November 6, 2012

Bacchanal Buffet

Like me, you've probably heard nothing but praises for Caesars new buffet. Renovations have been figured at 17 million for Bacchanal's 25,000 square foot space. That alone is pretty impressive, but it also claims to offer more than 500 individual menu items with seafood, meat, Italian, Asian and Mexican stations, as well as an array of desserts.

Friends were visiting from out of town and it was a must eat for them. It seemed like an opportune time to give it a try so I joined them. We met for brunch, I arrived at 10:45 and we were seated by 11 o'clock. Weekend brunch is $39.99 with a Total Rewards card. I believe it is $3 more without it.

We were seated in the back. Once settled, we scattered in search of tasty eats rather than waiting for our server to tend to our drink order.

We began at the Asian station, which offered your typical stir-frys, springrolls and a variety of dumplings. There was space for a live action station, but no one was manning it. There was no signage to indicate what was available either.

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From there, offerings include fromage and charcuterie. The selection isn't high quality, but it was better than what you'd find at most grocer delis. The rolls topped with cheese and carmelized onions were tasty. I got seconds on those.





There were a lot of breakfast items, made to order omelets, croque-monsieur/madame, steak and eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon and potatoes.

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The next section offered comfort foods like sliders, waffle fries, tater tots and potato skins. Plus, a selection of carved meats. Those individual dishes are cute, but not so practical. It's hard to juggle because they take so much space, the cast iron dishes are warm to the touch. Some with heat sensitivity might have a real problem.







The last stop before dessert was seafood and freshly squeezed juices. This is actually the first section seen from the entrance. There were mussels, oysters, crab legs and prawns.



Moving over to desserts: there was a crepe station, cookie jars, plated treats, pastries, candy and a gelato bar.















The dining room has a few large tables for big groups.



They must have already scaled back staff, drink service was terrible. We sat down with our first plate and we were completely ignored or server checked on all the tables around us but never stopped by. My friend left the table to flag her down. She brought over mimosas. She had a gentlemen assisting and he kept our first few glasses full. I had asked for a water, but never received it. Plates took a while to be cleared. I expected far more attention.

I sampled a bit of everything, nothing was bad, but only a few things were memorable. 17 million spent, and what did I enjoy most? The tater tots. The gelatos were really delicious too. I tried the vanilla fleur de sel and the fig and balsamic. The watermelon sorbet was nice and refreshing too.

Buffets used to have value. These days, I'd rather spend $45 on a nice plate of food prepared just for me. If I compare the buffets I've dined semi-recently I'd say Bacchanal is far better than the Rio, but comparable to M Resort.

Bacchanal on Urbanspoon

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