By LINDA SALISBURY

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Shortly after we dined at the Hibachi Grill & Seafood Buffet on Plank Road, it changed its name to the Supreme Buffet & Hibachi Grill, and lowered its base price--perhaps reflecting increased competition for customers with a hibachi buffet in Central Park.

We've enjoyed both, and other Asian restaurants in the area.

From miso soup to sugared nuts, it would be difficult to leave hungry at the Supreme Buffet. It's no wonder that families and large groups flock to these eateries to satisfy their appetites at a reasonable price.

Supreme Buffet is relatively new. My Dining Partner and I stopped by on a Friday night, along with many other diners. The walls sparkle with tile, and bright lights illuminate the buffet tables filled with raw and cooked seafood (oysters, clams, mussels, octopus, sole, blue crabs, lobster, stone crab claws), spring rolls and egg rolls.

There's also an ample salad bar and Thai, Korean, Chinese and Japanese fare, as well as an "American" section. The latter has macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, french fries, sweet potatoes, wrapped hot dogs, wings and other non-Asian food to please less adventurous taste buds.

There is even a sushi and sashimi section, where cooks will prepare stir-fried dishes with the ingredients selected by diners, and a soup section (miso, wonton, sweet and sour, egg drop and more).

Eventually, there will be a bar for wine and beer.

We cruised the buffet, then MDP filled his first pleasing plate with raw oysters, steamed mussels and small clams. I opted for samples of freshly made sushi that were unidentified on the case, but vegetables and seafood were visible.

All were good with head-clearing wasabi and fresh ginger. I also tried spicy mussels that had a pleasant kick, although they were a little overcooked.

My next venture was to try a variety of chicken dishes: Thai, pineapple, General Tso's and Korean. Each piece of chicken had been coated and fried, but that was where the similarity ended. The flavors were distinct.

From there we sampled foods from a variety of countries: lo mein, fried rice, dumplings, roast pork, duck, spareribs, mushrooms. Even taking a bite of this and a bit of that begins to quickly add up to feeling full.

And, it's easy to lose track of the number of trips to the buffet room because plates are quickly removed when you leave your seats.

The dessert table was as plentiful as we've seen. It included gelatins, cakes, brownies, macaroons, cookies, gummy candies, puddings, pies (we tasted banana cream and lemon chiffon), cream puffs and those delicious sugar-coated peanuts.

We could understand why the buffet concept, with so many options, and affordable prices (with a coupon from The Free Lance-Star, it is even more reasonable), is so satisfying to groups, and even singles.

With so many items to try, it is the kind of place that can be visited again and again.

Linda Salisbury is the author of the Bailey Fish books, an award-winning adventure series for kids.