We first visited Emperor's Palace nine years ago in 2005 when it first opened. The owner actually sent me a gift certificate so we could all go there and eat (the first and only restaurant to date who has been so kind!) and I was reasonably generous on my review which is still on my St. Louis "all you can eat" page. The place has not changed much over the years, but the simple fact that they are still in business and serving a good sized crowd on a Friday evening shows that they must be doing something right. They remain the largest buffet around with tons of parking and seating, located in one of the busiest shopping regions in the metro St. Louis area. The have unmatched variety and something that will please everybody.
Case in point were the two teen aged boys in our group. Both of these fellows are genetically 50% of Asian descent, but they spent the evening at the end of the table talking about video games while consuming toasted ravioli, garlic toast, fried potato wedges and ice cream. Both of their recently college graduated siblings, however, (also, of course 50% Asian) sampled all sorts of Asian cuisine, from the sushi, to the many Chinese items and many other unusual morsels difficult to name without labels. Our visiting guest from the Netherlands was also able to find all sorts of vegetarian items that pleased both her palate and her dietary restrictions. Definitely there was nobody who left hungry!
We were seated at a smaller, rather out of the way dining area near the Chinese food end which actually gave our party of 9 a lot more privacy, even after a second group was seated at the table next to us. So we were actually able to start at the Chinese end and look at all the other options before deciding what to select. The interior decor also remains unusually grand and festive, which makes it a more fun place to get up and walk around and select more food than a smaller, less decorated buffet.
They have definitely increased their sushi selections from what they had in 2005, although it was mostly rolls. They did have raw fish on patties (salmon, I believe?) which was fine but not spectacular. We also could not find the wasabi at first, until I spotted it later next to the table where the guy was cutting up more rolls. Another item we thought was missing were the BBQ pork buns in the Dim Sum section, but I later found those on the far right side, separated from the other steaming items by the display case where the sesame seed balls were located. Sometimes having so much stuff makes it difficult to find the specifics. We did appreciate the labels written on the clear covers over the food, although we noticed they were missing in one Vietnamese section. They had quite a variety of seafood, including some very good mussels, and I noticed some frog legs but I decided not to try them due to lack of plate space at the time. There were a number of items I would have sampled if I had more stomach room, but alas, my belly is only so big!
The infamous chocolate fountain remains, although we were wondering how long they recirculate that same chocolate, hoping that bits of it from 2005 were not still not flowing. I was sure not wasting stomach space on anything dipped in that, but I know at least one of the teens did. They also still have personal containers of ice cream and provided caramel and chocolate syrup to put on top. However, it was no easy task to add toppings since the containers had about 1/2" for toppings once you removed the lids. But we managed to use that syrup anyway!
I did not check out the restrooms myself, but reports from the troops make it sound like they were fine. The handicapped stall in the men's room did not latch but the other stall did, and it also provided entertainment in the way of obscene graffiti for ones reading pleasure.
All in all it was a fun, informal and very convenient place for our diverse group of nine people to gather and share a long, friendly meal together with no need to rush. The service was actually very attentive, the price was quite reasonable, and the variety continues to be unmatched. We will have to make it less than nine years before we go back again!
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