Feast After the Finish Line: A Father–Son Buffet Adventure in Renton

Fourteen miles before lunch. That’s not a metaphor — that’s how my Sunday started. A long, steady early-morning treadmill run while the rest of the house was still asleep, the steady hum of the belt mixing with whatever motivation I could pull from a half-finished cup of coffee. By 11:30 a.m., I’d showered, stretched, and was officially starving.

My 16-year-old son was, too — though in his case, from sleeping in and waiting patiently for me to declare it was finally Feast Buffet time.

The Crowd and the Oranges

We rolled into Feast Buffet in Renton just before noon, and the parking lot was already packed. Inside, the energy was somewhere between Sunday church potluck and Vegas casino — the air humming with conversation, the occasional clang of tongs against trays, and the sweet-savory perfume of every cuisine you can imagine.

As we waited for a table, I noticed an older woman walking by with an entire plate of oranges. Nothing else. Just oranges. It was oddly inspiring — a minimalist statement in a maximalist setting.

Four Plates, No Regrets

Once seated, we committed to the challenge: four plates each, no repeats, no shame.

Plate one was reconnaissance — sushi, sashimi, and steamed dumplings for me; a mountain of crab legs and shrimp for him. We compared notes between bites like critics at a film festival.

Plate two brought the heavy hitters: Mongolian beef, sweet chili chicken, roasted pork, and a few slices of peppery steak from the carving station. The flavors ran the global gamut — Chinese, Korean, Japanese, American, all perfectly at home side by side under a line of heat lamps.

By the third plate, strategy gave way to curiosity. My son went for noodles, grilled scallops, and something he called “mystery meat on a stick” that turned out to be excellent. I piled on more of the Korean fried chicken and some surprisingly good Brussels sprouts, because balance matters, right?

Plate four was pure indulgence: tiramisu, mango pudding, green tea cake, and soft-serve ice cream. My son added a brownie topped with gummy bears. Genius.

Father–Son Moments Over Food

Between trips to the buffet, we talked about movies, upcoming driving practice, and how 16 feels like both the start of adulthood and the last stop before it. There’s something easy about father-son talks when your hands are full of crab legs and fortune cookies.

No phones, no distractions — just the clatter of plates and the mutual understanding that this meal was both celebration and refueling.

🏃‍♂️ Runner’s Recovery Analysis: Feast Edition

• Miles run: 14 (on the treadmill, 4.2 mph average)

• Calories burned: ~1,700–1,800

• Calories consumed (estimated): somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 — depending on how high you piled your fourth plate.

• Protein intake: Excellent. Feast Buffet could power a small gym.

• Net balance: Let’s call it “carb positive.”

• Recovery tip: A short walk afterward is advisable — perhaps around the parking lot, to locate your car.

• Final Verdict: Feast Buffet is everything its name promises — a culinary world tour under one roof. For a dad and his 16-year-old son, it wasn’t just a meal; it was a shared adventure — one plate, one laugh, and one well-earned bite at a time.