Pizza Hut $6 Buffet

This offer's been available for years, but until last week it escaped me. A recent drive to Yucca Valley convinced me to change my mind, especially since it was over 100 degrees outside and my car's A/C fan stopped working. I needed to stay indoors awhile. And come on, it's Pizza Hut!

The basic propostion is simple. $6 covers unlimited access to all the pizza, salad, pasta, dessert (pudding and pizza) you could want. A drink is included so it's a great deal. It's a better bargain than KFC's $10 buffet in Banning though there you have more options overall and way more protein.

As far as pizza quality goes, my gut feeling is the buffet stuff is only slightly less tasty than the usual made to order pies. I detected two types of crust: thin and dusted with oil, and a thicker buttery crust. Both were enjoyable though the thinner crust would allow you to eat a lot more in one sitting.

They have 8 pizzas sitting in the station at one time. They alternate between 6 different types of pizza, it felt like, depending on customer request and actual demand. The only downside to this type of buffet are the slow moments when people aren't eating much and the food on the tray is getting old and cold. In terms of taste, I'd compare the Pizza Hut lunch buffet to Cici's Pizza. I prefer Cici's because they have more pies available at one time, more dessert pizzas, and their offer for all-you-can eat stands all day.

20 slices of pizza for $6 is an unbeatable deal. That seems to equate about two medium pizzas, and that more than sufficed for my food needs for the whole rest of the day. It also provided great fodder for my blog, which has gone lonely lately. It's nice to have something new to write about.

Chili Fries En Masse

The picture does not do the plate justice. This "appetizer" at Heroes Bar & Grill in Fullerton, CA easily approaches 4 lbs. Most servers try to convince you order the half-size. At $11.95, it's a bargain for sensible diners who decide to share their food.

It's not an official eating challenge. Not yet, at least.

Two Sundays ago, Pablo Martinez and I converged upon Heroes to knock out their 6-pancake challenge in short order. We ended up splitting the leftovers of this platter after our challenges. Video coming shortly.

Sushi For Dessert

Haven't blogged at all this month, so here we go. Asian Palace Buffet in La Mirada, CA offers AYCE weekend dinner for $12.99 plus tax and tip.

The sushi was above average for the price range. I also appreciated the availability of crab items.

I'm possibly the only person who could mix sushi with a dessert plate. Well worth the price and I'd go back if I was in the area.

Feeling Dirty

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers recently opened a new location in Victorville. It's been busy every time I've passed by, which is more than you can say for several eateries in the High Desert.

Their menu is expansive. The offerings remind me of Foster's Freeze or Wienerschnitzel-Tastee Freeze. What stood out for me was their selection of frozen dessert treats.

How can you go wrong with something called "Dirt N' Worms"?

That's frozen custard with gummy worms and Oreo pieces, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Sweetness. They should have a contest, I say. Who can eat five of these the fastest?

Yum Yum Diner

If you take the 215 freeway North through Riverside, you'll see a small restaurant off to the side as you pass the La Cadena Drive exit in Colton.

Yum Yum Diner. I liked the name. Reviews on Yelp seemed to do the place justice. It wasn't too far from a Denny's, so obviously they're doing one or two things right to stay in business. Prices are decent.

When I visited Yum Yum, something inspired to order a dish that never crossed my palate before. Liver and onions. Well, whatever else may be said, they certainly did a decent job of preparing it. The liver was strong, but it wasn't unbearable. Leaving it to the professionals this time around paid off. Don't remind me of the time I tried to cook beef kidney!

High Desert Home Town

Hometown Buffet in Victorville serves all-you-can-eat weekday lunch for $5.29. That's a steal.

They serve sliders on Tuesdays up here.

And tacos.

Shrimp carbonara. 

 And real ice cream, in addition to the usual soft serve.

A few things I've never seen at Hometown Buffet before... they've still got their charm. It may be an omen of things to come.

New China Buffet

This is unofficially my 100th post, but that includes a few edits. It's the 90th. Either way I decided to put up a post with lots of photos and less writing.

Last October I stopped by New China Buffet, another inexpensive all-you-can-eat establishment in San Bernardino. Lunch runs for $6.99 including soft drinks, tea, and coffee.

The wasabi was creamier than usual. I wouldn't go here for the sushi in any case.

At this point the wait staff became irritated with me and stopped collecting my empty plates. 

Some may debate the quality, but the quantity's certainly abundant.

Big Mike's Burger

If you're ever in Bellflower, you might check out Big Mike's restaurant. They apparently deliver. I caught a glimpse of this truck after I tucked my car away in the rear parking lot off the street.


No photos of the restaurant front.. lots of the guys who ran into me didn't look too friendly, and I would have had a tough time convincing them that the use of my cell phone camera was completely kosher. Some guys don't like having their picture taken.

It's a nice place to eat in the midst of a rough neighborhood. Go there! They serve the Big Mike Burger, decked out with 2 lbs of ground beef and a hot link. Big Mike owns the place and actually took my order. He was really friendly and courteous. I got mine without the hot link, and he even knocked a couple bucks off the price tag. That was cool.


The combo, with fries and a drink, went for $9. It was a good meal. You actually watch them cook it on a huge griddle. And it isn't fast food, either. The two patties took a solid 10-12 minutes to prepare.

As a final note, I found something admirable about the inclusion of store-brand ketchup as a condiment.

Their food was tasty. They don't need Heinz.