Just wanted to let people know about Suraj, which is just a couple blocks south of Woodside on El Camino, on the right side if you're heading south. It's only been open a couple of weeks, and it would be a shame to see it close for lack of business, since the food was pretty good. (It was a bit slow) So give it a try. They've got a lunch buffet until 2:30.
-- EthanSan Francisco Bay Area, CA
Suraj Indian Food in Redwood City
Michael B. wrote: > Charleen B. wrote: >> >> Right...it's where that hideous Chinese buffet used to be. > > Would that have been "House of Buffet", formerly "Orleans Buffet", > formerly "Grand Buffet", formerly "Natori II" ??? (I might have missed > an incarnation in there somewhere.) > > From the looks of it was once a nightclub or something, or maybe a fancy > Continental restaurant. Natori was actually pretty good (Japanese/Asian > buffet, owned/run by Korean people; there's one on Balboa in SF). One > day a couple of years back I showed up there and it had changed names, > and the sushi and Japanese food were gone, replaced by Chinese, Mexican, > and American dishes, but the staff were the same (and the price had > dropped from $12.95 or so to $7.95). I talked to the manager, who said > he just couldn't make the higher-end Japanese stuff pay (given the > demographics of the neighborhood), and he was going to see "what did > best" among Chinese, Mexican, and western cuisine. I think it went > all-Chinese after that, but as Charleen notes, it was pretty bad. > Actually, I think Natori II was overpriced, and the food was quite a mixed bag. There seemed to be lots of non-functional people standing around; they couldn't answer any questions about the food. And on my last visit the food heaters were barely functional, so the only way to get a facsimile of hot food was to watch for new trays being brought out. Its disappearence was no loss whatsoever, in my opinion. Both the Palo Alto place (just off University) and the place on El Camino in - I think - Los Altos seem to be at least competently run, although I would agree with a previous post that the range of food quality doesn't surpass "pretty good". [Sorry, I don't remember the names well enough to hazard posting them.] Al Eisner ([email removed]) San Mateo County, CA