would eat it again.

The Good:
- Made-to-order and served hot
- A unique sandwich (at least up here in Vancouver)
- Wonderful freshly fried potato chips

The Bad:
- Not exactly cheap
- Could use a tad more filling
- Mostly takeout, not a lot of places to sit

Copa Cafe (Coquitlam)

No, this is not a repeat. If you think you have seen a post on Copa Cafe earlier, you are not seeing things. However, this time, I brought the family out to the location in Coquitlam. Actually, Copa was not my original choice. I ended up here because Amorosa was full and it would be over 30 minutes before we would get a table. I have no problem with that; but my kids might. Not sure if the diners there would like to see 2 kids bouncing off the walls for 30 minutes. But honestly, when we leave a restaurant to avoid a lineup, we end up wasting the same amount of time going somewhere else. It could be that I just hate lineups! I dropped Viv off at Zeller's to return something, so I headed over to Copa first with my son. As I pulled up to the front of the restaurant, everyone at the window just had to look over and stare. Is it just me or Asian people like to stare for no apparent reason? It's just like how when they drive by my house and I'm outside, they have to stare at me. What? Do I have something on my face??? Wait, I'm Asian... I hope I don't stare... No, I just take photos of food and thus, people stare at me.

Seeing how we all ordered set menu items at the Vancouver location, I decided to order all Chinese dishes (well, at least HK-style interpreted dishes). For the kiddies, we started off with Scramble Eggs with Shrimp. This was not an auspicious start to the meal because the eggs were overcooked, watery and in many small pieces. At least the shrimp was cooked right and had the right texture. For good measure, we got the Spaghetti Bolognaise, just in case the kiddies didn't like the eggs. Not resembling an authentic bolognaise of any sort (that's HK-style cafe for you), it was linguine not spaghetti. No matter, the dish tasted fantastic! Lots of meat and cheese flavour and the noodles were not overly mushy. Since it was baked, it had a nice crust on top as well. I just wished they didn't serve it with a big bay leaf in the sauce. I was in the mood for some HK-style curry and selected the Curry Brisket. Although the sauce was flavourful with just a bit a hint of heat, the beef was not very tender. Curiously, this dish didn't come with rice.

The final dish is one of our favourites - Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. It's definitely an acquired taste due to the pungent fish; but I gotta tell you, when it's done right... Fortunately, it was not only done right, the dish here at Copa was fanatastic. The rice was firm, there was lots of fish and chicken and the dish was well-seasoned. Pretty predictable meal here at Copa, food was generally good except for the scrambled eggs and the tough brisket. Despite being quite friendly, the servers seemed overworked. We couldn't seem to get their attention when we needed something. One server got bent out-of-shape when she spotted my son playing with the sugar packets. Only in a Chinese restaurant you will find employees scolding others' children.

The Good:
- Predictable food
- Comfortable and clean dining space
- Pretty good value

The Bad:
- Same with the other location, when you have such a diverse menu, some food may not turn out well