For a week this June, Aquavit continued a tradition that thrills herring lovers but leaves non-aficionados unenthused—the annual herring festival in the Aquavit Cafe. For $27 at lunch and $48 at dinner, diners could freely partake of a buffet that presents herring in numerous preparations, together with a modest selection of other typical Scandanavian dishes.

The Cafe is a bright, cheerful, modern looking space, and the buffet is arranged on two modest-sized tables along one wall. The first table, unfortunately, starts where one enters the dining room, and this placement occasionally resulted in traffic jams as people lined up in the entrance aisle to await their turn to select from the buffet.

Most of the appealing herring preparations were cured in vinegar or brine. In approximate order of increasing strength of flavor, the "wet" choices included herring with cucumber and yogurt, herring with vodka and lime. herring with herbs and garlic, herring ceviche, pickled herring and matjes herring ("the real thing" proclaimed a German-born friend). Other wet preparations, where the added ingredients tended to dominate, were herring with apple and curry, espresso mustard herring and herring with cherry tomato flavor. Two additional dry variations were smoked herring and peppered herring. The rich fillets were reminiscent of trout in the same styles.

For those with an appetite for non-herring dishes, the fish possibilities included a velvety, mild gravlax and a crustless smoked salmon "tartlet." There was also a smooth and agreeable livery pate and an anchovy flavored egg salad known as Gentleman's Delight. Two more choices were almost obligatory for a Scandanavian buffet. One was a serviceable version of Swedish Meatballs with a nondescript sauce and the traditional lingonberry accompaniment. The other was a succulent Janson's Temptation, consisting of potatoes, onions, cream and butter with anchovy flavoring. A pleasant green salad, small boiled potatoes and a few good quality breads, among them a crispy flatbread, were also available.

Some of the plates or bowls on the buffet, especially those of the herring preparations, emptied out during the course of the meal. The staff seemed attentive to the depletion of the food supply and replenished the buffet as needed, usually promptly. The pleasant staff also willingly and patiently, albeit rapidly, recited the litany of dishes on the buffet, but it was mildly annoying that the restaurant was unable or unwilling to provide labels for the numerous items, most of which were not self-evident. It was also annoying that a waiter twice swooped down on my utensils when I left my table to get another plate of food.

On balance, the herring buffet was quite enjoyable for those with a taste for herring, but I know at least two people who, having indulged in previous buffets, swore off herring for more than the next year.