Bridgeport Edition: Grand China Buffet & Grill

I needed a quick lunch in Bridgeport. This Chinese restaurant was close. My friend Kayla and I headed in. We stood around awkwardly until someone acknowledged us. They then rushed us over to a table, but they had to clean it first. So we stood around the table awkwardly as they cleaned it. This place was packed, so standing at the table blocked everybody's route to the buffet.

The restaurant is large, with many tables. The buffet had 8 stations, as well as an area for sushi and "grilling." The first couple of stations had your typical Chinese-American food - like General Tso's, Beef and Broccoli, etc. The rest subpar American food, a salad bar, one even had a tray full of Cheetos. Yeah.

Was there anything new or anything particularly great? Nah. But it wasn't bad either; it was just run-of-the-mill. The General Tso's wasn't bad - average quality, average flavor. The sushi was room-temperature, bland. I was bummed there weren't any stuffed mushrooms or "seafood medley" type dishes. But those are just a few of my favorites, and they were missing here.

It was also a little pricey, but it was a Sunday. I paid and signed my credit card receipt, but a few of the waiters came to the table a few times, but then left. I could tell something was going on, but it was like a cruel game we weren't in on. Finally, our waitress came back over and shoved another slip on the table for me to sign. I didn't understand why. She waved another waiter over to explain that apparently they accidentally threw away the slip I signed. That's not a huge deal, but the five-minute awkwardness with them staring at me, walking to me and leaving, but not telling me what was going on.

Grade: C