Mixed Grill Favorites - New Feature at Old Country Buffet

There is a new feature at the Old Country Buffet - and I am sure Ryans too. Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp, Steak, Steak is gone! Thank goodness. The feature that has come in to replace it is called Mixed Grill Favorites.

Now, Mixed Grill on a menu usually means sausage, kidneys, and lamb. Here at Old Country Buffet there is nothing like that - perhaps, we should breath a sigh of relief! The new feature offers three new dishes and the same bad steak that Old Country Buffet has been serving for almost a year or more. The three new dishes are Grilled Pork and Applewood Bacon, BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken, and Rotisserie Chicken. While not mentioned on the sign touting this new feature, there is also are also grilled mixed vegetables called "Montreal Grilled Vegetables" for some unknown reason.

You may be surprised that I am going to rave over something that Old Country Buffet is serving but the Grilled Pork was excellent. It consisted of large strip chunks of pork that were char-grilled to a burnt, crusty exterior but were moist in the middle. The Applewood bacon was almost an afterthought. It is mixed into the serving tray, and perhaps gives the pork some flavor, but the bacon was tough and the pork was great without it. Each piece that I took was blackened, but there were some less done pieces in the serving tray. These may not have been as good, because, in my taste opinion, the charred outside lent to the good taste.

For me this and the "Montreal" grilled vegetables were the highlights of this feature. The vegetables were a mix of zucchini squash, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes grilled and served in a nice light "sauce" (which may have been nothing more than the juices of the vegetables).

The rest of the mixed grill features were just ok - if that. The BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken was just a boneless chicken breast with cheese melted over it and bacon added on top. There was no bbq taste or sauce. It had a mild spice taste and you are not missing anything if you pass it by. The Rotisserie Chicken has not come anywhere near a rotisserie. This is just baked chicken - a little charred on the outside with dry seasoning on the outside. It was not very good. There has been better baked chicken at OCB.

I really don't need to say anything about the steak - you have heard it from me before. This is the same "Rancher's Choice" steak that OCB over cooks, is tough, and not worth eating.

This feature at OCB is offered Monday through Saturday nights - six days a week. I am sure that at Ryan's which is owned by OCB's parent company the feature is the same as at OCB as it has been for months now. At Ryans the feature is usually offered seven nights a week. Also at Ryans I am sure that the steak is MUCH better.

There was a time when the featured items were served in addition to the regular buffet entrees for that particular menu night. Lately, the feature is replacing some of the better things that would be on the buffet if there was no feature.

The best thing about Mixed Grill Favorites is that Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp is gone. The next best thing is the grilled pork. If you go to Old Country Buffet during this feature, try the grilled pork!