LaTao has an interesting menu / model, as it combines the traditional 'all you can eat hot pot' with an all you can eat sushi buffet. For dinner, either one is about $30, and you can combine the two for an additional $5 -- or, as I thought of it, for $5, you can add all you can eat sushi to your all you can eat hot pot meal. That's a pretty good deal.
A little bit oddly, though, you have to order the sushi from the waiter -- there's not a sushi buffet or anything of the sort, which I guess would imply that it's fresher. Still, it's a little off putting to have your gluttony judged by the waiter -- it's like, "Give me 10 of everything, please."
The sushi is about what you'd expect for an all you can eat sushi place, and I don't think I'd go back just for it, though I would certainly get it again. It's not the best, not the freshest, but it's not bad -- it's a lot better than you'd get from a grocery store, you know? But, ultimately, it's a hot pot place, and while the sushi is good, that's not what I'm there for.
The hot pot can be done one of two ways, with either two broths or three. I went with three, which gets you a lot of variety. They had "rejuvenation broth," which is a pretty basic, mild both, a tomato based one, and Szechuan - this was just too spicy for my taste. (Heck, at one point, the steam was wafting into my face, and I thought I was being sprayed with mace!)
To the broths, you add your selection of THREE PAGES of different items, ranging from noodles and vegetables to meats, including some really good seafood and meat selections -- be sure to try the "black pork," which is like kobe beef of porks. You drop them into the broth and let it simmer for a bit, then pluck it out, dip it in your sauces, and eat it. The sauces are available at a little buffet, and there's plenty of options.
I was a little disappointed that there weren't desserts on the menu, and the selection of drinks was a little low, but it's hard to want dessert after you've eaten twenty different items. I don't think I could see my shoes by the time I left.
The portion sizes were a bit small: I ordered, for example, cuttlefish balls, and they brought TWO. But, you can always order more (and more and more), and it leaves more room to try a lot of different things.
There's a parking lot in the back, but I emphatically recommend parking somewhere else. I don't know what the designer of this lot was thinking: it's ridiculously narrow, and assuming you can get your car into one of the spots, you won't be able to open the doors. Virtually every car we saw was parked over the lines! Great for subcompacts, maybe not anything else. read more