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Customers at Grand East Buffet in New Carrollton can choose from time-tested staples, such as fried chicken, snow crab legs and barbeque spare ribs, or they can venture off the beaten buffet path and try an authentic Chinese dessert, such as logan.

And while many Grand East regulars go for the fried American offerings, manager Joe Ni said the restaurant's 30 Chinese dishes have developed a faithful following since the buffet opened six years ago.

Logan, a cold, sweet, crunchy dessert in the shape of a large grape is shipped to Grand East Buffet from New York every few days, Ni said. Customers were seen piling logan on their dessert plates on a recent Saturday afternoon in the New Carrollton restaurant — even Darrel Nix of Landover, a self-described buffet traditionalist.

"I stick with [dishes] like chicken wings for [my main meal]," said Nix, who eats at Grand East about twice a month. "But I can't help ... but get [logan]. How can you come here and walk past something so sweet?"

Grand East's employees frequently have to refill the buffet's teriyaki section, but Ni said the logan dessert draws questions from curious customers.

"People always ask where they can buy it," Ni said, adding that he doesn't know of a local seller offering logan.

Grand East's lunch buffet is $6.99 on weekdays, and $7.49 on Saturdays and Sundays. Children 6 to 10 years old can eat for $4.29. Peter Awah and his son, Paul Akongnwi, stick with the restaurant's fish and chicken selection, and Awah said the low-price buffet keeps them coming back for lunch every few weeks.

Akongnwi said that while he comes to Grand East hungry, he avoids the gluttony of a never-ending lunch offering.

"I get full easy, so I really try not to pile up my plate," said Paul, 13, of Greenbelt, "But sometimes it's hard."

At Laurel's Empire Buffet off of Route 1, manager Jennifer Cheseleine ushered in the raucous Saturday lunch crowd while dozens of customers mulled through Empire's 150 buffets items. Cheseleine said jam-packed weekends show that Empire's assorted dishes — ranging from grilled steak to roasted duck to squid — draw a diverse crowd.

"We have someone from everywhere because we have a little bit of everything," she said.

Empire Buffet's Hibachi grill is the restaurant's main attraction, Cheseleine said, with an array of sushi options such as California rolls, veggie rolls, and shrimp and scallop options.

"People come to try sushi for the first time," she said. "And they never run out of [choices]."

Empire Buffet's lunches are $7.95, and dinners are $11.95. Saturday brunches, which run from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., are $9.95. Customer 65 and older get a 15 percent discount, Cheseleine said.

grand east buffet

7575 Annapolis Road, New Carrollton

Phone: 301-429-8797

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Empire Buffet

14500 Laurel Place, Laurel

Phone: 301-617-9898

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday