By KATHLEEN EVANOFF
    WARREN TOWNSHIP -- Tucked away in a small plaza just off the Warren bypass on Parkman Road is a small buffet restaurant that can pack a week's worth of menus into only three days.
    Esther's is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but the buffet doesn't leave anything out.
    The night my husband and I went to dinner, pasta and all types of meat dishes were on the menu, and since it was a buffet, we were able to sample just about everything Esther's had to offer.
    Esther Whitmore has been cooking for as long as she can remember.
    ‘‘I've always read cookbooks like other people read novels,'' Esther said. ‘‘Then I make a dish and put my own twist on it.'' Starting out cooking for her family and friends, Esther expanded to doing catering jobs. Early this year, she decided to move toward fulfilling her dream of opening a restaurant, and Esther's was born.
    With a bit of a rocky start after experiencing some health issues which are now a thing of the past, Esther decided to start small and only opens her doors on the weekends.
    ‘‘I didn't want to work seven days a week,'' she said, ‘‘so this is perfect.''
    Esther and her husband, Russ, who jokingly refers to himself as ‘‘Mr. Esther,'' are from Braceville and have two grown sons.
    Saturday night was a busy one at Esther's. The small dining room was never empty as diners filed in and out on a regular basis. The entree items that night consisted of spaghetti with meatballs, fried fish, baked chicken with Italian greens, roasted pork loin and roast beef au jus. In addition to the meat selections, the buffet also offered green beans almondine, roasted potatoes and pasta salads.
    But like most dinners, the first course was the salad bar. Broccoli salad, potato salad and pasta salad accompanied a mix of spring greens on the cart along with all of the usual salad additions, such as chopped egg, bacon bits, sliced cucumber and tomatoes. We filled our salad plates, but couldn't help noticing the fresh fruit and dessert items nearby. At a small table near the salad bar sat a dish of freshly cut strawberries and whipped cream, but the biscuit bowl, to my dismay was empty.
    ‘‘Don't worry.'' said Karen McIntosh, one of Esther's crew. ‘‘We have more biscuits coming out of the oven in a few minutes.''
    We were able to sample just about everything on the all-you-can-eat buffet, and the food was very tasty. My husband thought the pork loin was a bit dry.
    The chicken and Italian greens left an impression as I had never had Italian greens before. I love green food, so I couldn't resist trying it for the first time: Now I am a believer. The right amount of garlic and pepper brought out the wonderful flavor of the greens and I will be sure to have that dish again.
    The red sauce on the spaghetti was also very good, and not tangy or overbearing. The meatballs also were quite good.
    Esther makes all of her sauces from scratch. She and her ‘‘crew,'' as she likes to call them, cut up all of the vegetables and never resort to packages or pre-cooked foods.
    ‘‘My produce man is my best friend,'' Esther said, adding that she buys cases of apples that she and her crew then peel and make into apple dumplings, apple crisp and other apple delights.
    The menu also changes on a regular basis. Esther admitted to finding things all the time that she wants to add to the buffet.
    ‘‘I might go to the store and see a really good cut of meat, so I'll buy it and add it to the menu that day,'' she said. She has included dishes such as southern fried chicken, chicken francais and chicken in a phyllo crust with sauce. Diners can go back without fear that they will be getting the same thing over and over.
    By the time my husband and I were filled with the buffet's offerings, the biscuits were ready, as promised. They were light and warm and a wonderful base for the strawberries and cream.