Xanh--Mountain View, CA

Of the fifty or so restaurants I tried this year, Xanh sticks out as being the best value. A mere $12 buys you an all-you-can-eat hunting license to roughly twenty dishes, most of them creative and delicious. I ate myself silly and now, six hours later, I'm still stuffed and skipping dinner.

The test I use to determine my favorite dishes is to see which ones I grabbed that very last trip to the buffet--the dishes that I just had to have again even though I was thoroughly sated. Those dishes were: lemon grass chicken (tender and flavorful), baby pork ribs, spicy fish (catfish) and the spicy sour soup (featuring basa fish and an extraordinarily delicious seafood broth that was slightly spicy, slightly sweet).

The best of the rest includes the grilled chicken, which I would be considered a top tier dish at any other buffet in this price range. I also enjoyed each of the three rolls which featured marinated beef (Kobe roll), tofu (Buddha) and, my wife's favorite, the basa fish (Eskimo).

Xanh's the best weekday buffet I've ever tried here in the Bay Area. I eagerly look forward to a return trip--and to be sure, I'll be wearing my loose pants.

Xanh

110 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 964-1888

www.xanhrestaurant.com