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The dessert was the nail in the coffin. My lunch companion devoured her slice of coconut pineapple cake with abandon; I could barely finish my red velvet cake, as tasty as it was, because I had made it my job to try as many dishes on the buffet table as possible. But the half I ate was delicious—moist, with gobs of buttery icing and walnuts.

But first things first. Mom’s is a laid-back little restaurant on the corner of North Avenue and Charles Street, formerly home to a sushi bar (they’ve kept the Japanese screens—what the hell, right?), where the owners joke it up with the customers and piped-in classic soul and R&B make for a casual but gut-busting lunch. When they promise all-you-can-eat satisfaction for $7.99 they aren’t exaggerating. The food was great, ranging from comfy classics like chicken in white gravy and mashed potatoes to clever twists like baked lake trout stuffed with crab and candied sweet potatoes with unexpected spices and fruits. Even the sides—mac ’n’ cheese, green beans, collard greens—had the simple flair of a home-cooked meal. Mom’s surpasses most of the lunch buffet joints around here with that rarest of qualities—the personal touch.

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