Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Places to Eat in las vegas

Top 10 Las Vegas Buffets
For a list of all Las Vegas buffets see: Buffet Directory
Tipping: The buffets usually have waiters or waitresses bring you your drinks, and refills are no problem. Tips are normally $2 to $5 depending on the service.

Waiting in Line: Buffet lines can be long. Going early/late is a way to reduce your wait. Las Vegas tends to be a late-night crowd, so going early for brunch can often make big difference. You can also try to get a line-pass to get in front as a comp if you gamble enough, or are a valued hotel guest. Finally, tipping the hostess has been known to get people in early.

Saving Money: If you go towards the end of the lunch schedule you can sometimes stay for dinner too and will just pay lunch prices for the more expensive dinner buffets (depends on hotel policy). Going midweek will get you the lowest buffet prices. In addition, you can find great deals (50 percent off or more) if you go early in the morning for a breakfast buffet.

Buffet Etiquette: Don't eat in line. Don't ever touch food with hands while in the buffet line. Always take a new fresh plate when going back for more. You should let others cut in front if you are taking a long time. Always tip the hard working servers. You can't take any food out of the restaurant.

1 Sterling Brunch at Bally’s
Bally’s offers its Sterling Brunch only on Sundays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm Reservations are highly recommended 702/967-7999
Brunch $85 (reduced price for children)
Every Sunday Bally’s Steakhouse transforms into a memorable site for Sunday brunch. From the typical breakfast fare of waffles and omelets made to order to offerings of ostrich tenderloin and Maine lobster, you will not go hungry at this buffet-style brunch or thirsty for that matter. Unlimited Perrier Jouët and Mumm champagne is served at brunch, with or without the orange juice. You will find plenty of Maine lobsters, truffles, tons of oysters. giant gulf shrimp cocktails. caviar, truffles, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, and more. This is paradise. The waiters even come dressed in tuxedos with white gloves. And at around $85 a person, you should be able to be both idle and indulgent. However, if you're a dedicated buffet fan, this is probably a better spree than one of the many new high-priced restaurants. It works out to less money in the long run, and you will get, for your purposes, more bang for your buck.

It's a fancy deal--linen and silver-bedecked tables, waiters to assist you if you choose--and while the variety of food isn't as massive as at regular buffets, the quality is much higher in terms of both content and execution. We're talking unlimited champagne, broiled lobster, whole main lobsters, caviar, sushi, and rotating dishes of the day (items such as monkfish with pomegranate essence, tenderloin wrapped in porcini mushroom mousse, and even ostrich). No French toast that's been sitting out for days here! Perfect for a wedding breakfast or business brunch or just a big treat; stay a long time and eat as much as you can.

2 Bellagio Buffet
Breakfast 8:00am - 10:30am $13.95 (bargain)
Lunch 11:00am - 3:30pm $17.95
Dinner 4:00pm - 10:00pm $25.95
Sat & Sun Champagne Brunch 8:00am - 4:00pm $27.95
Friday and Saturday Gourmet Dinner 4:30pm to 11:00pm $33.95
Children ages 3 and under are complimentary. 702-693-7111
The array of foods is fabulous, with one ethnic cuisine after another (Japanese, Chinese that includes unexpected buffet fare like dim sum, build-it-yourself Mexican items, and so on). There are elaborate pastas and semi-traditional Italian-style pizza from a wood-fired oven. The cold fish appetizers at each end of the line are not to be missed--scallops, smoked salmon, crab claws, shrimp, oysters, and assorted condiments. Other specialties include breast of duck and game hens. There is no carving station, but you can get the meat pre-carved. The salad bar is more ordinary, though prepared salads have some fine surprises, such as the eggplant-tofu salad and an exceptional Chinese chicken salad. Desserts, unfortunately, look better than they actually are. The Bellagio offers a "gourmet buffet" every Friday and Saturday night that includes Kobe beef, venison and buffalo. Especially good soup and bread. The lamb and king crab legs are a definite must, as is the shrimp cocktail (not the tiny shrimp, but the jumbo-sized ones).

3 Le Village BuffetLe
Paris Las Vegas
Breakfast 7:00am - 11:00am $14.99
Lunch 11:00am - 3:30pm $17.99
Dinner 3:30pm - 10:00pm nightly $24.99
Saturday and Sunday Champagne Brunch 11:00am - 3:30pm $24.99
702-946-7000
One of the more ambitious buffets, with a price hike to match--still, you do get, even at the higher-priced dinner, a fine assortment of food, and more value for the dollar than you are likely to find anywhere else (unless it's another buffet).

Plus, the Paris buffet is housed in the most pleasing room of the buffet bunch. It's a Disneyland-esque two-thirds replica of your classic French village clichés; it's either a charming respite from Vegas lights or it's sickening, depending on your tolerance level for such things. Buffet stations are grouped according to French regions, and though in theory entrees change daily, there do seem to be some constants, including most of the following dishes: In Brittany, you'll find things like made-to-order crêpes, surprisingly good roasted duck with green peppercorn and peaches, and steamed mussels with butter and shallots. In Normandy, there's quiche and some dry bay scallops with honey cider. The carving station shows up in Burgundy, but distinguishes itself by adding options of chateaubriand sauce and cherry sauce Escoffier. Lamb stew is a possibility for Alsace, while Provence has pasta to order and a solidly good braised beef.

The salad station isn't strong on flavors, but the veggies are fresh, and there is even some domestic cheese. Pre-cracked crab legs with with melted butter (it is hard finding buffets who give you melted butter with crab) are wonderful. Excellent potatoes au gratin

You can skip the dessert station in favor of heading back to Brittany for some made-to-order crepes, but you might want to try the Bananas Foster. If you are still hungry in the morning... they also have a wonderful breakfast buffet.

4 Spice Market Buffet
Planet Hollywood
Breakfast 8:00am - 10:30am $13.99
Lunch 11:00am - 2:30pm $16.99
Dinner 4:00pm - 9:30pm $24.99
Sat & Sun Champagne Brunch 8:30am - 2:30pm $20.99
($23.99 with unlimited champagne)
Discounted prices for Children 5-9 years,
Children 4 and under are free.
702-785-9005

A particularly good buffet. Set up like the Rio buffet where there are foods from all over the world. Come for lunch, as a more affordable compromise, and you can take advantage of the better-than-average salads (they had one with white balsamic vinegar on our last visit that was quite good), plus an especially notable Mexican station, Middle Eastern specialties, and other fun goodies. Their soups are wonderful. Excellent cold boiled shrimp, steamed crab legs, sirloin, BBQ sweet/sour Chinese style ribs, new potatoes, asparagus, crème brule and made to order fruit crepes

5 Village Seafood Buffet
Rio Suites Hotel
Sunday - Thursday 4:00pm - 10:00pm
Friday and Saturday 3:30pm - 10:30pm 702/252-7777
$38.00 per person
seafood fans flock to the Rio's nautical-theme buffet, complete with American, Mexican, Italian, and Chinese serving stations. At the American station you can load up on seafood salads, snow-crab legs, oysters on the half shell, peel-and-eat shrimp, seafood gumbo, grilled salmon, broiled swordfish, oysters Rockefeller, poached roughy, steamed clams, and lobster tails. Then come the ethnic ocean entrees, such as seafood fajitas, cioppino, seafood cannelloni, squid chow fun, and kung pao scallops. Awesome lobster, crab and sushi.
Definitely worth the price if for only the sushi or the lobster. They had lobster tails prepared three different ways, and I probably ate the $35 charge in lobster tails alone. Menu included salmon, swordfish, oreo dory, crab legs, and stuffed crabs to name a few of the selections. The peeled shrimp were delicious. For meat lovers, they also offer prime rib, BBQ beef ribs, and chicken dishes. To top it all off, the Village Buffet has one of Las Vegas's best selections of high-quality desserts.

6 Rio's Carnival World Buffet
Carnival World BuffetRio Hotel
Breakfast 7:00am-11:00am $14.99
Lunch 11:00am - 3:30pm $16.99
Dinner 3:30pm - 10:00pm nightly $23.99
Champagne Brunch Saturday and Sunday 11:00am - 3:30pm $23.99
Children four to eight years of age receive $4 off listed price.
Children three years of age or younger eat free.
702-252-7777
Carnival World Buffet Food ItemsThis buffet has often been voted by locals as the best in town. The buffet looks like an upscale food court, with stir-fries, Mexican taco fixings and accompaniments, Chinese fare, a Japanese sushi bar and teppanyaki grill, a Brazilian mixed grill, Italian pasta and antipasto, and fish-and-chips. There's even a diner setup for hot dogs, burgers, fries, and milkshakes. All this is in addition to the usual offerings of most Las Vegas buffets. An array of oven-fresh cakes, pies, and pastries (including sugar-free and low-fat desserts) is arranged in a palm-fringed circular display area, and there's also a make-your-own sundae bar. This buffet has, by far, the most choices of any buffet in Vegas. The prime rib was good, the Amazon Grille was quite unique and nice.

7 Mandalay Bay Bayside Buffet
Breakfast 7:00am - 10:45am $12.25
Lunch 11:00am - 2:45pm $14.75
Dinner 3:00pm - 10:00pm $21.75
Sunday Champagne Brunch 7:00am - 2:45pm $21.75
Combined with sweeping views of the 11-acre tropical lagoon, this extraordinary buffet features live action stations and delightful culinary cuisine. Bay Side Buffet offers one of the most attractive buffet areas in Las Vegas. It is completely isolated from the casino activity, and though it can seat 500 customers, its mostly small, partitioned seating areas create a real feeling of intimacy. The effect is made even more luxuriant with lots of natural and artificial foliage in a garden-like setting. This is topped off with a special dining area at the south end of the buffet, which features richly polished wood floors and a lovely view overlooking the resort's tropical water garden.
Items include Dungeness crab legs; chilled peel & eat shrimp; cocktail sauce; opillio crab legs; Dover lox; smoked trout; sliced tomatoes; assorted cheeses; assorted cold cuts; fresh cut fruit (mostly melons). Mexican serving station. Carving station. Asian station. Italian serving station. The dessert area is separated from the primary serving area and features a modest variety of soft-serve ice creams with toppings, pies, cakes, tarts and cobblers. Lots of sugar-free desserts, including chocolate cream pie, carrot cake, German chocolate cake, and lemon meringue pie.

8 The Mirage Buffet
Mirage Las Vegas
Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Lunch: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Dinner: 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays Champagne Brunch:
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 702/791-7111
Breakfast $12, lunch $18, dinner $22,
Sun brunch $22
The Mirage Buffet
Nothing says Vegas excess like endless mounds of shrimp and prime rib. Until recently, The Mirage's buffet was one of the higher priced in town, but also one of the most reliable in terms of food quality. It's been eclipsed in the former category, but still holds true in the latter. Like most local buffets, flavors tend toward the middle-of-the-road--but at least here the road is a broader one. The ubiquitous carving station is complimented by a fajita station, an Asian station, and a pasta station. The pasta station features made-to-order sauces, starting with either a cream or tomato base. Note the standout salad bar, which features surprises like hummus, baba ghanou, and couscous, plus a variety of veggie-intensive dishes. And there's gefilte fish, which is not something commonly seen on a Vegas buffet. Put your plate-loading emphasis on the salad bar, with some selections from the aforementioned special stations. The already peeled shrimp was very fresh. They also have a great salad bar. Desserts are better than the foam-rubber average, including bread pudding, chewy peanut-butter cookies, and an unexpectedly intense chocolate mousse.

9 The Buffet Harrah's
Breakfast 7:00am - 11:00am $14.99
Lunch 11:00am - 3:00pm $15.99
Dinner 3:00pm - 10:00pm $21.99
Sat & Sun Brunch 10:00am - 3:00pm $20.99
Children: discounted.
702-369-5000
Flavors features continuous live cooking stations, freshly prepared seafood, all-you-can-eat crab legs and fresh cut Prime Rib, plus an array of delectable side dishes, traditional comfort foods and a variety of pastries prepared to perfection. Flavors, The Buffet represents cuisines from around the world, including Churrasco, or Authentic Brazilian BBQ, pizzas and Italian casseroles prepared in a wood burning oven, fire-roasted rotisserie chicken, piping hot steamed crab legs and tasty Asian selections such as hand rolled-sushi, Maki Rolls and homemade wonton soup as well as traditional Southwestern dishes. Flavors is one of the most diverse buffets on the Las Vegas Strip. For dessert, Flavors features a gelato station with homemade sorbet, gelato and ice cream.

Above-average food combined with an extremely friendly staff makes this one of the better buffet choices. Excellent crab, prime rib and shrimp. The Chinese dishes were very good. The breakfast buffet was great. Omelets, bacon, biscuits and gravy and everything else.

10 Buffet Excalbur's Round Table Buffet
Excalibur Hotel
Breakfast 6:30am - 11:00am
Lunch 11:00am - 4:00pm S-T
Dinner 4:00pm - 10:00pm S-T
Children under 3 eat dinner free!
Kids 4-12 $1 off lunch/breakfast and $2 off dinner
702/597-7777
This one strikes the perfect balance of cheap prices, forgettable decor, and adequate food. It's what you want in a cheap Vegas buffet. But they don't always have mashed potatoes or macaroni salad, which are essential for an archetypal buffet. The plates are large, so you don't have to make as many trips to the buffet tables. Buffet is a low cost buffet and still gives you the shrimp and prime rib that the more expensive ones do.

1 comment:

  1. I love Village Seafood Buffet
    is best!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete