Fried chicken star of Fred’s buffet
I am not a buffet or cafeteria devotee, but I do miss the selfserve and casual-dining options that Morrison’s and Piccadilly once offered locally. And don’t even think about hollering back: “What about Sweet Tomatoes and Golden Corral?” Neither concept has the same civility or consistency.
So I had high hopes when I heard Fred’s Market restaurant was opening in Lake Mary. Menu highlights were touted to include fried chicken, sweet potato souffle and biscuits and gravy. Even a health-conscious eater could find some lean proteins and vegetables in the spread.
Fred’s also has a stalwart Central Florida pedigree with business and family links to the Fred’s Market and Johnson Barbeque restaurants, both Plant City institutions at the State Farmer’s Market.
Housed in an old Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Fred’s is set back a bit from bustling Lake Mary Boulevard. Your GPS will find it, but signage is poor.
The dining room has been revamped with a long buffet near the center and dessert and salad stations to the side. The hot food is steam-table fare with the serving pots and casseroles a mix of stainless, cast-iron and enameled vessels to convey the homespun, fresh-from-Mom’s-kitchen mission.
The food is priced by unlimited trips and blue-plate specials. The weekday breakfast “MarketTable,” served until 10:45 a.m., is $7.97 for the full buffet and $5.53 for one trip. Children ages 3-8 are $3.49 and 9-12 are $4.99. The lineup of morning staples includes eggs and bacon, biscuits and gravy, and a fresh fruit bar. The weekend breakfast MarketTable is served until 11:15 a.m. All-you-can-eat is $9.98, a single blue-plate pass is $7.97.
Lunch ($7.53-$11.57) is served from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. MondaySaturday. As the day goes on more options open up. The allyou-can-eat and blue-plates remain, but now there are single-trips involving multiple stations. Dinner ranges from $8.94-$14.47.
There are only three reasons to choose Fred’s: The fried chicken, the fried chicken and the fried chicken. Did I mention the fried chicken? This week Fred’s goes into our online photo gallery of the best fried chicken in Central Florida. (orlando sentinel.com/food)
Crispy chicken with juicy meat is an art form and Fred’s
does it right. And if you stack that little blue plate correctly you can get enough for two and add a salad bar run with a second plate.
The runners-up on the buffet were the sirloin tips in pan gravy and smoked pork ribs. Everything else was seriously ho-hum. The skillet corn bread was a side with panache as were the fresh salad greens.
There is a takeout menu (breakfast $5.53-$7.97, lunch and dinner $6.99-$10.94) and a family meal pack ($34.99) that feeds four to six people and comes with choice of yeast rolls or corn bread. And you can order by the cup, pint or quart ($1.99-$14.99).
Fred’s has a lot of heart and would be a fine choice for hungry teens. But you can get better home-cooking for the money at The Mason Jar in Umatilla, Nikki’s Place in downtown Orlando or the Chuck Wagon in Apopka.
But if I am after fried chicken, well, you know where you will find me.