This is the last year we are doing buffets. Not that it was bad, I'm just tired of it. We had originally decided to dine at the Bellagio Buffet, however on our United flight to Las Vegas, the flight attendant passed out little packets of Cosmopolitan coupons before our descent. It included a couple BOGO cocktails and a Wicked Spoon BOGO. That's about $40 off right there for dinner! We loved Wicked Spoon last time so we decided to forego Bellagio Buffet in favor of this one. I arrived on Saturday evening at 6:30 and surprisingly there was no line. The first time we went on a weekend, we arrived at 7 pm and waited for 2.5 HOURS. So we were absolutely thrilled there was no line this time. I'm sure Bacchanal at Caesar's Palace has stolen some of their business (which I think is way overrated, oversalted, and underflavored... and not vegetarian friendly at all).
Dinner started off at the salad bar, which included a cobb salad, kale salad with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, some bread crisp, tomato salad, goat cheese panna cotta, and asparagus mousse. I really liked the asparagus mousse, it was infused with curry powder and unique. The goat cheese with the mandarin oranges was refreshing, reminded me of ambrosia.
This was my first time in Vegas eating meat so I got to try a lot more. I skipped the carvery section - it really just looked too much. They had a seafood paella that was really good and generous with jumbo shrimp! Their pork tacos were a bit oily, I took one bite and and put it down. Shrimp and grits - well the grist were overcooked and dry, like it had been sitting under the lamp for awhile. It was also salty. One thing I've always wanted to try is shepherd's pie, so I was thrilled when I saw it. For some reason, I always thought shepherd's pie had chunks of beef, not ground. It took me by surprise. I didn't really like it - it was super beefy for someone who really hasn't had beef in a while.
My last savory plate included crab and basil fried rice, tandoori chicken, papaya salad, sushi, and takoyaki!!! I've been curious about takoyaki and it was my favorite dish of the night! It's got a great soft texture, a little like mochi but softer and addictive! I also liked the fried rice - you can taste the crab and the basil/green curry seasoning added another dimension that's not typical of fried rice. Their sushi was not really good, the fish was really fishy. When I go to buffets, the star for me is usually the desserts section. I think that's the only reason I go to buffets - how can you mess up dessert?
Wicked Spoon always has gigantic chocolate covered strawberries rolled in Oreo cookie crumbs or my favorite, Heath bar crumbs. This is a genius idea and I'll probably make these for a holiday this year. They also have macarons but for some reason, I suspect they are not using almond flour but diluting it down with regular flour or something cheaper. I did not really taste much almonds in the cassis (purple) one nor the orange one. The one I did like was the chocolate and banana one. This is pretty unique and it had a good texture. The others were too soft. The top center dessert was some kind of REALLY strong rum dessert and custard. I couldn't eat it. The center green one was pistachio and chocolate mousse which was good. The other little rectangle between the pistachio dessert and strawberries was some kind of coffee dessert, in between an opera cake and tiramisu. This was by far my favorite. I also got a choux pastry with custard inside, white chocolate mousse in a cone, and sugar free panna cotta. The panna cotta was more like runny pudding.
Try Wicked Spoon at least once, even if you're not a fan of buffets. Vegas buffets are different story and they do have quality food and use quality ingredients. If anything, go for the dessert!
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