Load
up on barbecue in classic style at generous downtown buffet
By Fredric Koeppel
Three things give me the heebie-jeebies: Pain, death and restaurant buffets. The
first two I can't do much about - this vale of tears, pale horse, pale rider and
all that - but I tend to avoid the third the way Ben and J-Lo shield their eyes
from the tabloid racks in the supermarket line. There's something about all that
food drying out and hardening on the steam table under those lamps that puts me
off my feed.
Imagine my surprise then
to encounter a buffet that offers well-prepared food kept hot and served in
reasonably good condition. This is Leonard's BBQ Buffet, open about nine months
on
Bill Shanle, owner of
Leonard's BBQ Buffet, makes it pretty easy for the lunchtime crowd to scarf down
huge amounts of barbecue ribs and pulled pork shoulder with rafts of interesting
side items at a cheap price, $7.55. A colleague and I went recently and tried to
taste everything.
The most important items,
of course, are the various forms of barbecue. Pulled pork shoulder is tender and
flavorful...; with coleslaw and a rich sauce, it makes a good sandwich, or it can
be eaten sans bun.
Some items not to miss include rich, meaty chicken noodle soup (of the day); heavenly whiskey corn pudding that beats any other rendition for moistness and nutty flavor (My colleague: "Is there alcohol in there?" Me: "Uh-huh"); velvety macaroni and cheese; dense, peppy barbecue baked beans; delicious spaghetti with meat sauce.
For dessert, head straight
to the traditional Southern butter roll, a difficult to believe but luscious
concoction of biscuits rolled in butter and sugar and baked until they
caramelize and then soaked in sweetened milk and more butter. If these don't set
your sugar meters chiming, you don't have a sweet tooth worth the name.
Leonard's BBQ Buffet is
surprisingly spacious - it's on the ground floor of the Claridge House -
brightly lit and clean as a whistle. The greeting is friendly and welcoming.
- Fredric Koeppel