8am phone calls on a Sunday morning are rarely a good thing, except when it’s your friend asking you to join her at an all-you-can-eat dinner that night. Oh, and offering to pick up the tab because she’s in a “use it or lose it situation.” Such was my morning this past weekend when Brooke called to invite me to dinner at the Olympic Club by Lake Merced.
When I stepped into the main dining room, I was immediately taken back to the days of country club lunches with my Grandma Roberts: expansive golf course views, maroon and gold carpeting, and not a patron under the age of 75. PERFECT setting for a mellow Sunday night. The light Pinot Noir (Angeline, 2008) and sunset views added to my wonderful sense of relaxation.
It’s been years since I last ate at a buffet, but I haven’t forgotten the key to success: one must take at least two full laps around the grounds to survey all the food options. Once this is completed, you can pick up a plate and start piling. Making the rounds is critical in identifying your Tier 1, Tier 2, and Pass choices. As I suspected it would be, "O Club" (as members call it) was way more than your neighborhood Sizzler buffet. When I think back to the night, I see smoked salmon, raw oysters, mushroom salad, deviled eggs, prime rib, cheese platter, Caeser salad, crab legs, shrimp cocktail, and a variety of pastas. I was almost relieved to see the prime rib as the main meat, because I can easily pass that up. I focused more on fish: the smoked salmon & cream cheese, the oyster shooters, and crab legs. The salmon, in particular, was as good as I’ve had anywhere (and helped to erase the salmon nightmare of Friday).
A buffet isn't complete without a killer dessert bar. There were many tempting choices (bite sizes pie crumbles, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, fudge brownies, to name a few) but I zeroed in on the bread pudding. As I explained to Brooke, bread puddings are like snowflakes because no two are the same. I typically prefer a warm, gooey variety but found myself quite pleased with the dense, firm consistency here. The vanilla sauce provided just the right level of moisture.
What I liked about this buffet is that it wasn't too overwhelming. There was a wide variety of choices to please people of all dietary preferences, but I never felt like I couldn't try everything I wanted to. Now I just gotta work on weasling my way into next year’s US Open golf tournament.
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