it’s a long read but well worth the time.
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brb off to france
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Sounds delicious! Definitely worth the wait
Here is our experience at Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne, with the following caveats:
- it was about 5 years ago (May 2019)
- I have not read the article, as it appears to have a paywall and I was not inclined to register
- based on 2) don’t know if there has been a change in ownership/management/focus since we were there
We stopped for lunch on the way from Barcelona to Tain L’Hermitage. Not sure about today’s months’ long wait, but we booked on line about 3 weeks ahead if I recall correctly.
Pros:
1.The outdoor dining space was nice - we had a beautiful sunny day
2. The cold food options were enjoyable
- There were about 100 different cheeses, each identified and with a small stack of labels available so you could remember what you chose.
- a nice Foie Gras selection
- the lobster and oyster selection was awesome. My wife loved it (I have a shellfish allergy, so…)
- an extensive wine selection, with a focus on Local/Langeudoc. Since we had a four hour drive ahead, ordered BTG vice a bottle.
Cons: It is a large Buffet:
- probably several hundred people for lunch
- the prepared/hot foods in tureens were just ok. I don’t recall specific dishes from 5 years ago, but the chicken/beef/fish dishes were not memorable. I presume they may have been better if you got to them in the fiirst five min or so, but after 10-20-30 minutes out on the line, not so much
- the Jamon station had multiple options, but the knives were so dull, it was painful trying to watch people try to cut their own slices.
Again, this was five years ago and I don’t know what changes may have taken place. I would give it 3++ stars on a 5 star scale for our visit. We would certainly return if we were passing through the area. but would not make a special trip just for this buffet.
Here are a few photos:
Large Cheese station, over 100 selections IIRC
Individual Cheese Labels to help recall your selections
Extensive Foie Gras selection:
Tasting pours were labeled, which was a nice touch
Yes, the Lobster tower was totally awesome. Unfortunately I can’t post the video with the ice chips drizzling down from above,
.
The Jamon station had a lot of potential, but needed either much sharper knives, or ideally, a staff member cutting. Folks were struggling to just chunk pieces off, which is not the way to taste/eat Jamon
As noted, the beef/chicken/fish dishes were not memorable and actually detracted from our otherwise positive experience. I don’t even recall what this was…although I see a couple of ‘hunks’ of Jamon on the side
As mentioned, the outdoor dining space is nice, particularly on a sunny day.
And as always, the caveat is…YMMV
Cheers,
Steve
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Wow! Guess it is not a great place for someone with Gout!
didn’t realize this was behind a firewall when i posted it
thanks for the review steve
Puts the gout in into “à chacun son goût”
I’ve gotta admit, I saw the date on the article and though this was a joke!