Saddle up to the Golden Corral

Since the first day of my 6-year-old son's summer vacation, I knew the restaurant we reviewed this week was going to eventually happen.

As much as I tried not to mention the name of the restaurant, I knew this day would come. I even went out of my way when driving by the building to point at something on the other side of the road so he would not look in the direction on the restaurant.

Imaginary things, even.

“Hey Logan, is that SpongeBob?” as I pointed across the street.

It worked…until earlier this week.

This week Logan finally got his wish and we went to , located at 1591 South Randall Road in Algonquin.

He has been begging me for two months to take him there but I have issues. I am afraid of germs.

I know places like Golden Corral have sneeze guards above all the food, but a majority of the people that dine there are not high enough to sneeze over them. Instead, they sneeze right into the food.

I am aware that not all kids sneeze into the food or touch the food or cough into the food, but I have been to buffets a few times in my life and I have seen it happen more than I would like to think about.

On Monday night my husband and I took Logan and Piper to Golden Corral. The excitement from the back of the van was overwhelming. The kids could not wait. We arrived at around 6 p.m. and walked directly to the register.

For any of my readers who have not had the pleasure of eating at Golden Corral, let me give you a Reader's Digest version of what happens there.

First you place a drink order, then you pay for the people in your party ($10.09 for folks 12 and up, drinks not included; kids ages 9-12 are $6.99; kids ages 4-8 are $5.29; drinks are included for kids). After you pay, you grab your tray and find a place to sit. Then you strap on your feed bag and go.

The Golden Corral staples are a huge salad bar, a baked potato “bar,” several different kinds of soup (the night we were there they had Clam Chowder, Broccoli and Cheese and Chili), a nacho/taco “bar” and many different kinds of sides and mains. Everything is there: Meatloaf, fish, steaks, corn dog nuggets, veggies, rice and potatoes.

They also have a pretty large dessert bar and a soft serve ice cream machine with lots of ice cream toppings.

The kids loved everything they ate. I asked the family to pick what their favorite item was. Logan said the corn dog nuggets were awesome and Piper said she loved the strawberries and the Clam Chowder. I thought the meatloaf was pretty tasty, and Tom thought the fish was really good.

My kids love Golden Corral. They love that they can pick out their own foods and they are allowed to eat something different every time we go. I am sure we will be back to Golden Corral in the future!

More of Annie's Algonquin restaurant reviews:

• (Algonquin Sub Shop)
• A Back-to-School Lunch (Sonic Drive-In and Cafe Firefly)
• Not Just Pancakes at Georgia's Pancake House
• (El Molino)
• (Biaggi's)
• (The Texan Barbeque)
• (Nero's Pizza and Pub)
• (Riverview Restaurant)
• (Reese's Restaurant)
• (Kobe Japanese Steakhouse)
• (Tacos El Norte)
• (Cheeseburgers in Paradise)