I love a buffet. Some of my favorite meals in the past couple years have been in buffets. Others have been. . . not so great. Here are some of the good ones.
Pinoy’s Place is a simple shop, with a register as you enter, a couple steam tables, booths for sitting, with a few long tables for groups. The proprietor and chef – Nelida Santos – is extremely sweet and welcoming. My first trip, she described and named each dish at the buffet: dinuguon, a blood-richened stew, euphemistically called “chocolate stew”; sinigang, a green tamarind tartened soup, filled with pork, potatoes, and okra; chicken afritada, a tomato-based chicken and vegetable stew; longanisa sausage; lechon paksiw, a sweet pork belly stew; bistek, a braised beef stew garnished with fresh onion; kare kare, with peanut sauce and pork; jeprox, crispy fried dried sardines; monggo, stewed fresh mung beans; milkfish in a stew with vegetables; savory jackfruit in coconut milk. Nelida asked if I wanted adobo, and brought two bowls from the kitchen, one pork belly and the other chicken.
In 2019, Filipino food is having “a moment,” but this was not the food of trends. It was solid, home-style food that your mom would cook, if your mom is Filipina. The stews and braised dishes, with rice, were right up my alley. There was so much good food, it was impossible to try everything – the curse of a good buffet. On the way out, Nelita asked if I wanted to take some adobo home with me. I was so full, I said no, but thank you.
Later, I realized that I could have taken some home for Margaret, so she could have the delicious food. Oh well, I thought, I’ll just take her with me next time. She would enjoy the community spirit of the place, as well. In the back corner is a storage area that may be a Filipino dry goods and video rental counter. One time I went and Nelita was at a booth laughing and speaking Tagalog with a group of women; Bobby, her husband who is always there, was sitting at one of the long tables, holding forth with a group of men.
I said I would take Margaret next time. As it turns out, there have been four “next times,” and I still have not taken her. Oh well. . . next time.
Pinoy’s Place – 676 Bockman Rd #D, San Lorenzo, CA
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