On a recent Saturday night, I found myself at the Garden Terrace in the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center faced with an unlikely feast for landlocked urbanites: bottomless piles of lager-steamed Dungeness crab legs, endless trays of oysters on the half shell, various types of ceviche, and a slew of other hot and cold seafood items. 

The restaurant features an all-you-can-eat seafood dinner buffet for $37.95 per person (kids under nine eat free) on the second Saturday of each month. I'd made reservations on a friend's suggestion, unsure of what to expect. But my dining partner and I quickly discovered there was no reason to worry. We were awed by the selection (which changes each month)—everything from barbecued shrimp to truffled scallops and gnocchi—and, for the meat-and-potatoes crew, a nice carving station with the usual suspects. 

We didn't think we could possibly make room for post-dinner treats, but a quick stroll by the dessert buffet—where a chef was whipping up made-to-order maple-bacon sundaes with real sizzling bacon—proved us wrong.

Tip: Be sure to make reservations—and bring an appetite.

200 Inverness Dr. W., Englewood, 1-800-832-9053