Evergreen Buffet in Aiken is a Chinese restaurant that serves the widest variety of food I've seen. With more than 160 items on the menu, you're bound to find something you like.

Glass partitions with frosted etchings of dragons and Chinese calligraphic letters divide Evergreen into sections. An enormous lighted picture of a Chinese scene hangs on the back wall and serves as the focal piece.

Rows upon rows of food occupy the buffet, including a vegetable bar and a health food section - food containing no salt, oil or cornstarch. All food in this section is steamed, with sauce on the side.

Recently, I took an afternoon to drive to the York Street restaurant and sampled the chicken and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, pepper steak with onions, shrimp fried rice and wonton soup.

Everything was delicious (though the soup was a tad too salty), and, more importantly, the food wasn't dripping with grease or butter.

There are more than 160 items from which to choose, but they're not all crammed onto the buffet. The menu lists a variety of combination platters and lunch specials, including chicken and shrimp lo mein, shrimp with lobster sauce, barbecued spare ribs, shrimp with broccoli, roast pork lo mein, moo goo gai pan, sesame chicken, Hunan chicken and shrimp Szechuan style. All items are served with white rice. Food that is hot and spicy is indicated on the menu by a red pepper icon.

I suggest doing what I did: Sample as many things as you can fit on your plate. It's worth it.

I steered clear of food I had eaten many times before, but I should have slipped a few vegetables on my already packed plate. It would have made my meal even better.

Evergreen is the cleanest restaurant I have been to in a while. When you dine at establishments you frequent and like, you tend to excuse the mess, so to speak. But first impressions are lasting. If it's your first time at a restaurant and it's immaculate, it makes a difference.

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ALL YOU CAN EAT

The Eatery: Evergreen Buffet, 1141 York St. N.E. in Aiken (map)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Ambiance: Relaxed and casual

Cost: 50 cents to $11.95; lunch buffet, $5.25, $3.25 for age 10 and younger; dinner buffet, $7.25, $4.75 for children

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Phone: (803) 648-3231

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