Mo-Mo-Paradise - Torrance

Quality ingredients: crispy and fresh veggies, several types of noodles, and more veggies than you can name, including tofu for vegetarians to get their protein. They even have a boba/jelly bar to wash it all down.

A split pot of sukiyaki and kimchi bases will cover all your bases. There's soy sweetness to counter a pickled burn. 

The beef is amazing quality. Sliced so thin it cooks almost instantly. The fattier cut is more juicy, and the leaner is more beefy. The pork looks amazing as well. 

Go when you're hungry and go with friends who know how to hot pot properly. Use all your time and take your time to enjoy every bite. You'll want multiple plates for all the selections, and you'll need to have an appetite to enjoy them all. Eat as much or as little as you like here. You'll get your money's worth either way. 

Wicked Spoon UPDATE - Las Vegas, NV

They say you learn a lot in the first year in marriage; about you, about your partner, and about who you are together. People like to tell me that couples grow together as two individuals evolve and establish their identity as a couple. We have grown together quite a bit. And we have grown...to hate buffets. 

We don't hate Wicked Spoon, but it's the whole concept of buffets that bothers us. To have our favorite delicacies made into bulk-buys is just too painful to process, both emotionally AND physically considering the amount of butter and fat.

One thing I do like about Wicked Spoon is their small plates. They're much higher quality than you'd expect from a buffet, and there's an impressive variety. These cocktail shrimp are sizable, and the beet salad is nice. Both the calamari and the octopus ceviche are awful, though. The pulpo has the texture of pulverized pulp.

More shrimp, well-seasoned and tender over an extremely buttery polenta. Too much butter, but butter does taste good. 

The sushi bar is a bit disappointing today, with salmon sushi only and not much else that isn't California or cooked. Oh well, there's no disappointment these three pieces of bone marrow can't fix.

They do know how to make octopus right. The two slices over a garlicky squid ink linguine are tender and perfect. The pasta is al dente, which is impressive at a buffet. Charred broccolini breaks up all the butter, and what's the harm in a few more bones of marrow?

Don't get me started on the crab legs. These are NOT snow crab. Whether they're dungeness or Jonah, I'm not sure, but they are definitely not snow crab. They actually taste better than the pre-frozen, watery snow crab they had last time, but lying to your customers is NOT cool. Seafood scampi is made to order. Clams, mussels, and crawfish are a great combination, and I would have gotten more, but I didn't feel like waiting in line. Makin' it surf n' turf with leg of lamb. It's fresh, and I love it. 

I'm just here for the dessert anyway. Chocolate cake, mango mousse, creme brulee. The vanilla mousse cone is still my favorite, and the chocolate-covered strawberries are irresistible. They have a lot of gelato and sorbet as well, and it's always a good idea to grab a scoop on your way out. 

My opinion of Wicked Spoon hasn't changed, and I'm sure it'll be the same next time I'm there. I'm still pissed about the crab legs purely out of principle - I actually hope they don't change them back. And I will be back as well. Wicked Spoon is a little pricey, but it's pretty reasonable for all the stuff you get, and though I don't love buffets, this is one I can still find somewhat enjoyable.

Sushi Pier - Sparks, NV

There is a god, the camping is over. Everything I own is no longer be covered in a layer or dirt or dust, myself included, and I find myself in a luxurious world of flushing toilets and cell phone chargers. It's time for my first real meal, too, and I will eat anything that isn't freeze dried from a bag.

Sparks doesn't offer much, but I've been literally eating dirt for the past week so AYCE sushi sounds like the best lunch in the world.

The AYCE menu is myriad in offerings, and the apps have potential. Mussels in the Half Shell are baked with a spicy mayo of sorts, but this is one seafood dynamite that isn't going to blow anyone's mind. The mussels taste like they've been frozen for longer than the polar icecaps. 

Tempura Stuffed Calamari sounds like all my favorite things; low-end crab, shrimp, scallop...jammed into a rubber squid. Ewww...Even eel sauce can't save this one.

The rolls will do. The Rainbow Roll has tuna, yellowtail, and salmon squeezed inside, sprinkled with tobiko on top. It's a fine, middle-of-the-road roll, but I prefer the fresh fish overlay. The San Francisco Roll is, like their other rolls, a "meh" and a shrug. The tempura shrimp is crisp and the avocado is ripe, though, so I can't really complain.  

I'm really here for the nigiri, and we are loading up. The Tuna is fine, the Surf Clam is a small settle, and the Salmon Skin with Octopus hand roll is like night and day. The salmon skin is crisp with a satisfying crunch, but the octopus has the texture of an undercooked slug.

The Eel is whatever, and everything else has a thin layer of slime on it. Spit those Scallops out before you get food poisoning, though the Octopus is quite an improvement from the hand roll, and the Salmon is surprisingly okay.

$16.95 for AYCE lunch isn't the worst deal if you're up for a day of gluttony. It really hit the spot when I was hurting, but I wouldn't go back unless my standards were low. 

Wicked Spoon - Las Vegas, NV

$50 per person for a more upscale Vegas buffet. I haven't tried anything fancier than the seafood at Rio so I'm pretty stoked. We sit down to polite, speedy service, and the unlimited soft drinks are a plus. Our server keeps those drinks full, and she's easy to find when we need her. 

Already, things are looking up, and it's time to grab a plate. My plates are the gold standard of tangential, and I choose carefully, visiting every single station because FOMO is the only thing stronger than starvation. 

First plate starts Italian, but the seafood takes over soon. There's a truffle fettuccini with cream sauce, a dense alfredo and can't-say-no truffles. The pasta is impressively not overcooked. I love me a good polenta, and this one is smooth enough with juicy mushrooms on top, but both the polenta and the gravy have started to congeal. I had no less than 5 pieces of bone marrow with kimchee glaze. Marrow itself isn't great quality, but quantity can equal quality when you're talking about butter with a hint of meat. The glaze doesn't add anything, but I do recommend using salt. The sushi station is never skipped. Salmon and hamachi nigiri and some select rolls. All are fresh, and the rice is almost acceptable. There's mediocre but refreshing shrimp ceviche in the seafood section, but the Mexican corn is just meh. Props for the cotija cheese, though.

There wasn't enough space for snow crab legs on the first plate, but I'm making up for lost time on the second. There's also a very fresh tuna poke with fleshy red slice in a light shoyu, and it's one of the better things I've had. There's also a beet ravioli in butter that I can't resist, and this al dente decision is a good one. Pesto cream coats crispy gnocchi, satisfying, but I let it get cold.

The oxtail pho sounds irresistible, but it disappoints. The broth is too salty, and the meat on the bone is tough.

The dessert bar may be the best part of this buffet. Rows and stack of shiny, tiny things, a free-for-all sugarfest of a feast. Macarons are just okay - they're too hard to make well in this kind of bulk. The raspberry does taste like a sweetened raspberry, though. Props for being kinda close enough. I'm a sucker for a childhood snack, and the rice crispy treat has the right ratio of marshmallow to snap-crackle-pop. My favorite is the vanilla mousse cone; creamy mousse and a crispy cone. The chocolate tart is the best-made thing they have, a smooth mousse and a rich, crumbly center. I will also have the cake. ALL the cake. Tres leches is moist and milky-sweet, passionfruit fun-fetti will do, there are lemon cakes Sansa-style, and the mango cake is lighter than it looks. Oh, and the bread pudding is the best. The bread pudding is always the best.

It may be a mass-produced buffet, but Wicked Spoon can be wicked cool. The buffet stays well-supplied, and the service is a pleasant surprise, but we probably would have liked it more if we had gone at a better time. The never-ending buffet dilemma: 5PM beats the crowd, but all the stuff tends to sit. Brave a longer line and be prepared to fight for the better foods. Either option works; guess I'll have come back at a better time.

Meet in Paris - Culver City

Some foods are impossible to eat attractively. I'll bite the tail off a cocktail shrimp, I chew my salad like a cow on a grassy knoll, and it's a great day when my mouth stays closed for the duration of the meal. That's why I like mussels. They're a lot more forgiving, and you have the option of using a fork or an empty shell to dig out the meaty middle, which is a lot more civilized than I being elbows-deep in a Maryland crab. 

Wait, what? Unlimited mussels? Meet in Paris does mussel Mondays. And Tuesday is for tacos, But mussels kind of look like tacos so they're on Tuesdays too. They'll even do it on Wednesdays because hump day is always a good day for mussels.

The first was the fave, a steaming Thai pot of sweet n' sour tom-yummy lemongrass in coconut milk.

The mussels are consistently tender. On the smaller side, but smaller ones are sweeter, and there's more surface area for sauce. The Marinara is classic, a tinge of merlot, red tomato with a small shot of spice. 

The Roquefort is creamy (shocking), light and white, pungent with cheesy garlic and wine.

The Moutarde Ancienne is an interesting combo; a super-creamy, super-savory, practically-fondue stew of thick bacon chunks that walks on the wilder side with tender mushrooms and aromatic mustard.

What a deal. So many mussels on so many weekdays, and so many sauces to share. I have yet to try the other dishes, but I'll Meet in Paris for unlimited mussels anytime!

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot - Torrance

It has recently occurred to me that people complain a lot about me taking pictures of every single piece of food that passes my lips. The bad news is, no matter how ravenous you feel, you can't eat until I get my snapshot. The good news is, I've learned a lot about food photography this way, and I now plan to share my wisdom with you. 

Like a flavorful hot pot, it all boils down to the action shots. Here, a vivid and serene depiction of the Half & Half hot pot, a yin and yang of the House Original and House Spicy broths...

pales in comparison to the bubbling action of froth and foam, as Tong Ho, Oyster Mushrooms, Broccoli, and fishy Hot Pot Dumplings are captured mid-cook.

Cooking is hot but not nearly as hot as the raw beauty of pristine ingredients in the rough. Everyone likes a good story, and here is the opportune time to present those meaty cuts of Lamb Shoulder and marvelous marbles of Angus Beef.

Contrast is key in making sure your readers never get bored. The stark black plate highlights the pre-pink potential of the uncooked House Shrimp Balls.

No one wants a never-ending novel depicting only veggies or meat. Add some Wide Potato Noodles and Udon to the mix...

or show some steaming Sponge Tofu to shake things up.

The hearty House Lamb Wontons were easily one of the best things on the menu. Here we incorporate all the elements of an excellent photo in one simple action shot of that juicy little game-changer being dropped into a steaming pot.

The meal is done, and in down to my final paragraph of pro tips. If you've been studying with fervid interest, hoping to glean some wisdom from my words, I hope you have by now realized that I am FOS. When I say I am a photographer, it is actually pronounced photo-grapher. Not like the artist, but more like a professional burner of retinas. I am, like most Asian girls with a cell phone camera, just another photo-crazy foodie, so I advise you to disregard all of my advice on photography. Do take my advice, however, and go to Little Sheep for some AYCE hot pot.