There were a lot of cars parked outside when I pulled up, and a half-dozen other parties waiting in line when I walked in.  Crowds are a good sign when you're visiting a buffet restaurant, but man, was I hungry!  It took a few minutes for them to pay and walk in, and then it was my turn.  $8 for the full buffet, including beverages and dessert; a few seconds, and they let me loose on the food.

Well, the first thing I encountered was the salad bar, and it didn't leave me with a very good impression.  I like to mix my own salads, but this bowl was filled with premixed stuff, full of dressing, and it didn't look like something I wanted to eat.  There were other salad mixes on the same table, like potato salad, chinese noodle salad, cole slaw, etc...  It was then I took a look at some of the adjacent tables and spied the REAL salad bar.  This table was reserved for the mixes, including the caesar salad I'd thought was all that was available.

Mmm, criticisms, criticisms...  Oh yes, the 12 oz soda glasses were a bit on the small side to my taste.  No need to be skimpy with the least expensive item in the restaurant.

Looking up from the mixed salad bar at the other tables, the vista was...  quite overwhelming.  I knew I'd have to take it in pieces.  Starting with the salad, I assembled a nice plate including lettuce, carrots, onions, mushrooms, topped with bleu cheese dressing and grated american cheese together.  Yum.  Having consumed that and one of the undersized sodas, I went off in search of entrees.

Wow.  Chicken, fried and roasted.  Ribs and slabs of pork and roast beef served onto your plate.  I took roast chicken and ribs, and also grabbed some cooked carrots and green beans.  The veggies weren't too badly overdone, and both chicken and ribs were very tasty, moist enough to fall off the bone.  The portions of meat weren't very large, which I can understand; why stuff yourself on one item when there are so many choices?  And away I went for seconds!

Muffins and cinnamon buns and dinner rolls and pastries, spaghetti and meat sauce and macaroni and cheese...  I took a little mac 'n cheese, a nice portion of spaghetti, and one little muffin that was AMAZING, cherry flavored...  The meat sauce was thick, with tons of chopped meat and big chunks of tomato...  The macaroni and cheese was okay, but nothing to write home about.  But after all these portions, I'd begun to accrete enough layers of material in my stomach to begin to feel full...  Which meant it was time for dessert!

Cake and pie and soft serve and muffins and brownies and...  and...  I could've had just that for dinner, but already mostly full, I settled for a small slice of rich black chocolate cake and a dish of swirled vanilla and chocolate ice cream.  Ummmm...

So after leaving, I had only one question remaining about the Hometown Buffet -- where is this hometown?  Tell me!  I want to move there!!!