St Croix Casino TLC Buffet, Turtle Lake, WI

On the one hand you wonder why this casino is located in desolate Turtle Lake, yet when you drive into the parking lot, location is irrelevant as the casino really packs them in. And when I say "them", I mean seniors, lots of them.

Given its location and the clientele, it made sense the TLC buffet serves with farmer food, the basic staples even more conservative than what I broadly categorize as Midwest food. That's not a complaint but a way of saying the selections won't tickle a foodie's fancy.

The Buffet served a selection of the meat including steak, fried shrimp, baked chicken, baked fish, and the highlight prime rib. The fried shrimp was heavy on the batter. The remaining foods were decent but flat. The prime rib was served rare and tender but lacked a deep intense flavor. I can't complain for the price.

Spaghetti and (exotic!) seafood fettuccine rounded out the pasta offerings. The chicken wild rice soup was loaded with tons of goodies and would have been spectacular if it weren't so salty. The salad bar was conservative and a pass for me. The desserts included some moist white cakes with strawberry and lemon filling plus an assortment of pies.

All in all in it was solid value at $10, especially when you throw in the all you can eat prime rib and that the food is steps above Old Country Buffet offerings. The people were some of the most friendly I've encountered at a buffet. Given that, this will be our sole visit. Nothing was wrong but its a long way for food that we can get anywhere.


631 US Highway 8 63
Turtle Lake, WI

Khoury's - Inver Grove Heights

Khoury's is a family restaurant serving food that is comparable to the offerings of a Perkins or Country Kitchen. They don't offer any dishes that I would consider outside the zone of the stereotypical Midwest palate except maybe the Monte Cristo. That probably explains why each time I've dined there the majority of customers appear to fall into one of two categories: Young midwestern families who would never consider dining at 112 and customers old enough to have dined with the Disciples...Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

I had the Monte Cristo previously. It was good but it was so heavy and it sat uncomfortably in my stomach for hours. Today, I tried the Khoury burger ($9) consisting of a char broiled Angus patty bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, Dijon mayo, and grilled Parmesan wheat bread. The burger was an average rendition of a burger, nothing bad, nothing good. The patty was well done, bland, and on the dry side. The only distinctive note of flavor came from the Dijon. The grilled wheat bread was textural distraction and I would have preferred a quality hamburger bun. Overall the value factor wasn't there. Better burger values can be had at Sonics and American Burger.

If you're looking for safe comfortable food, Khoury's is your stop. If you're looking for food that makes your makes your taste buds dance, there are other stops in the TC.

5660 Bishop Avenue East
Inver Grove Heights, MN