The Buffet at Bellagio

The Buffet at Bellagio
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-7111

When in Vegas, you have to go to a buffet. The Buffet at Bellagio is one the best buffets in Vegas. I went for Saturday brunch, $23,95. It's not cheap but it's well worth the price.

I wanted to go right for the big ticket item. Prime rib and jumbo shrimp cocktail. The prime is nice and flavorful. Depending on when you go, you can get your prime rib cooked the way you like it. It was tender, moist, and flavorful. Not the best prime rib but still good. The shrimp cocktail is fresh and tasty.

Since it was breakfast, I tried their bacon, sausage and eggs benedict. The bacon was too crispy for me. The minute you put your fork, it broke into pieces. The sausage had a mild taste to it. Nothing special but still good. The eggs benedict was actually pretty damn good. They are not cooked to order, just placed on the steam trays. But the hollandaise sauce was buttery and flavorful. I was damn impressed. The ham was a bit tough but not too bad. I don't like poached eggs, didn't eat them.

Turkey breast and chicken wellington are the next picture. The turkey was moist and juicy. It was a bit bland but nothing the very good turkey gravy helped overcome. The chicken wellington was unique. Of course I've had beef wellington before but this puff pastry filled with chicken was very tasty, though the chicken was a bit dry.

The omelette station is awesome. You pick what you want and they cooked it up right there. I had shrimp, ham, tomato and onions. The omelette were a bit overcooked but I still enjoyed them.

Service is very good. Our waitress cleared our dishes quickly. We never lacked for drinks. The line to get into the buffet moved quickly. There is a high turnover of food, except for the bacon, so food is usually fresh.

I would go back to The Buffet anytime. The quality of food is well worth the price.

Smith & Wollensky-Las Vegas

Smith & Wollensky
3767 South Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas
702-862-4100

WOW what a steakhouse. After Taylor's not living up to it's hype, I was in Las Vegas over the weekend and went to Smith and Wollensky. Again, WOW what a steakhouse. Right on the strip, near the Monte Carlo, Smith and Wollensky is one of the best steakhouses I've been to.

Their bread is so unique, I had to take a picture. It's a little salty on top, they have rosemary and sea salt on the crust. But the best is very good with a nice texture.

The shrimp cocktail comes with three jumbo shrimp, for $16.50. The shrimp were huge and fresh and chilled. It comes with classic cocktail sauce and a mayo based, ginger sauce, which was very good.

Meals come al carte, so we ordered two sides. The thing about their sides is that they are big enough for two and maybe three people. Steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes, $11,50 each. The broccoli was cooked just right. Crispy and crunchy. I hate mushy veggies. But they just cut the stems and steamed them. I wish they would have taken the time to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces. The mashed potatoe was good but it wasn't anything special. But I did not like they fact it was loaded with pepper. I think restaurants should lightly season items, then allow the customer to add the amount of pepper they want.

But really, I don't go to a steakhouse for the sides. It's about the steak and WOW, what a steak. I ordered the medium rare, 10 oz, filet mignon, $38.75. They give you a couple options for your steak to be cooked, but I prefer it simply grilled. When it arrived, I couldn't wait to dig in. After taking pictures, which was tough due to low lighting, I took a bite. It was so flavorful, tender, juicy, and delicious. What a great steak. It was cooked to perfection, medium rare. Just the way I like it. When you have a good cut of beef, you don't need anything else.

Service was very good. Our servers were attentive and we didn't lack for anything. But one thing that bothered me. I know what medium rare is. But after telling our server I wanted my steak medium rare, he said fully red, warm center. I realized it's policy after hearing another server say the samething at another table, but I think most people who go to an up scale steakhouse know what is medium rare. Oh well.

One thing, there is an entrance to Smith and Wollensky on Las Vegas Blvd but you actually enter on the north side of the building. I had 7:30pm reservations and we were seated promptly. Always a plus in my book.

I would go back to Smith and Wollensky anytime. What a steakhouse!!! What a steak!!!