For Chinese Buffet in Stony Brook, Yin & Yang is the Place to Be

For my money, there's no dining experience more enjoyable than a good buffet. Yin & Yang Grand Buffet, located at 2548 Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook, New York, is one of the best around.

I leave it to others to sing the praises of a trendy but limited menu, meticulous service, fancy table linens, and a romantic milieu. My dining preferences are based on food, not ambiance. The way I see it, there are too many good things to be eaten to limit oneself to a single choice of entrée, potato, and veg. Variety is the spice of life, and a variety of spices makes life that much more interesting. Let me wander amongst an assortment of well-prepared dishes, sampling at my leisure and returning as often as I wish for more of those dishes that please my palate, and I am a very contented customer.

Which brings me back to Yin & Yang, one of the finest Chinese eateries I have encountered in my long and diverse experience of Chinese dining. There's nothing fancy about Yin & Yang's concept: The place is large and clean, the food is ample and varied, and everything is delicious. Yin & Yang has something for everyone. While the kids gorge on fried rice, egg rolls, spare ribs, and the restaurant's surprisingly tasty french fries, adults can treat themselves to Yin & Yang's more subtle and satisfying offerings.

Begin, if you so choose, with a bowl of egg drop, wonton, or hot and sour soup. Personally, I see no reason to fill up on soup at a buffet in which there more tasty dishes are offered than I can comfortably sample at a single meal. Chicken dishes include the standard sesame and General Tso's variations as well as zestier black pepper and subtly sweet coconut varieties. Seafood fans can enjoy addictive salt-and-pepper shrimp or shrimp in lobster sauce as well as the truly outstanding salmon in garlic sauce. Meat eaters will enjoy the boneless spare ribs and Mongolian beef with onions, while vegetarians can fill up on tofu and mixed vegetables in a tasty brown sauce. Other tasty vegetable dishes include fresh string beans, mushrooms in oyster sauce, steamed bok choy, broccoli, and delicious Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce. Those who come for dinner can feast on crab legs as well, although separating the edible portion of the crustacean from its shell always struck me as more trouble than it's worth.

Other popular offerings include such traditional favorites as assorted dim sum (steamed dumplings), scallion pancakes, peanut-centered sesame balls, and cheese-filled fried wontons. A selection of freshly-prepared sushi is always available at Yin & Yang, as is a Chinese-style salad bar featuring pickled radish, delicately-seasoned cucumber slices, bamboo shoots, seaweed salad, and a varied assortment of other less exotic items.

The only hard part of dining at Yin & Yang is leaving room for dessert. The ice cream at Yin & Yang is not the watery, soft-serve kind that is found all too often at suburban buffets. Ice cream here is the real deal, available in a choice of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio as well as orange sherbet. (If your childhood memories include eating Creamsicles on a hot summer night, try mixing vanilla ice cream with orange sherbet for a satisfying trip down memory lane.) The Chinese donuts here are excellent, and the usual assortment of cakes, almond cookies, and puddings is always available. For the health-conscious, pineapple chunks, sliced peaches, and assorted melons make a fine ending-or beginning-for any meal.

How the folks at Yin & Yang can prepare so many different dishes so well at such a reasonable price and present them buffet-style with no loss of quality is a mystery that I am content to let others ponder. If your previous experience with Chinese buffet dining has been disappointing, you will be very pleasantly surprised by a visit to Yin & Yang. Prices are under $8 (!) for lunch and under $15 for dinner, with kids paying considerably less.