Review of 3 Buffets in Vegas
Dec 10th, 2004, 03:06 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Review of 3 Buffets in Vegas
I just returned from Vegas and I took my sister who is a rancher. We have very different tastes and budgets so I decided to compromise and eat 3 of our meals at buffets.
I am a 'foodie' but not a snob, so I make do with whatever. I can have gourmet all year long when I travel to LA, DC, NYC, etc... and this trip (outside of my work time) was about her... and just being sisters traveling without our large families for the 2nd time in 20+ years.
Food was not the focus of the trip.
But for those of you wanting to know about these things, here's my opinion of 3 buffets mentioned in various tourist literature.
Rio - Carnival World Buffet
Time of Day: 4pm
It's been 5 or so years since my last visit to Rio. I recall that it was a nice place but either I have moved up the economic ladder or it has just gone downhill.
Walking through to the buffet, the casino was kinda cheesy and Fremont St like. Crowd was certainly mixed, loads of younger guys.
Saw the parade in the sky. Totally a waste of time. They had 4 floats and maybe 8 people riding, 2 per float. They were dancing, sort of like those burn out gals in a nude bar (don't ask) Anyway, we were not feeling too good about eating at the Rio but since we were there...
4pm is NOT the time to eat at a buffet. I think this one would have been ok had we gone when it was busy. Good variety, it was like 16.00 for this time of day.
Dessert section was better than all the other buffets but the hot foods were cold and varied in quality from poor to just average.
Mirage - Cravings
Time of Day: 630pm
New buffet was my favorite. Excellent prime rib, kung pao chicken and ribs. Not much variety in the way of healthy veggies but great mashed potatoes and AWESOME gravy.
Good sticky rice to go with the kung pao. Little sandwiches were good and the pizza was very fresh and tasty. Desserts were just ok, but the rest of the buffet made it worthwhile.
About 22.00
Treasure Island - Dishes
Time of Day: 4pm
Another new buffet. Pretty spot with a nice atmosphere. They try to make it more cozy, not so cavernous. Again it was a bad time of day and the place was empty. The food was the standard buffet fare. It was all ok, I loved the sweet potatoes. But I can't recall much more about it. Strange.
About 16.00 at 4pm
We stayed at the Venetion in a Venezia Suite. Very nice!
I am a 'foodie' but not a snob, so I make do with whatever. I can have gourmet all year long when I travel to LA, DC, NYC, etc... and this trip (outside of my work time) was about her... and just being sisters traveling without our large families for the 2nd time in 20+ years.
Food was not the focus of the trip.
But for those of you wanting to know about these things, here's my opinion of 3 buffets mentioned in various tourist literature.
Rio - Carnival World Buffet
Time of Day: 4pm
It's been 5 or so years since my last visit to Rio. I recall that it was a nice place but either I have moved up the economic ladder or it has just gone downhill.
Walking through to the buffet, the casino was kinda cheesy and Fremont St like. Crowd was certainly mixed, loads of younger guys.
Saw the parade in the sky. Totally a waste of time. They had 4 floats and maybe 8 people riding, 2 per float. They were dancing, sort of like those burn out gals in a nude bar (don't ask) Anyway, we were not feeling too good about eating at the Rio but since we were there...
4pm is NOT the time to eat at a buffet. I think this one would have been ok had we gone when it was busy. Good variety, it was like 16.00 for this time of day.
Dessert section was better than all the other buffets but the hot foods were cold and varied in quality from poor to just average.
Mirage - Cravings
Time of Day: 630pm
New buffet was my favorite. Excellent prime rib, kung pao chicken and ribs. Not much variety in the way of healthy veggies but great mashed potatoes and AWESOME gravy.
Good sticky rice to go with the kung pao. Little sandwiches were good and the pizza was very fresh and tasty. Desserts were just ok, but the rest of the buffet made it worthwhile.
About 22.00
Treasure Island - Dishes
Time of Day: 4pm
Another new buffet. Pretty spot with a nice atmosphere. They try to make it more cozy, not so cavernous. Again it was a bad time of day and the place was empty. The food was the standard buffet fare. It was all ok, I loved the sweet potatoes. But I can't recall much more about it. Strange.
About 16.00 at 4pm
We stayed at the Venetion in a Venezia Suite. Very nice!
so this was interesting to me.
Dec 21st, 2004, 08:53 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 519
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's exactly my take on the Rio Buffet (and the Rio, in general)... I was expecting something much nicer... I've never been there before, and, for my time, I don't think I need to return. The Palms is a much better use of my time!
Dec 22nd, 2004, 10:40 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Which Rio buffet, the World Buffet or the Seafood Buffet? I always really liked the Seafood Buffet, but it's gotten so crowded.
Here's another vote for Cravings at the Mirage. The only caveat I would give it is that it's HUGE.....so if you have bad knees, it's not a good buffet to tackle. Other than that, I absolutely loved it!
Here's another vote for Cravings at the Mirage. The only caveat I would give it is that it's HUGE.....so if you have bad knees, it's not a good buffet to tackle. Other than that, I absolutely loved it!
Dec 23rd, 2004, 07:38 PM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 509
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was interested to hear your review of Treasure Island. Last Feb they didn't have that buffet and everytime we ate at the hotel only the one restaurant was open and it wasn't very good.
I like the Aladdin's spice market buffet which has a good selection and good desserts. Last time we tried the Bellagio's regular buffet which is more expensive but also very good and lots of choices.
I like the Aladdin's spice market buffet which has a good selection and good desserts. Last time we tried the Bellagio's regular buffet which is more expensive but also very good and lots of choices.
Dec 23rd, 2004, 10:28 PM
#9
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,760
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Peruse the choices at a buffet, try a bit of anything that looks good to you..then go back and help yourself to the best selections again.
It always amazes me to see people piling their plates to the ceiling with food. Are they afraid that someone else is gonna get it all? They get back to their tables, take one bite of this and of that, then trash most of it because it's cold, or just not very good. The amount of food thrown away at Vegas buffets daily could feed several other countries for a year. There should be a $2 per pound charge for tossing away food at a Vegas buffet. Some people would have to pay a $10-$12 penalty if that were the case.
It always amazes me to see people piling their plates to the ceiling with food. Are they afraid that someone else is gonna get it all? They get back to their tables, take one bite of this and of that, then trash most of it because it's cold, or just not very good. The amount of food thrown away at Vegas buffets daily could feed several other countries for a year. There should be a $2 per pound charge for tossing away food at a Vegas buffet. Some people would have to pay a $10-$12 penalty if that were the case.
