Had lunch this week at the Asian Garden Restaurant, formerly Great Wall Chinese. This is a good Chinese buffet conveniently located near the Fox River Mall at 405 N. Mall Drive, Appleton. The restaurant features a large spread of items, rivaling that of Hong Kong Buffet in Neenah. It's a good choice for lunch, with comfortable booths and a quiet atmosphere. The food is good and fresh with an excellent variety, but not many of the dishes stand out as really excellent -- a common problem for buffets, of course. The buffet includes a Mongolian barbecue, but the selection of ingredients is relatively small and the cook prepares only one person's food at a time, resulting in a painfully slow wait during busy times. I suggest skipping the Mongolian barbecue and focusing on other items, including the good California rolls and excellent variety of fruit. Open all week long. Phone: (920) 954-8888.

Other good Chinese buffets in the area include two of my favorite places, Hong Kong Buffet on Main Street in Neenah, and Mindu's on west Wisconsin Avenue, with a smaller selection but generally higher quality items, including a broader selection of simple sushi items (California rolls, etc.). I also like China Dragon near Regal Cinema on the southeast side of Appleton and China Buffet on Northland, in the Northland Mall. These are described in more detail on my page about dining in Appleton.