Lunch #2: International Gourmet Buffet (San Jose, CA)

My dad made the call this week and we headed out to the International Gourmet Buffet on Curtner by the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. This restaurant can be hard to find, buried in the middle of a giant shopping center with rows and rows of new eateries and stores. It is nicely decorated and was busy at around 1pm with business professionals having lunch and taking in the World Cup on the several televisions around the dining area. There is a large seating area and the decor was upscale - this should not be confused for a Hometown Buffet by any stretch. There are three rows of buffet stations featuring international cuisine with everything from Mexican, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, American Southern and much more. Let's get to the food.

We did a pretty good job of getting a sample of most of the buffet items that were being served. My dads favorite by far were the Lemon Grass Pork Ribs, which he thought were tender and moist with great flavor. He also liked the Portuguese Beef Stew and the Blackened Fish. My dad commented during lunch that most of the dishes had flavor and nothing was bland, compared to other buffets we've been to - and I would have to agree with that, although I didn't find anything that was a stand out.

Probably the three best things I had were the Chicken Curry and Lemon Chicken Kabob and if I had ordered them individually as an entree, I would have been pleased - but the rest of the quality was only average. I would strongly advise them to stop with the Southern favorites, because the two worst things were the Herbal Corn, a horrible take on cream corn, and an incredibly dry piece of cornbread. Together, they might be able to plug the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

There were many dessert options and they were all fine, but really no standouts. My dad got a bad piece of bread pudding, but went back and found of much moister piece that was probably my favorite dessert on the 2nd try.

When the crumbs have settled and the forks have been put down, I don't think the International Gourmet Buffet will be in the running for our best lunch place in the Bay Area. I would describe it as having food ADD - they do many different types of food but none of them especially well.

INTERNATIONAL GOURMET BUFFET
http://www.internationalgourmetbuffet.com/
101 Curtner Avenue
Hours: M-F 11-10pm, Sat 10-10pm
Our Rating: 5.5 out of 10.