Aug 26, 2009 07:26 PM
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(Updated Aug 26, 2009 07:27 PM)
*Walking down into the diner you suddenly get the feeling of having traveled a long way from home. Your surroundings suddenly seemed to have experienced a drastic unnatural change. It is as if God reached down into the United States and picked up a local diner and set it back down in India.
From the typical leather seats to the lighting and from the wall hanging to the tables with souvenirs from different places; ah yes, I must have been dreaming. I pinched myself and there I was standing in the US in the middle of Chennai. *
We were shown to our seats and given a menu to whet our appetites. Today, however, was a special day, it was Friday and that meant Sparkys serves a buffet. My mind was racing, how on earth do you create a buffet out of American food? It sounds far more complicated than the buffets I am so accustomed to. Why settle for one type of food when you can taste the whole lot? Mind you, the following description of the contents of the buffet is not meant for the faint of heart.
*Making my way to the line I have this childlike buzz speeding through my entire body. I pick up my plate and my eyes were over whelmed by the sheer number of things in front of me. To start there were salads, which included a carrot salad that was simply exquisite. Buns were next and that could only mean one thing, yes you got it right, Hamburgers. The various filling that the heart desires were spread across the table, from onions to tomatoes and from mustard to pickles (American).
To top it all off, there was three varieties of patty (Chicken, Beef and Veg). Let me warn you that this was just the beginning. There were chicken strips to keep you busy while you had time to breath between eating your burger. Chicken strips went very well with the mustard. I then noticed sausages, and that could mean only one thing, Hotdogs!!! I recall placing a lot of bums and sausages on my plate, and I have to confess I lost track of the number of burgers and hotdogs I had. Trust me, when food tastes that good, you just keep eating. *
For you sloppy Joes’ fans out there, you will not be disappointed. The blend of meat with beans was perfect for the sloppiest Joes’ on this side of the international dateline. The stir fry caught my attention immediately after the hotdogs and for good reason, it tasted… well… like how stir fry should taste. Following the stir fry, there is pasta made fresh in front of you when you want it. I thought that was a nice touch as cold pasta is not very friendly to the teeth. By now, I figured that I have had enough non-veg in me and should try to be healthier, but then I stumbled upon Chicken Wings and it was accompanied by barbeque sauce. The chicken wings at Sparkys were among the softest that I have ever tasted. Mind you, by now I was extremely full. I will however fill you in on the other delights that my stomach missed. There were lasagnas and a lot of vegetables. The garlic potatoes were extremely tempting however.
It was time to fill up that compartment in my stomach known as the Desert Storage Compartment. I made my way to the desert counter where I was warmly welcome by a plate of ice-cream and brownies. I noticed that there was a dish from Hawaii and its aroma caught my attention better than if a Ferrari had driven by. It had a lot of different fruits heated in a pie and to top it all off, there was a rich cinnamon fragrance that was unparalleled. I went twice for desert, while my Honey (wife) was distracted, so that I could have some more of that Hawaiian dish. A word of caution, if you’re a diabetic like me, you should stop at two trips to the desert counter.
The moment we saw the owner dropping by our table, we could tell that the food that we were having could be trusted. For all of you who are not aware of the Sparkys tag line, it gives you another reason to go there. Trust me, you will not miss it. The owner was extremely courteous and constantly made sure that everything was alright. Must admit, made the food taste better.
*I know that this was a long review, I could have written longer. I’m terribly sorry that I was not able to describe some of the food that was there even better. Well, there could be only one plausible remedy for that, make sure that you take your family there this Friday. It will be a great experience.
*Buffet Charge: Rs.300/- per head(!)
Suggestion: A drink would be a welcome addition to the buffet
