Green Tomato Buffet in Powder Springs, GA: Restaurant Review

Most restaurants in the metro Atlanta area serving soul food or home style cooking come under a great deal of scrutiny. You see, if you have lived in the South for any substantial period of time, you will understand how very discriminating people can be about their soul food. I happen to be one of those people. I can recall once visiting a "This is It!" restaurant chain in Smyrna and was extremely disappointed with their soggy and tasteless selections. And while I understand that the quality of food and service vary greatly from place to place, I didn't hold out too much hope that the Green Tomato Buffet restaurant in Powder Springs would be much better. But I was in for a pleasant surprise.

The Look

Anyone who has visited the Powder Springs area (close to McEachern High School) knows that this rural area is slowly shaping into a sprawling "metropolis" of dynamic mini-malls. Nestled in the midst of one of the city's mini-malls is the Green Tomato Buffet, a restaurant that boasts "Country Home Cooking."

Walking into the Green Tomato, I was assaulted by bright fluorescent lights and pale yellow walls. Indeed, the eatery has a nondescript, yet comforting atmosphere. Diners seat themselves, place their drink orders, and then head to the all-you-can-eat buffet.

The Food

Take a look at the double serving bars and you'll immediately notice that the food does look as if it's been cooked by loving hands. But everyone knows that looks can be deceiving; and I have been tricked before. I took this opportunity to sample as many of the dishes as I could stomach (no pun intended).

Put your ear to the screen, and I'll tell you a secret: The collard greens and cabbage are as good as my mother's(sssshhhh!)-seasoned to perfection and not overcooked. The sweet potatoes were also a delight: lumpy, chunky, and made completely from scratch. I wasn't particular pleased with my fried chicken breast. It was relatively tasty, but a bit too dry. However, I can chalk that up to a mediocre batch. Some of the other buffet items included roast beef (incredibly succulent) with potatoes, rice, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and a substantial salad and dessert bar. Typically, when I've visited chain soul food restaurants such as this one, the fare tends to have that artificially home-cooked taste-mere facsimiles of authentic home style cooking. But this certainly was not one of them. Even the iced tea had the perfect tea-to-sugar ratio.

Is the Green Tomato Buffet worth the trip?

After doing a bit of research, I realized that the Green Tomato Buffet has a few locations sprinkled throughout the metro area. I also learned that the chain has South Korean owners and cooks. The service itself is what you would expect in a home-style restaurant: waitresses giving the customers pet names like Sweetie, Darlin', or Honey. And Linda, my gracious waitress, made me feel right at home-even offering to bring a small bowl of macaroni and cheese directly to my table as soon as the bar was replenished. The clientele is a colorful mix of elderly, construction workers, suburban city slickers, and ordinary folk-all hoping to fatten their bellies with food that tastes like it was cooked by Grandma.

And if you're wondering how much a feast like this will set you back, put aside about $8, and you can eat like a king-for this meal costs a mere $6.51 plus tax. (Now where else can you eat like that during a recession?)

SOURCES:

(My Happy Stomach)