Take the US-50 exit (away from Fair Oaks) off of I-66. Make a right onto Waples Mill and go into the mini-mall that is right there.

Price will vary a lot, and it generally makes sense... you'll pay more for a spread that features parts of a crab. You'll pay incrementally less as the unidentifiable bits in the pork fired rice mount. My favorite Chinese buffet is on Rt. 29 next to the Inn Zone; it's dirt cheap and they've got all sorts of crazy crap in the rice. So CC2 is somewhere in the middle; there's nothing really expensive that you load up on if you want to stick it to the man, but everything would confidently pass a health code inspection. Ergo, the price also rides the middle rail (uh, I think I paid $7 for lunch). Hey, I just called them CC2; that's pretty awesome. A good nickname speaks volumes for a place, even when it shouldn't through any logical means... Oh, I think they had more sushi than you'd normally see at these places, but I can't vouch for it's quality. Every time I make an effort to train my palette to the delicacies of sushi, I end up $20 in the hole swearing to never again throw my money away on food that I wasabied the taste out of anyway. I'm the same way with wine; always buying good wine and then trying to look macho by adding too much wasabi...

CC2 (totally awesome!) has none of those Mongolian Grill sections, and I think that's cool. Mongolian Grill food is good, but it's so much better at the dedicated places; I've seen it's inclusion work against other buffets. Matt saved his fortune cookie but I didn't... I think it was one of those non-fortunes, the ones that are just platitudes. When the hell did this start? I don't care if I really get a compliment from an attractive stranger or not, I just want to know my future! I'm going to make a Chinese restaurant with magic eight-balls in the center of every table, so they can dispense fortunes all night. And then I'll bastardize some other culture... yeah, tandori beef...

But I digress. . .

China Chef II sports three, count 'em three rows of buffet tables. Complimenting Chinese favorites like General Tsao's Chicken and Pork Dumplings you can find specialties like crinkle cut fries and chocolate pudding. This restaurant makes no attempt at authenticity - it knows it is about sheer unadulterated gluttony at a reasonable price.

Which brings me to my next point - the strategy involved in the modern buffet. Buffets are truly the thinking man's way to eat. A fool fills up on rice and soup early on and only achieves one or two plates. Being a fan of pork fried rice, this has been my traditional folly. A wise man hits the meat first and frequently, changing styles and flavors to fool the stomach into not knowing how much it has eaten. Soup and drink must be kept to a minimum - like desert reptiles your hydration must come from the food itself. Slowly shift from the pure meat (The General's chicken, the red buffalo, etc.) to the side dish category. Dumplings work well in this arena and CC² has good ones. To finish the buffet trifecta, I recommend a light dessert - fruit and jello.

Of course, every Chinese meal ends with a cookie that gives you and ancient fortune. Mine was: "Standing still is the most foolish step one can make".