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Bacchanal Buffet

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by Publius, Aug 3, 2012.

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  1. Username

    Username VIP Whale

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    I received the same email from CET.......can someone PLEASE explain how it's possible for the average check be $25 per person ?!?!?!?
     
  2. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    I'm guessing in coming up with that figure, they probably averaged the cost of breakfast, lunch & dinner - and not just dinner alone - which works out to like $28 & change if they're charging $19.99, $24.99 & $39.99 respectively - plus if they weighted breakfast and/or lunch heavier in coming up with that figure [perhaps most Vegas buffets do more breakfast & lunch than dinner?] then it probably does come out to $25 or so average.
     
  3. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    easy its an avarage.

    14.99 breakfast
    19.99 lunch
    29.99 or 34.99 dinner
     
  4. Treawest17

    Treawest17 Tourist

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    Will be in Vegas in 5 weeks, this is on our to do list.
     
  5. TXCajuns

    TXCajuns Low-Roller

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    Where is the buffet located in Caesar's?
     
  6. AllTheHardWays

    AllTheHardWays Newbie

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    Here's the property map. Though the buffet isn't labeled, it is just past the Roman Tower elevators on the left. It's across from Rao's and Beijing Noodle #9. On the map it is the big red area with no name to the left of the Temple Pool.
     
  7. AllTheHardWays

    AllTheHardWays Newbie

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    If you're going in the main front entrance by the taxi stand/valet/dropoff it's straight back just past the Roman Tower elevators by Rao's, Payard, and Beijing Noodle.
     
  8. ValerieJo

    ValerieJo High-Roller

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    Has anyone tried it yet? Waiting to read some reviews. Planning on trying it out in 2 weeks.
     
  9. TXCajuns

    TXCajuns Low-Roller

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    Thanks, AllTheHardWays!! ValerieJo, we're leaving this Thursday, coming home next Tuesday, and we definitely will try it. I'll try to post something when we get back. As far as waiting in line, we were at the brand new L'Auberge in Baton Rouge last weekend and stood in a mile-long line. It actually went pretty fast. But that buffet was definitely not worth any wait. Looking forward to Vegas buffets!!
     
  10. Bookoo1

    Bookoo1 Low-Roller

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    I went there friday,and the line was at least 2 hours long.I passed due to the fact we were only there for 2 nights,and didn't want to burn precious vegas time.

    Also there was no line for platinum card.
     
  11. oc_guy

    oc_guy Low-Roller

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    is there a diamond line?
     
  12. shawn s

    shawn s Low-Roller

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    Went there today / yesterday. I saw a diamond 7 stars line. The food was pretty good. Husband had ribs and loved them. He also liked the pizza pretty well. I had crab legs(cold) , a seafood shooter(spicy bloody mary and oyster. Good). , meatballs ( alright) , pepper steak( pretty good), crispy hashbrowns?( Taste like what mom used to make with onion.). I sampled different desserts, but the vanilla creme brulee was by far my favorite. All in all a pretty big spread. I'm fuzzy on some of the details cause I'm well lubricated and ready for bed.
     
  13. LAURLUVS2BOWL

    LAURLUVS2BOWL Low-Roller

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    I too will be trying it in 2 weeks, but waiting til the Tuesday we leave to do it (between breakfast and lunch) to avoid possible 2 hour lines! See you there!
     
  14. Garmy

    Garmy Low-Roller

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    I have only used a diamond card for 2. Will the card work for 4? Seems like I have seen that before.
     
  15. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    I ate at Bacchanal Buffet last Friday night. The wait was about 1 hour and I think it is definitely the buffet to beat in Vegas. I'm going to describe this place going from cashier station towards the back as if you paid and then excitedly just wanted to go for a tour (which, I'm also embarrassed to say, was true for me). Warning: my food reviews tend to be long...

    Seafood station was excellent. King crab and snow crab were both split, plentiful, and the staff actually went around asking if anyone wanted them heated. They were heated in boiling water, but the legs didn't lose any flavor as the water probably had heated up plenty of crab earlier and had become isotonic to crab meat. The cold mussels were very sweet and the fresh-shucked oysters were a nice touch, but were a bit gritty. They need to spend the time to scrub each oyster prior to shucking since most of the oyster liqueur had grains of mud in it. The ceviche and the oyster shooter were both good, although I thought the oyster shooter tasted too much like V8 when it must have been made in-house. The crab croquettes were WONDERFUL! They were filled with real crab meat and essentially the best crab cake you can get (without it being made of Maryland blue crab). Within the croquette was a dollop of tartar sauce. There was also a clambake playfully served in a metal bucket. The clams were large and cooked incredibly well for a buffet, but the rest was lacking in seasoning.

    Carving station was the star of the night. Not only do they have prime rib, rotisserie chicken, and all the other normal stuff, they also feature cuts of steak that had a nicely charred crust. The nicely-marbled tomahawk chop (ribeye) was so good I wish I could just ask for the whole thing on the bone. It's cooked medium rare and sliced thin. They also had double-cut lamb chops which rivaled anything I've gotten from a steakhouse. Both these items required no sauce or excess seasoning. They let the meat speak for itself.

    Mexican station I didn't get a chance to try much of, but what I saw was very good. I tasted the carne asada and it was very good. Tortillas were being made fresh. The posole looked promising, although I wish they had made a menudo instead. There's also a very impressive display of sauces/salsas for your dining pleasure.

    Next we hit the Italian section. The lasagna seemed okay, but I didn't taste it. There was a veal parmesean which was very good. I also rather enjoyed the cheese pizza I had. The crust was thin, crispy on the bottom, and the edge had a chew to it. Within this section is a made-to-order pasta station which I did not try, but what was being done there was very impressive. They were building sauces to order (garlic, shallots, white wine, salt, pepper, etc), including very good shrimp, and spending the time to plate the pasta well.

    On to charcuterie! They had an impressive spread of 5-7 sliced cured meats. I wanted two contrasting items, so I chose the mortadella and the bresaola. Both were great. I'm a big fan of bresaola and the one they procured was excellent. Nice crusty bread (baked in-house) made a perfect accompaniment. The cheese selection looked pretty impressive, but I don't know much about cheese so I won't comment other than to say I think it might feature too many hard cheeses.

    After all this richness, we finally get to the salads. There were a couple plated salads (watermelon and feta was great, as was the tomato and fresh mozzarella). A few more prepared salads were offered as well as a few choices to make your own. I'm not really a salad sort of person, so I didn't look too closely.

    Next to the salads is a made-to-order noodle bar with your choice of three or four different noodles and broths (a la Rio Carnival World, but done much better). It neighbored a few dishes that I guess were meant to be Japanese dishes?

    The sushi spread was quite good. Along with tuna and salmon nigiri, they offered at least five different rolls. This was also a made-to-order station with a chef ready to make you a custom hand roll. One option was a tempura shrimp! I was a bit disappointed in their nigiri selection and had hoped to have a few less standard items (yellowtail, uni, fish roe, tako, etc). With the quality of food they've presented so far, it seemed a shame to just go with the standard two nigiri that are offered at every decent buffet.

    Finally we reach the Asian section (rest of the Asian section, so Japan got it's own station). A few dim sum selections were offered and I thought they were pretty good, but I'm not sure they were made in-house. The shrimp dumplings (how I judge every dim sum place) was actually pretty decent and the skin was delicate and clear enough for me to not assume it was purchased pre-made. A ginseng chicken soup is also offered and it tastes exactly like something my mom would make. It tastes healthy and is definitely in need of some salt. A few more items from pad thai to beef and broccoli were offered, but I never tend to go for those things.

    Oh, dessert! How could I forget dessert? All the plated desserts were wonderful. They had a green tea mousse that was light and flavorful. They managed to tone down the sweetness of a pecan pie. There are many varieties of macarons available and the orange w/ chocolate cream is ridiculously good. They must have infused the chocolate with orange zest or something, because it was a punch of flavor. The chocolate creme brulee and the normal vanilla creme brulee were both great and care was taken to brulee them correctly. They had made-to-order crepes with four types of fresh berries, sauces, nuts, and whipped cream made in-house. And unlike other buffets (I don't know why they do this), they fold them "correctly" into a triangle instead of a pocket.

    There were also two special desserts. The banana souffle, while too sweet for my taste, was made very well. They make only 8-10 at a time so they don't fall by the time you eat it. It is as well made as any souffle you might order in a nice restaurant. The thing I liked even more than the souffle is the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie topped with any gelato you'd like. It's like a mini pizookie from BJ's, only much better. I'd suggest the Mayan Chocolate gelato. It's heavily spiced and mingles well with the cookie.

    Final thoughts: There's no reason to go to Bellagio's buffet at all anymore. Wynn is good, but nothing I've ever had there has been as good as what I had at Bacchanal (plus Wynn no longer has king crab). I've had some bad experiences at Wicked Spoon and would rank Baccanal much higher. It's as if they took what worked at Wicked Spoon and made it better. It really is the best buffet in Vegas, but at a cost of $40 pre-tip, I still wonder if I should just go to a real restaurant instead.
     
  16. PopsOLA

    PopsOLA Low-Roller

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    Do the prices vary based on date?

    Also what are the prices for Bfast, Lunch, Dinner?

    The website says avg $25/person but that doesn't tell me much. someone posted $40 per person, but if that because they went on a friday or just the regular dinner rates?
     
  17. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    I didn't pay close attention, but from what I saw:

    Breakfast $19.99 Mon-Fri
    Lunch $24.99 Mon-Fri
    Weekend Brunch $31.99 Sat & Sun
    Dinner $34.99 Sun - Thurs
    Dinner $39.99 Fri & Sat

    $3 off the listed price with your Total Rewards card.

    Lunch to dinner transition happens at 3pm.

    What stands out to me is that they go from a weekDAY lunch to a weekEND dinner on Friday. Which means if you sneak in right before 3pm, you pay $24.99 for a $39.99 meal. However, I don't know if the higher price on weekend dinner actually means different food. I suspect it's just a higher price for the weekend.
     
  18. ValerieJo

    ValerieJo High-Roller

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    Thank you ah6tyfour for the great review. Can't wait to try. My DH is a huge fan of Lamb Chops, glad to hear they are on the menu.
     
  19. Guy

    Guy Captain of the Heads

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    In cases like this where there is a new 'best buffet' in town, do the other premium buffets up their game to compete or just roll over and accept that Bacchanal is the new daddy?
     
    Easter 2024
  20. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    Without doing a serious remodel and seeking out additional square footage, it is not possible for other high-end buffets to up their offerings enough to be on par with Bacchanal. Though Wynn and Bellagio may now have to play second fiddle, what they have ain't too shabby.
     
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