Al Hamra’s lavish buffet takes us to Jordan and more LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
Red snapper and sumac-rubbed chicken with sauteed onions flank a porton of kushari, a spicy rice, pasta, and lentil dish.Here’s something you won’t often hear me say: I love an all-you-can-eat buffet. Specifically, I love the buffet at Al Hamra Halal Mediterranean Buffet at Mid City Mall. Buffet, schmuffet: This is the only place I know of where you can fill up on Jordanian specialties and pull forkfuls of tender, juicy meat off a whole roast lamb.
I accept that it’s unusual to praise a buffet, though, because – with a few worthy exceptions that I’ll get around to shortly – foodies generally loathe buffets, with good reason. Why the hate? Buffetphobia seems to stem from several concerns, most of which I share: Too much food, a monument to gluttony. Overpriced, unless you eat more than you should. Boring selection. And do those sneeze shields work? You get the idea. It feels prudent to be wary.
But there are exceptions. I’m willing to suspend disbelief for an Indian buffet or a lavish weekend brunch. To that list I now eagerly add the Al Hamra buffet. It’s bountiful, it’s carefully curated, and it’s good.
Al Hamra fills the space once occupied by Mid City Super Buffet, an otherwise forgettable Chinese buffet that, as the name implies, held an exceptional number of buffet tables.
The new tenants haven’t changed the decor much. The room still features red pagoda-look roofs over the buffet tables and Asian-style art etched into the glass booth dividers.
But we came for the food, and Al Hamra delivers. I counted seven buffet tables housing at least 70 buffet pans. That’s a lot of choice ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/al-hamraYou'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/Al Hamra Halal Mediterranean BuffetMid City Mall
1250 Bardstown Road, Suite 19
394-4801
facebook.com/alhamrabuffet
Robin Garr’s rating: 86 points
Noise level: The busy lunchtime crowd generated a happy buzz, but tall glass panels surrounding three sides of our booth created a relatively quiet space. (The average sound level within this sanctuary was 73dB, the sound level of normal conversation.)
Accessibility: Buffet table service may be difficult for unassisted wheelchair users with limited hand and arm mobility. Otherwise, the restaurant space and restrooms are accessible to wheelchair users..