Apr
3, 2003 — My
friend Patrice has a very specific set of rules about buffet
eating that involve detailed descriptions of what you should and
shouldn't eat so that you can pack in as much as possible and
get the best possible value for your money.
"Never fill up on the fillers, which would be any kind
of bread or rolls," she says. "Salad? Skip it. Most of
the salad-type options
— pasta salad, that sort of thing
— should be nothing or just a little
taste."
She goes on to caution, "For many people, I would say
skip the potatoes; that's also another carb filler. But in my
case, I believe potatoes should be their own food group, and I
always get some."
Patrice's buffet bottom line: Go for the stuff you won't make
at home or your absolute favorite dishes.
The Nooksack Casino's Monday-night buffet is a
seafood-lover's paradise. With its emphasis on seafood and a
myriad of delectable desserts, this colorful casino makes
Patrice's rules easy to follow.
We were greeted with a smile at the entrance to the buffet
and immediately led to a table amidst a mass of happy seafood
enthusiasts.
Several brass and glass buffets gleamed under bright lights
at the end of the dining room, framed by a large brick wall with
decorative arches. A stripe of kelly green lined the walls below
a wooden chair rail, with white paint above.
Each buffet was full of delicious-looking fare, steam rising
from many of the just-filled bins.
|
Nooksack Casino |
|
Location: 5048 Mount Baker Highway, Deming
Phone: 592-5472
Hours: 4 to 11 p.m.
Serving: A surplus of super seafood dishes, as
well as salads, desserts
Menu items sampled: Seafood buffet $14.95
Blackened chicken ciabatta panini $8 |
Although the place was hopping, it wasn't difficult to sidle
up and peruse the offerings. We piled our plates high with
buffet bounty.
Two women at the table next to ours laughed as they pulled on
two Alaskan king crab legs like a wishbone. Using the seafood
cracker and picks available at the buffet, I dug into the one
teetering high atop my plate. The flavorful crab meat was sweet
with none of the sogginess you sometimes find in crab legs,
especially at a buffet.
After our first bites, we decided that the Nooksack Casino's
claim that it uses the freshest seafood available must be true.
The flavor and freshness of each dish we tried never in
question.
Breaded shrimp, tiny hush puppies and small rings of breaded
and fried calamari hid underneath the Alaskan king crab, all of
them still hot and not overly greasy. Shrimp cocktail and tartar
sauces were available for dipping.
My husband likes his fish on the rare side, while I prefer it
cooked through, so we didn't see eye to eye on the king salmon
and halibut with pineapple salsa. I thought both were lovely,
but he found them a touch on the dry side. The pineapple salsa
was an intriguing addition to the halibut, adding a sweet
complement.
Stuffed sole covered in cheese sauce didn't do much for
either of us, as the cheese seemed to hide the flavor of the
sole. But the steamed Samish Island clams were a hit. We were
powerless to stint on anything involving that much garlic
butter.
There are so many delicious offerings at the Nooksack Casino
seafood buffet, it's difficult to list them all
— and would be impossible to sample each
of them. I'll have to return to try its baked Alaska, pasta and
seafood salads, and much more. I'm also tempted to try its
Friday-night lobster buffet ($26.95 per person).
A small salad bar ran parallel to the first buffet with all
the expected salad bar fixings, including six different
dressings. Hot round rolls were also available, although under
Patrice's rules, neither of these areas should be your focus.
However, she would have been happy to see the piled-high roasted
red potatoes, sprinkled with fresh herbs.
When my husband went back for seconds
— or was it thirds?
— of his favorite, the steamed Samish
Island clams, he found the bin nearly empty. As he scooped up
the last of them, a server let him know more would be out
shortly. Likewise, bins were always watched carefully and filled
quickly.
For dessert, we chose from rich chocolate cake, cherry pie,
brownies, soft-serve ice cream and many other pies and cakes I
didn't have room to sample. Each one was displayed prettily on
its own glass plate, unlike many buffets, where you must serve
yourself from a pan. We split a brownie drizzled in chocolate
sauce.
If you're hankering for seafood but your dining partner wants
something else, a bar menu offers sandwiches, pasta dishes and
the like.
I tried the blackened chicken ciabatta panini, which comes
with grilled chicken breast slathered with pepper aioli and
pepper jack cheese packed between grilled bread.
This sandwich had quite a kick, cooled by a side of tartar
dipping sauce. The plate was garnished with two lettuce large
leaves cradling slivers of red and green bell peppers. A high
mound of thin, crisp french fries filled up the rest of the
large plate, dusted lightly with fresh parsley and served with
the requisite bottle of ketchup and the surprising
— and welcome
— malt vinegar.
At $14.95 for the seafood buffet, you can't go wrong. There's
no risk involved with betting on the Nooksack Casino seafood
buffet.
