Boston Sea Party

It's no secret that buffets are big down here. We've got Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Southern country-style fare, soup-'n'-salad. And they're all competitive in terms of price points (below $15 per person) and items (in the 200 range). So what's to distinguish the 70-foot-long buffet at Old Boston Seafood Company (5353 Sheridan St., Hollywood, 954-322-9227)? Well, the price point -- $24.95 -- for one thing. For another, it's a place where Ally McBeal might pick at a meal, given that the dishes reflect New England cookery: clam chowder, broiled scrod, and Ipswich clams, to name a few. Of course, you probably won't see McBeal look-alikes hovering over the fried clam bellies. But you might just find a food critic who went to school in Boston and who really misses oyster stew and steamed Maine lobsters.