Mandarin House, Knoxville

The buffet at Mandarin House regales the senses with more than 100 dishes that celebrate the sweet, the spicy, and the sour of Chinese cuisine. Though the dishes may change on a regular basis, taste buds can expect to stamp flavor passports with fried wontons, sautéed shrimp or chicken, or beef tenderloin. Baby corn, crisp broccoli florets, and water chestnuts accessorize steamed and fried rice, all of which can be dabbled or drenched with sweet-orange or hot-garlic sauces. Along with the buffet, Mandarin House's chefs also keep woks a-sizzle with lunch and dinner specials, pairing up entrees with egg rolls, soups, fried rice, and a fortune cookie filled with quaint aphorisms that, if read backwards, summon armies of terracotta warriors. For groups of up to 200, the eatery can host revelry in its party room.