NJ BBQ Buffet in Ridgefield Park

[Jason Perlow]

If you're a fan of Korean barbeque, this is definitely a place you should be going  --- this 3 month old Mecca of Short Ribs has quietly been getting lots of business lately from the local Korean community for its great ribs, great appetizer/banchan selection (great buffalo wings and fried shrimp) and sushi (normal selection of basic choices but good quality) at cheap all-you-can eat prices. If you are starving for piles of marinated red meat and you want instant gratification, this is the place.

Rachel and I and Jon ate here twice this last week, thats how much we liked it. Lunch is the best bargain of all - $10 per person gets you all you can eat short ribs and buffet selection (includes maki-sushi: eel, california, spicy tuna rolls, veggie) and free soft drinks. Dinner during the week is $16.95 per person and includes unlimited lobster and cocktail shrimp and snow crab (the sushi as above, plus nigiri-sushi of salmon and eel). Weekends dinner is $19, we didnt try it then. The cocktail shrimp were good, but i thought the lobsters were a bit overcooked, but not bad if you picked through em and ate em with cocktail sauce. Rachel felt the snow crab was watery, I didnt try it. While soft drinks are free, be aware their liquor prices are steep -- my bottle of Jinro Soju set me back $12.

The main event itself -- the galbi -- is excellent. Theres a big barbeque area where two guys are slapping tons of marinated beef short ribs onto a grill, and you line up and basically take as much as you want, as long as the queue isn't too long or some people get pissed, as they only put out about 2 plates worth at a time -- so basically the best technique is to go with a group of 3 or 4 people and and have one person grab about half a plateful at a time and then send the next person up, so theres always ribs at the table. During dinner during the week the queue wasnt as long as during lunch as the place was not as packed.

The place is located right near the end of Teaneck Rd in Ridgefield Park.

NJ BBQ Buffet Restaurant

53 Bergen Turnpike

Ridgefield Park NJ 07660

201-229-1099

[Rachel Perlow]

Just a few additional notes:

- I thought the lobster was pretty good. It was firm and served cold. I thought of it like a lobster cocktail.

- On the cold buffet area near all the panchan was a tray of mussels. Again, like mussel cocktail, cold and served with cocktail sauce. I've had mussels at other buffet type places and they are usually overcooked and rubbery. On both of our visits they were perfectly cooked and juicy, what a pleasant surprise.

- They also have several selections of soup. I had the pumpkin soup which was delicous. It was like the squash soup I serve at Thanksgiving but tasted like it was made with the same Korean broth that tofu soup is made with.

- The hot buffet selections included a couple fish choices, some chinese stir fry, baked chicken, and at dinner there was a roast pork carving station.

- Desserts are simple, just fruit, jello and ginger-sesame cookies, although we only saw the cookies at dinner not lunch.

A while back there was a thread about Mikado Seafood Buffet in Hackensack. We thought is was OK and have been there a couple times but haven't been back for several months. This place is way better and we will probably be returning often.

[thereuare]

Is this the former location of Mount Fuji?

Tonite i'm going back to my new (ok, a few months new) favorite, Lighthouse, but i'll put this place on the list to try in the next few weeks.

For others that like asian buffets, there is a GREAT chinese buffet on Rte 17 near the Mahwah/Ramsey border called The Grand Buffet (southbound side, across the street from the Pathmark shopping center).  Unlike most other buffets, the trays are small so they are CONSTANTLY refilling them with fresh food, and most of it is VERY good.  It's another "bargain" at only $10 or $11 for dinner.  However, on holidays they do a "Special Buffet" with seafood which i don't really like as much (and the price goes up, but i'm not too much of a seafood fan).

Thanks for the tip on the new place.

[jhlurie]

I was only present for the lunch buffet--not the dinner--but for $10 it's an unbeatable deal.  Galbi is present in unlimited amounts (spelled Kalbi in their restaurant), but several of the seafood "dinner" items described by Jason and Rachel were missing.

The best non-cooked item had to be the spicy lettuce.  I've now decided that lettuce is inherently useless until it is marinated in a Korean red pepper brine.  Well, not quite, but the spicy lettuce sure is good.  It's crunchier than kimchee.

Points for both Lighthouse and NJ BBQ:

-The NJ BBQ ribs are at the quality level of Lighthouse, and more plentiful.  One for NJ BBQ.

-Lighthouse is cheaper for dinner, if you aren't in an all-you-can-swallow mood.  One for Lighthouse.

-Other hot items are good at NJ BBQ--Lighhouse's non-meat hot items didn't impress me much, except for the Soups.  One for NJ BBQ.

-Lighthouse still wins for Tofu specialties, but NJ BBQ doesn't even seem to HAVE Bulgogi.  Much missed.  One for Lighthouse.

-Free soft drinks at NJ BBQ!  One for NJ BBQ.

-NJ BBQ gets all smoky inside.  One for Lighthouse.

-NJ BBQ has a nice view of the Hackensack River.  It also overlooks a Train bridge--but the train is actually entertaining--not too loud.  One for NJ BBQ.

-Lighthouse's fantastic spicy pickles are not present at NJ BBQ--another sacrifice.  One for Lighthouse.

[thereuare]

One more question (so i know what to crave on may way there)....

are the shrimp at dinner still in the shell (ala Beefsteak Charlies fame) or are they already peeled?  I"m assuming they are in the shell.

To me, the hassle of peeling shrimp for the small morsel inside isn't worth the trouble.

EDIT: a second question since Tommy didn't ask... BYO??

[tommy]

To me, the hassle of peeling shrimp for the small morsel inside isn't worth the trouble.

and your fingers smell of some crazy funk when you're done.  definitely not worth it.

[Jason Perlow]

thereyouare: Not BYO. It has a liquor license.

And yes, shrimp still in shells.

[Rachel Perlow]

Shimp cocktail & crab were not worth bothering with. Lobster, mussels and fried shrimp were.

I don't think it used to be Mt. Fuji. I think it used to be a dance club or something called Millenium, then Club LeBleu. They changed hands a few times. I used to work next door at Crystal Clear (they are having a warehouse sale right now if anyone is insterested, click here).

They also do catering too in a separate room.

[Rachel Perlow]

Jason and I returned there last night with jhlurie and his brother. Saturday night is obviously the busiest night of the week for them, just as it is for most restaurants. However, the staff seemed a little overwhelmed by the crowd. Drink refills and table clearing was more sporadic and the galbi grill was unattended for at least 20 minutes. When the grill was being manned again there were longer lines than we had ever seen before and the meat was being portioned out, rather than set out on platters (on previous visits we were fill a plate and bring back to the table to share among all of us).

Also, this time the lobster was brought to our table, one half-lobster per person, and that's it, no seconds, it was not on the buffet display. I asked the waitress about it and she said, it is "sometimes" on the buffet. So, our fist visit there must have been one of the rare occasions when they had it on the buffet. The rest of the buffet was pretty similar to other nights (many hot and cold choices, but not the same choices everynight). I would like to mention that previously the fish had been excellent and interesting, last night it was just poached salmon and it was overcooked.

Sushi, on the other hand, was just as good as on our other dinner time visit. Other asian buffet places seem to use a lot more rice when making their sushi, the nigiri here is very delicate. I especially enjoyed the salmon and eel.

Our conclusion, lunch is the best value, weekday dinner if you are in the mood for more seafood, and never go on a Saturday night! Actually, I'd assume Friday night is just as crazy and make that don't go on any weekend night.