sunday brunch buffet heading downhill.. when we were house hunting in this area more than 8 years ago, we gave pier w's sunday brunch buffet a try. we were very pleased with the result: an excellent range of appetizers, four varied entrees in chafing dishes, decent prime rib, good breakfast foods, and varied, delicious deserts. we eventually settled in, but at a 45 minutes' drive, it's a little far for your average evening meal. so we've gone here instead on sundays, on and off, over that time.
about 6 years ago, the quality began to fall off. the deserts and appetizers became fewer in variety. the entrees grew duller and duller, until finally, about two years ago, they reached the nadir of offering fried chicken in what was called lobster sauce, but looked like orange cream--and tasted nothing like lobster. fried chicken--from pier w. what a come-down.
so we gave up going. muse had reopened its brunch buffet, and that was superlative, if with less variety. within the last six months, however, we decided to give pier w a try, again. we've done so twice, and found the appetizers significantly improved--more than twice in variety--and the better class of entrees back in strength. the deserts still don't offer the kind of variety that once was the case, but they've otherwise recaptured what we left them over.
they're not inexpensive, which is hardly surprising, but at least it seems worth it to us. the service at all times has seemed good, so that isn't a concern. and with muse currently offering only a la carte brunches on sundays, pier w is the best brunch buffet in town. nothing else comes close.
edit: muse has reopened for sunday brunch since i did this review, and offers a smaller, but better prepared selection of entrees, appetizers, and deserts. we also found on our last trip to pier w that the entrees had reverted back to the "let's keep it completely bland to offend nobody" state of preparation. i'm still keeping the "like" rating, though that may change with time and further visits.
edit: we've been to pier w twice since this review. on both occasions, the entrees were far below average: breaded perch, very dry meatballs (with hardly any sauce, though credit for just one broken up tomato), and a decent chicken dish in a soy sauce. the appetizers have declined in variety and quality: as an example, what were once four different kinds of smoked fish was now just smoked salmon.
another troubling development was the absence of a floor manager. the welcoming staff made no effort to take our coats until we asked, despite the lack of any other clientele. and the various wait staff were no longer willing to allow customers to walk unheeded down the aisles, but frequently challenged them on their way. and the bathrooms, that used to feature paper had towels so rich in threads it rivaled cloth, has now been reduced to standard paper towels. combined with the high cost of the buffet for the area, we're now inclined to suggest you give pier w a pass. wait for muse to get back in season, probably later in spring.