I entered the restaurant, ordered the buffet and a Dr. Pepper; I was rapidly escorted to an empty table.  Nice place; from the outside the restaurant seemed a little run-down, but from inside it had a nice feeling.  One thing I noticed were the few oriental families dining there; a good sign.  Another good sign was the chopsticks, provided along with the silverware, without my asking.  The only place I've been to in El Paso that did so.

The buffet had a small salad bar and a small dessert section, both of which I pretty much ignored.  There were the few expected odd hybrid dishes, such as jalapeno chicken; but overall, most of the food was oriental.  I piled up my plate; fried rice, chicken with cashews, chicken with broccoli, lo mein, egg rolls, some very interesting chunks of fried pineapple, and other items which were less memorable but still very tasty.  The food was not lukewarm and limp; rather, it was fairly fresh, with each element still having its distinct taste.

A second trip to the buffet brought me beef with mushrooms and beef with broccoli; the beef with squash was good, as was the sesame chicken...  There was a shrimp dish I wasn't particularly in the mood for, but I'll bet it was good...  I remember there was also sweet-and-sour chicken, a tofu dish, a spam dish (??)...  I decided to bypass those.  Even without them, there was plenty to sample.  I left a tip, and walked out thoroughly satiated.

It's mighty tough finding fault with this restaurant.  I'd've liked it more if there were a little bit more variety; it would've been nice to have a big juicy spare rib or two, but they weren't available.  It could very well be they were out that day.  I suppose, the more dishes you serve, the less fresh each will be.

I'll definitely be going back; I'd have to say that, out of all the oriental restaurants I've attended in El Paso so far, the Garden Buffet is my favorite.