Last Sunday my wife and I decided to eat Brunch at the Elmwood Lounge. The appearance of the inside is just as smarmy as the outside. I quite like that, although they pushed it RIGHT to the edge of scary.

Six Dollars gets you coffee, a drink (oj, champagne, or a Bloody Mary) an entree, and a dessert. The price is right. Some places would charge $6 for just the drink.

Of course, the old adage, "you get what you pay for" still holds true. Some come expecting a buffet, because for us gluttons, "brunch" and "buffet" have become synonymous. Here's a refresher on definitions for your convenience.

Brunch (definition provided by Jacques on the Simpsons): "It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but you get a nice slice of cantaloupe on the side." It's a meal where I can have fish and chips and my wife can have eggs Benedict, and we are still eating the same meal (which we did).

Buffet: Often prefaced by "Old Country," "Number One lucky Chinese," or "Best deal in town free with one hour of slot play," a buffet is the favorite restaurant for people who prefer variety or quantity over quality. It's also a popular training ground for competitive eaters and various food- born illnesses. It consists of many foods, which the diner selects and puts on a a tray. Sometimes a diner must pay by the pound, or limit his or her (ok, lets face it--his) seafood choices, but this defeats the purpose of the buffet. A buffet is not, by definitiion "all you can eat," but unless you like walking for your food, or food served warm, the "all you can eatiness" is really the best reason to go.

Ok. So I was hard on Buffets, but I can kid because I love. If anybody wants to try the Indian Lunch Buffet on Elmwood, I'm game.

Back to the review. Coffee was fine. Server put the coffee pot on the table, which was surprising, but really, nothing should be surprising at this place.

Wife's eggs looked fine. My fish was better than expected, but not great. It was served with coleslaw that was all white, and fermented (think cold sauerkraut). Is this a Buffalo thing? I like my coleslaw fresh and heavy on the mayo.

Dessert was tapioca pudding or jello. Both had good whipped cream on top, which made up for their serving lame desserts.

Overall: Three stars. I will return, but not with anybody I want to impress.

As for the casino: Next time somebody says that there is no money in Buffalo, I will refer them to the people standing four deep in line to put money into a vending machine that dispenses its product (the same money that was put into it) inconsistently, unfairly, and always in less quantities than it came in. Greed and/or desperation can really make us stupid.