From Buffets to Burgers: Savoring the Flavors of Sin City
They don’t call Las Vegas “Sin City” for nothing. Extravagance. Greed. Lust. Vanity. It’s all on display up and down the glittering streets, and whatever your chosen vice, the city offers unlimited opportunities for indulgence. I love the place.
My parents and older brother moved there in 2003, and I’ve been a fairly frequent visitor ever since. On my first trip, I was 27, single and still had both dancing shoes planted firmly on the wild side. Now I’m 34, married, and more likely to spend my early Vegas mornings having coffee with my parents than ordering another vodka-Red Bull from a blond in a sequined bustier. So the sins have changed a bit over the years. Lucky for us, there are seven official ways to be wicked. This trip was all about the gluttony.
The Buffets
Every major (and most minor) hotel and casinos in Vegas offer an all-you-can-you eat buffet. It’s a critical element of Sin City’s anything-goes environment. Just as you can drink for free as long as you’re gambling, you can eat as much as you goddamn want as long as you have a few bucks in your pocket. Some require more bucks than others and the strip’s best, in my opinion, the Bellagio buffet, is well worth it. The counters seem to stretch on for miles, piled with gourmet breads, vegetables, seafood dishes, pastas and of course, lots of juicy, excellent meat. Prime rib. Beef tenderloin. Steak. You name it and they’ll slice it and slap it onto your already heaping plate. But the strip isn’t the only place to get your gut busted.
Feast Buffet at Green Valley Ranch is a favorite of my parents’ — probably more for the players’ points that let them eat for free than for the food itself, but the food is pretty good nonetheless. And for the first time, we tried Studio B at the new M Resort Spa and Casino, which just opened this year. Recently voted the Best Buffet in Las Vegas (but they all say that), this new eatery scores bonus points from me for two inspired offerings: 1. booze, and 2. silky, succulent, slide-off-the-bone osso bucco. Lord knows I couldn’t put the fork down long enough to take a photo, but these shots from VegasandFoodBlogspot.com give you an idea of what you’re in for.
The Burgers
While I don’t think there’s any shortage of awesome burgers in Orlando, one of the greatest things about going cross-country is getting to try out some new, great burger joints that you can’t get to in your own backyard. When it comes to fast food, In N’Out Burger is pretty tough to beat, plus it’s conveniently located within drunk driving distance of the strip. (Just kidding officer.) My mom swears by Fatburger, and while I’ve yet to try them myself, I can’t help but trust the taste of the woman who raised me on these. When it comes to restaurant burgers, my brother, Ray, says you can’t go wrong with Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay. If his Facebook page is any indication, he and his workout friends practically bum rush the place in between bouts of maniacal cardio. From my own days as a gym rat (circa 4 B.Y.M.T.), I know you don’t waste those beloved cheat days on just any old burger. Nonetheless, when the burger craving hit, we decided to carve out our own meaty path, which led us to Le Burger Brasserie in Paris Las Vegas.
Now I know what you’re thinking. What the hell do the French know about burgers besides how to cut the potatoes that go along with them? Well, I can’t speak for the French from France, but the French from Paris Las Vegas serve a magnifique burger indeed. Their signature dish is the $777 Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster Burger, topped with caramelized onions, imported Brie, crispy prosciutto and 100-year aged balsamic vinegar and served with a bottle of Rose Dom Perignon champagne. But don’t worry, for those whom Lady Luck hasn’t blessed with money to burn on overpriced burgers, the menu still offers plenty of tantalizing options. I opted for the Saveur, a lamb burger topped with mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, harissa mayo, and herbs, and Charlie went for Le Paris, a beef burger topped with brie, caramelized onion and smoked bacon. Both were delicious right down to the last crumb and didn’t set us back more than $12 (each). As for serving size, don’t worry. No wee little Europortions here. These burgers are so monstrous that you’ll barely have room for the pomme frites (which you have to order separately). But get them anyway. After all, this is Vegas.
