This Bonanza restaurant is part of a chain. We certainly cannot recommend it as "tasty cuisine", but it remains a good value for the money. This particular Bonanza had the makings of a reasonable decor, but the pieces did not fit together. The area where orders are placed was dimly lit and gave Wendy the impression that they were trying to hide something. The more attractive of the two dining areas had a pretty patterned wall paper with chairs and a rug to match the tones. Unfortunately, the rug was laden with crumbs, small bits of paper, and even a spoon. The wall next to our table had dried food on it. We do not object to plastic beverage glasses, but we do object to ones that have most of the bottoms chipped. The silverware suggested that their dishwasher was not treating it well either. The plastic plates, bowls, etc. were in good condition.

The food on the buffet ranged from "average" to "below average". There were the usual salad fixings (some of which looked watery and some looked fresh) two soups, American Chopped Suey, hot vegetables, brownies, some kind of cake that was burned beyond recognition, makings for ice cream sundaes or small ice cream cones, and probably many other foods. The best of the bunch was the chili. Although it was a bit "sticky", it was nicely flavored. The Cream of Asparagus Soup, was also a good selection for sampling, but the summer day was just to hot for much soup! Many of the salad ingredients were reasonable choices, but the brownies were dry and tasteless.

A buffet table needs a great deal of attention from a restaurant staff. It needs to be straightened and cleaned up continually and empty containers need to be refilled. This was not happening at the Bonanza. Food had been dropped on the serving table and it was not getting removed. Many containers were empty, but only some got refilled. Of particular concern was the dirty condition of the ice cream machine. There appeared to be a shortage of staff. We noticed that in the other dining room a waitress came around and refilled coffee cups, but we saw no one on our side.

The key to this restaurant may be to order from the broiler. The Rib Eye was nicely prepared and was a reasonable cut of beef. The baked potato was also well done. Another tip is to sit in the smoking area. which has a nice view of the water.

RESTAURANT:	BONANZA STEAKHOUSE
	1182 Union Avenue, Laconia, NH
DATE:	August 6, 2000
MEAL:	Dinner
BREAD:
SALAD:
APPETIZER:
ENTREE:	8 oz. Ribeye Steak Dinner ($8.99) Very Good - comes on a heated metal plate with a potato with large scoop of butter in it. Nicely seasoned, cooked as requested.
	Salad Bar ($5.99) Okay if you make the right choices
DESSERT:
OTHER:	Informal
	Plenty of free parking
	Meals ordered and paid for as you enter
	Meals delivered to the table when they are cooked
OVERALL:	C