Out of town special: Amishland Red Barn Buffet

We decided to take a break from lab and went shopping in Tuscola and as we were shopping we saw a giant sign advertising an Amish buffet!

Who could resist that sign? At first we thought it was connected to the hotel...but we were a bit off...It actually is a gigantic red barn.

 At the entrance of the building there is a section full of handcrafted furniture as well as preserves you can buy. As you walk passed the entrance and into the bulk of the store, it was no longer reminiscent of a mom and pop Amish store, but instead of a free for all flea market. There were miniature buildings inside the giant barn complete with streets and street signs. There was a shop dedicated for cheese and jewelry (odd combination), for old coke novelties, as well as a shop for UIUC memorabilia.

For some reason there was also a wax statue of a horse and buggy (I guess for tourists?) As you walked along the center you soon saw a sign directing you to the buffet....(I bet the buffet was there to lure you into buying stuff you would never use)

If you are wondering why all of our pictures are dark and  desolate, it's because the store was apparently closing around us when we were wondering around. Oddly enough, the buffet wasn't closed.. just the stores surrounding it...

Sign and entrance inside the barn

There were only 2 buffet islands open though it looked like they have more room to expand if it were more busy. The two islands comprised of one with hot food and one with salad and desert. There was also soup but we were too scared to try it.

Cold food including salad and jellos

Hot food bar including noodles and fried chicken

                

Fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes , bread, noodles annnnd.....'desert'

Final Review:

Environment: 6/10

Boy, was this place bizarre! There was only one other group who were there and they happened to be Asian tourists who had just finished/started shopping. The decor seemed like something Gordon Ramsey should fix in Kitchen Nightmares. It could have filmed The Shining and I wouldn't be surprised. There was odd decor all over the walls that were supposed to scream Amish, but instead screamed murdered children (little kids clothing next to a hoe?) and there were odd cabinets put on random places.

Overall, the place isn't terrible for a group of people. There's plenty of seating and plenty of leg room.  We wouldn't recommend this place for a first date since it is already an awkward place but it is good for a chuckle for a seasoned couple. It will also work if you are out shopping with a group of friends.

 

Food Review

Tiffany - Taste 3/10 Price 3/10 Fullness 9/10

The only thing that remotely saved them was the fried chicken. It was extremely juicy and probably one of the best I had ever eaten. Everything else though was upsetting. There was congealed chicken noodle, almost-hardened gravy and mashed potato probably from a box. I passed on the salad because it was wilted and not the freshest looking thing ever. I got the desert thinking it would be okay; looked kind of like ice cream but it definitely wasn't. Maybe its a traditional Amish food I'm not aware of but green coolwhip marshmallows with pineapples is not something I would ever try again. Even though there was a chocolate one.

Yanfen - Taste: Chicken: 10/10, others: 1/10  Price: 8/10 Fullness: 10/10

Their chicken was to die for! The breading was seasoned well, the meat was tender and juicy, and it was just really good! Unfortunately, everything else was miserable. All the food looked like it had been sitting out for a while and tasted like it too. If you are in the Tuscola area and want some good chicken (and chicken only) then give this place a try!

 

 

 

 

 

Price Check

Yanfen: ~$10
Tiffany: ~$10

Overall:
Tiffany: $166.17
Yanfen: $184.27