I like All You Can Eat places, not necessarily buffets though. I like the idea of AYCE when I'm in the mood for variety.

Out here in SoCal, we have a lot of AYCE Korean BBQ (where you grill your own meat on a gas burner at the table) and AYCE Shabu-Shabu (Japanese style fondue in boiling broth, also on a burner at your table). The meat quality isn't as high quality as some of the premium places where you pay a la carte, but since the meat is traditionally sliced thin, the difference can be acceptable. The AYCE is a result of family style eating, not necessarily a draw for gluttony--the price usually comes out more expensive than if you went and just ordered a la carte at a non-premium place. Usually $35-50 a person, depending on quality.

I also like AYCE Sushi if I'm just craving sushi rolls. There are a few places here where the rolls are prepared as you order them, along side the guests who are ordering a la carte, but you just pay a set price. I can forgive non-premium fish if you are just eating the basics like tuna, salmon and yellowtail in or on a roll, but I do appreciate that the nori isn't stale from sitting out for more than a few minutes.

The only times I really hit a buffet is in Vegas when you have access to the $60 premium buffets at the high end hotels like the Bellagio.

I was at a Shoney's breakfast buffet in Florida and I witnessed a family of 4 eat more bacon than I though possible and at one point when new bacon arrived they sent mom up to literally guard it and they all went up so she could fill their plates

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I also like AYCE Sushi if I'm just craving sushi rolls. There are a few places here where the rolls are prepared as you order them, along side the guests who are ordering a la carte, but you just pay a set price. I can forgive non-premium fish if you are just eating the basics like tuna, salmon and yellowtail in or on a roll, but I do appreciate that the nori isn't stale from sitting out for more than a few minutes.

I visited an all-you-can-eat sushi place, and they had a sign strictly enforcing that "you must eat your rice". Apparently, they had a problem with people taking endless rolls, eating the fish from the middle, and just throwing away the rice. Very low class. It said you can eat sushi, not all you can eat sashimi!

I loved eating crab legs......until I saw a body being pulled out of water off Key Biscayne, Fla.

Victim apparently got drunk, fallen off a boat and drowned. He was in the water several days.

It was another kind of Crab Fest.

My main experience with buffets is in Casinos. I play poker as a hobby, so when I'm in one, the buffet is always an option. And if they have crab legs, they're usually part of the assortment I get. And yes, I can go through a bunch of them. I look at it this way, they're one of the less screwed with foods on the buffet, compared to a lot of other stuff they serve. And they're usually good. Finally, I've never had stomach issues after eating at one of these.

This is really nice if I play enough to get them as a comp.