Jalapeño chicken at Cornerstone Cafe.

Almost everyone who works at an office has one of those buffet-style food-by-the-pound cafes within walking distance. They invariably serve some kind of Asian food, mac and cheese, soup, fried chicken and salad. And naturally you’re always hesitant about going there. It gets pricey quickly, and a good percentage of the food is mediocre or worse.

Then comes the day when you just need something fast, so you find yourself there loading up on orange chicken, beef and broccoli, and questionable fried rice — and sometimes to your surprise you think, “hey, there is actually something I really like in this buffet.”

For me, that dish would be jalapeño chicken. Served up on the steam trays of Cornerstone Cafe at 1501 M Street NW, the dish reminds me of the traditional salt and pepper shrimp/pork chop/chicken dish that you find at a number of Chinese restaurants. Cornerstone’s version features a healthy dose of salt, black pepper, and jalapeño which fulfills my midday desire for something crispy, salty and spicy. Even though the chicken is sometimes dry, the convenience and flavor profile are reason enough to ignore it.

Have you stumbled across any particularly tasty items in your buffet foraging?