Well, there are not many buffets to get to any longer - at least ones that are affordable. Last night we attended IKEA's Midsommer Smorgasbord. My last article was about the IKEA Julbord - there special Swedish Christmas Smorgasbord dinner this past December. We did not know that this summer smorgasbord was happening until we walked into IKEA a week ago and saw a sign about it. Usually there is some display that shows what the menu will be, but I could not find anything about it. The price was $21.99 for IKEA Family Members. It is free to become an IKEA Family member and takes about five minutes to do on IKEA's website. We have the Family Member card so that was no problem. I did want to check their website to see if there were any details about it when we got home and decided to wait until after that to buy the tickets.
We went back the next day and bought two adult tickets for the second seating - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The first seating was 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm - same price.
We arrived at IKEA at about 6:10 pm and went up to the second floor where the restaurant is. There were a few people waiting outside the entrance which was blocked off as the room was being cleaned after the first seating and everything was being readied for the next seating. We wandered around looking at what was there in that area which is the children's furniture and furnishings. When these dinners take place there is always a sign in front of the entrance saying the restaurant closed at 2 pm for the special dinners. A number of shoppers came to go into the restaurant, saw the sign, and turned around and left. Friday nights at the IKEA restaurant if you are a Family Member you can get any entree for half price - which is an excellent deal. So there were some very disappointed people who had intended to take advantage of that offer. But there were still tickets available for the smorgasbord and some stayed and bought tickets.
While we were standing there the Food Service manager who does a great job putting these special dinners together and in running the food service operations at this IKEA and by now with all of the Smorgasbord dinners we have attended came right over to give us a very friendly greeting! People were starting to arrive for the dinner and an area was roped off to make a line. We were asked to start lining up and we did with the others. While we were out there we could hear the band that has appeared at these dinners at this store for many years. They make this dinner a real party with great Swedish and not Swedish music and organized circle dances for adults AND children and make it all a lot of fun!
Soon it was announced that the entrance would be open and to have your tickets out to give to the store employees at the door. We went in and I headed for a table that was facing the band. We were invited to go up to the soda/soft drink machines and fill our glasses - which were festively set out on the tables with brightly colored, heavy paper napkins in them. I got us both sodas. There was also IKEA's ligonberry lightly sparkling drink. As people were coming in the room was filling - but as was the case in December there were not as many as there have been in pre-COVID years- perhaps due to the increase in ticket prices - but for what you get the cost is well worth it! As a result - like in December instead of two long tables set up with all of the Smorgasbord foods, there was just one long table and guests were sent down each side - and it was easy to reach from one side to the other to take what you wanted and put it on your plate.
When the announcement was made that everyone could start going up to the smorgasbord table, we were directed to go toward one of the employees standing at the start of the entrance to the tables - which is the path used going the opposite way to go to the counter when the restaurant is serving cafeteria style on regular days. Going around the poles led to a woman with a cart of dishes - and she was very nice and very welcoming! One thing that is consistent with this IKEA is the employees at the restaurant are extremely nice and make you feel very welcome - and not just on these special dinner nights! She had a Swedish accent and greeted everyone who came up for a plate individually.
So - what was served? There were three kinds of Swedish meat balls - meat in gravy, vegetable meat balls in a spicy hot sauce, and plant based meatballs in a light sauce similar to but lighter than the sauce on the meat meat balls. What is the difference between vegetable meatballs and plant based meatballs - aside from the gravy on each - the plant based meatballs are made from peas. I did have some of those - and some meat ones. I can no longer eat spicy so I skipped the veggie balls. The plant based meatballs were very good - they had a slightly different and lighter taste from the meat ones. They were smoother inside in texture. They were quite good. I would not hesitate to order them if going to the IKEA restaurant for a regular dinner - and I usually do not care for vegetable items pretending to be meat. Next to the meatballs were big bowls of lingonberry jelly to put on the meatballs.There were boiled in butter whole red potatoes. There was potato salad. There was Swedish shrimp salad which is small whole shrimp in a thin milk/mayonnaise dressing. There was a roasted vegetable dish that consisted of mixed roasted vegetables and featured roasted asparagus in it. There were large round hard Swedish crackers. Then came the fish! There was hot smoked salmon - this was mashed up salmon in a bowl and that you spooned onto your plate. There was two types of herring - herring in mustard sauce and herring in a vinegar sauce. There were platters of gravlax - smoked sliced salmon very much like Lox. And there was a platter of hot smoked salmon pieces. There was also a vinegar type of coleslaw - chopped. All along the table with the dishes of food were different sauces to add to them - some white and creamy some thick and some thin, and there was a hot mustard sauce. There was a separate dessert table that I will write about later.
In Sweden a Swedish Smorgasbord is to be taken as different plates - and I tend to eat that way at the IKEA smorgasbord. My "first plate" was going to be fish. I took the shrimp salad, a large scoop of the hot smoked salmon, several pieces of gravlax and some of both types of herring. I added a good amount of potato salad and also a boiled red potato. I usually do not overload my plate - but there have been years at these IKEA Smorgasbords that some items go quickly - usually the fish dishes and I filled my plate over the top. I don't like salmon in most restaurants - but all of the salmon dishes at the IKEA Smorgasbords are wonderful - and would cost two to three times what the Smorgasbord price is if purchased elsewhere - including IKEA's food shop.
My still picky eater wife who does not like fish or salads took meat meat balls and plant based meatballs and red potatoes. She also enjoyed the plant based meatballs, as I did.
My "second plate" was focused on the meatballs - and I took the meat and the plant based ones. A good amount of ligonberry jelly to go with them and I could not resist taking more shrimp salad, another boiled red potato, and more potato salad (the potato salad is cubes of potatoes in a thick creamy while sauce. I would say there was some onion mixed in which was good. I had to add a not as large scoop of hot smoked salmon, and when I came to the herring, more of each went on my plate. I did not take more gravlax - though I would liked to if I was not already feeling full. I did not want to push my luck. It is better to enjoy what you can eat, rather than overeat and regret it later!My wife went up for more meatballs - plant based and meat - and a red potato.
All the while that we are eating the band is playing, people are singing along. The children and adults were asked to come up and dance and circle around the open area in front of the band. Everyone was having a great time!
After the "second plate", I decided that there was not going to be a "third plate" other than dessert. I do not eat quickly. I take my time and enjoy everything on my plate so when I was ready for dessert most had already gotten theirs. The dessert table was set up with someone to serve you and there were chocolate centered cookies. fresh whipped cream strawberry shortcake sliced into square pieces, a large bowl of fresh strawberries, and a chocolate nut crunch cake sliced into wedges. When I went up all that was there were the cookies and I took one. As we were sitting and enjoying the music and watching the dancing, I noticed that the dessert table was refilled and the serving people were there again. Everything was back on the dessert table. What I wanted was a slice of the chocolate cake. As I walked up they were filling a plate for me with everything - strawberry shortcake and as they were about to cover it with fresh strawberries (I am allergic to some raw fresh fruits - strawberries are one of them) I stopped them, thanked them, and asked just for the chocolate cake. The lady put two slices on a plate and handed it to me. I ate one of the slices. I could not finish the two. It was chocolatey, crunchy, and good! And other than another glass of soda - that was it for me in what I was going to eat. I loved it all.
Between songs the lady that leads the band and is MC made a comment that the next dinner would be a Friday, the Thirteenth. I took out my phone and looked at the December 2024 calendar and the 13th of December is a Friday and presumably that is the night for this year's Julbord for the Christmas Smorgasbord. I made a note of it and a reminder two weeks before to check for tickets.
This was at the Long Island IKEA in Hicksville, New York. I do not know if other IKEAs run the special smorgasbord dinners the same way. I have been told that the one at the IKEA in Brooklyn is different and there is no music. This may be the case for many other IKEAs. I do know that most - if not all do have the special Smorgasbords and on the same night.
Hej Du! Swedish for goodbye - it said this on a sign at an exit door of the IKEA! 😉
