In the all-good-things-must-come-to-an-end category, the Payard breakfast that I reviewed in April has raised its price from $16 to $22. It's still a great breakfast, but now it's not as great of a value. Rising food prices are probably forcing this upward shift at restaurants everywhere.

Also, my review of Sedona, Kennedy, and Al's Garage mentioned a free players menu with great entrées for anyone playing VP even at the 25-cent level. I received feedback from someone who said he went to Al's Garage and they had no such menu. Kennedy is immediately next door, however, so if you want the free food, go there.

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This isn't going to be helpful to most people because it's at a small bar far West from the Strip (about 10 miles) and also because it's at very odd hours, but it's a good offer nonetheless of you can make it. The Lodge at Haulapai gives you $20 free when you put $20 in one of their video poker machines between 11 PM and 7 AM Sunday night to Monday morning.

I didn't go there Sunday night to get the $20. I went there because I was hungry and they have a pretty good menu. I put $20 in the machine so I could get free drinks and the bartender walked over and put another $20 in for me. I did have to fill out a little form with my name and address.

I ended up losing about 10 hands in a row, but I was still up and had $25 left when I was done. Always nice when you're losing on the game, but you still cash out a winner.

Another nice thing about this bar was that that they offer 7/5 Bonus Poker. While I would likely not play that game in a casino because casinos offer better paytables, it's a 98% game and one of the highest returning video poker games I've seen in a bar in Vegas. Most bars offer 97% and lower games.

So if you happen to be on the far west end of Vegas late on a Sunday night, and especially if you've got a small group where you can maximize the $20 bonus (get 4 or more people to each get $20 free), this is a nice stop for a nice edge over the house and a couple free drinks. The food is good here and the bartender was very friendly as well.

This is also a non-smoking establishment. Smokers have to go outside. So if you'd like some smoke-free air, this is probably a good choice as well.

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I must have walked by this restaurant 100 times in going to the Caesars sports book and the poker room. I had never eaten there as I just figured it was another Mexican restaurant in Vegas and the prices seemed pretty high. I didn't know what I was missing!

The first thing I did was get a $50 comp from the poker room. It turns out this only covered the drinks, but it was still a nice savings on the overall bill. Let me explain why it's so pricey.

For one, it's owned by a celebrity chef Bobby Flay. According to his Wikipedia page, Flay dropped out of high school at the age of 17 and started working making salads at a restaurant in New York that his father co-owned. The other owner was so impressed with Flay's natural ability that he paid for his tuition at the French Culinary Institute. Since then Flay has opened several critically acclaimed restaurants and has penned numerous top-selling cookbooks.

An even better reason for the higher prices is the extreme flavor of the dishes. In general, most Mexican restaurants I visit in Las Vegas have a menu that consists of many tasty but bland dishes. Mesa Grill is anything but bland. The dishes are individually potent with flavor.

To begin we tried two appetizers: the Yucatan Chicken Tacos with grilled red onion and a peanut-smoked chile-barbecue sauce, and the Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido" with rajas and blue corn tortillas. Here are a couple pics:

The chicken tacos were served with fresh mint and cilantro, roasted red onion, and a peanut sauce. These were bursting with flavor. The chicken is marinated and grilled, cut in strips, and is served on skewers. This is really nice because it makes it easy to make a taco. You don't have to fiddle with little pieces. Spread a little peanut sauce on the tortilla, add a little of the mint, cilantro, and onion, and then slide the chicken onto the tortilla and pull out the skewer. Quick, easy, and delicious.

The queso fundido was very cheesy and dense with flavor. At first, just try a little bit on a chip. Taste it and then wait a minute. You'll continue to taste it for the full 60 seconds. It's such a rich dish that this one tray could probably satisfy 4 or more people, but since there was only 2 of us, we went ahead and ate it all.

We then ordered only one entrée. Partly to keep the cost of dinner down a little and partly because neither of us is a big eater. We ordered the Green Chile Cioppino with lobster, scallops, snapper, and mussels served with a blue corn stick and scallion butter. Here's a pic:

This dish was $40 so when we received our plate we expected to see a bit more food on it. It was, however, very filling and delicious. The scallop was large and meaty. The lobster tail and the crab claw were meaty and easy to pull the meat from. The mussels were delicious. We wish there had been more green chile sauce because we both fought over spooning up the last bits of it. By the way, this dish is heavy on the garlic. I mean HEAVY.

Mesa Grill seems to take a special interest and pride in serving delicious and gorgeous drinks. We had the house margaritas which were among some of the best margaritas we've had anywhere in Las Vegas. They are $12 each, and since we each had 2, (for a total of 4) there went the $50 comp.

Here's the margarita, along with a house mai tai, a martini, and bartender Steve opening up a couple bottles of wine.

Note Steve's exuberance as well as the Chimay beer for those of you who are beer connoisseurs. They have a specialty beer list of 7 or 8 or so beers, of which the only I had ever heard of was Chimay.

We're not normally dessert eaters but in this case I had to order dessert for the sake of a complete review. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Anyway, they had a tantalizing dessert menu along with a dessert sampler where we could try 3 desserts for a fixed price. We went for the Warm Chocolate Cake with Dulce de leche and toasted pecan ice cream, the Burnt Orange Cheesecake with gingersnap crust and tangerine-tequila granita, and the Warm Caramel Pineapple Empanada with orange-pineapple ice cream and caramel-tequila sauce. Here's a pic:

Again, each morsel of each dessert was rich and flavorful. I'm running out of adjectives, but believe me, these were out-of-this-world. The chocolate was sweet but not too sweet, with a tasty bitter aftertaste. The citrusy cheescake had a crunchy crust and a creamy middle and was melt-in-your-mouth. The pineapple empanada was pineapple perfection.

It is important to note that this is not a Mexican restaurant in the traditional sense. This is Southwestern cuisine, which has some similarities to Mexican but is really quite unique in its own sense. For the complete menu, visit the Mesa Grill Web Site.

The total bill was $150 which is quite high I admit. Since I had the $50 comp, I left $125 total including tip. I don't think that it's possible to get out of this restaurant cheaply, but I do think you can leave here happy and satisfied. If you're into rich, bursting, unique flavors, you'd do well to make this a stop on your Vegas vacation.

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No... I don't expect you to want to eat a Golden Gate shrimp cocktail and a scoop of ice cream at the same time. That doesn't sound particularly appetizing. If you wanted to though, you could do both for a total of 99 cents.

I was reading one of my favorite news article aggregation sites, Fark.com, and it listed a link to a blog article about the recent price increase of the 99-cent shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate. I was aware of the price increase but wanted to get that blogger's take on the matter. The link went to a site called NewsFromMe.com.

The blogger on that site gives his take on the price increase from 99-cents to $1.99. He does mention it's still 99 cents if you have a GG player's card, but then goes on to lament the increase and say that it's another indication of our recession economy. Well, that might be a little bit of a stretch.

He does go on to mention an interesting history of the Golden Gate of which I was not previously aware. According to him, the Golden Gate was originally the Hotel Nevada in 1903 and had the first phone number in Nevada. The phone number was 1. Also, the hotel was called the Sal Sagev for a while (Las Vegas backward). There are some other interesting facts as well.

Free Ice Cream

On a mostly unrelated note, the NewsFromMe.com site mentions another deal for today, April 29. You can get a free scoop of ice cream at participating Ben & Jerry's ice cream shops throughout the US and Canada. To find participating shops in your area, visit the Ben & Jerry's Web site.

Unfortunately, while the first scoop is free, you'd have to pay for the other 7 scoops.

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Another day, another comped meal. This time it was the elaborate Wynn buffet for an early 5:30 PM dinner.

We stopped by the player's club booth to get our comps activated. They reviewed our slot play and determined we were eligible for two free buffets as well as a line pass to avoid a long wait. This was not my first time eating the buffet at the Wynn, but this was my first time with a camera, my new must-have for anywhere I go now that I am a card-carrying blogger.

We entered through the private reserved line using our pass and were able to bypass about 2 people. I think it was just very early for dinner and we were in between the lunch and dinner crowds. Had we waited until 7 PM to 9 PM to eat, the line pass would likely have been a huge plus. As it was, I kinda felt silly skipping in front of Bob and Thelma from Des Moines as they were busy searching their fanny packs for exact change.

The total was $81.25 including tax and not including gratuity. DAAAAAMMMNNN that's aggressive pricing. When you see the spread, it seems more reasonable, but I'm sure happy we were comped. If you want alcohol, that's extra.

Here's what you see when you first walk in:

I started off with a sampling of a few different salads including a delicious Caesar complete with a couple whole anchovies. Yum. Also, I had a few cheeses from the salad bar including Havarti, Gouda, cheddar, and blue cheese. A few loose pistachios and a bowl of tomato bisque completed my first course (or "trip" as I call it at a buffet). Sorry no pictures of these.

For trip 2, my date and I decided to divide and conquer. She went to the seafood; I went to the meat. We normally share all our courses so we can try various items. As she waited in the shrimp and crab leg line, I hit the prime rib, lamb chop, and grilled veggies section. Here's how my plate looked before I dug in:

I have a picture of my date's seafood plate, but it was half eaten and doesn't look quite so appetizing in high-def so you'll just have to take my word that it was delectably delightful. Each item on my plate was very tasty. The prime rib was of a very high quality and the lamb chops were tender and flavorful. The grilled veggies, asparagus, and corn also were seasoned well with garlic and spices.

The rest of the story is likely best told in pictures. What you see in my little gallery here is only a fraction of what's available in the whole buffet. I focused on some items that are of particular interest to me, but there are many that you may like. One example was the dim sum offered. I'm not a dim sum fan, but if you are, they offer a small selection.

On to the photos:

At breakfast they have an omelet station. At dinner they have a pasta station as well as this noodle station. Get a bowl of Asian soup and pick your ingredients and broth.

I traveled to Spain when I was 18 years old and one of my favorite memories was how they served gazpacho soup along with diced veggies to add on your own. I've been unable to find gazpacho like that in America but the Wynn buffet has it. Cold tomato soup, and add your chilled, crisp, cut-up, vegetables.

Here are little glasses of random gourmet items. I don't know what you would call them. Salads perhaps. If you can't read the signs, here are what they say left-to-right: 1) Marinated Mushroom (Balsamic Reduction), 2) Grilled Red Onion and Orange Segments, 3) White Anchovies and Roasted Peppers, 4) Oven Dried Tomatoes (Shaved Ricotta, Roasted Garlic), 5) Currant Tomatoes and Micro Mozzarella (Lemon Oil).

A little sushi selection including a salmon hand roll, a veggie roll, and a California roll. (Can you label them as to which is which?)

Shrimp gumbo, shrimp sandwich, shrimp stew, shrimp kabob, shrimp ... sorry just was thinking of Bubba for a moment. Anyway, all the shrimp you wanna eat, and they're already peeled. At other buffets when I hear "peel-and-eat shrimp," I think to myself, "No shrimp for me." Ya, I guess I'm spoiled, but I sure like being able to dip them, and chomp them, without the hassle.

Ah, the crab legs. The line is always the longest to get here. I have never seen people stack a plate so high. Sometimes people are doing balancing acts, carrying two plates loaded with crab legs so high that they look like they're walking on a tight rope getting back to their tables. I want to tell these people, "You know, you can always go back for more."

Remember when I told you about the price? Well how much would a nice restaurant charge for unlimited crab legs, prime rib, lamb chops, and other gourmet items? I'd think more than $40 a person. In other words, I think the price is well-justified, just a little eye-popping at first glance.

And to finish, I chose my 3 favorite Wynn buffet desserts from their selection of candied apples, pastries, ice creams, cakes, pies, cookies, puddings, and other confections. Here's the picture:

A final trio of creme brulee, key lime pie, and green tea mousse. The key lime pie is very tart to the point where you pucker up from the extreme flavor. The green tea mousse had a softer finish and was not as sweet as other desserts. The creme brulee, ah, decadence. It's like liquid sugar... only better.

The Wynn buffet gives a large variety of different food experiences and is a great choice for a group visiting town if you're up for the price tag. While it's high, it gives you the opportunity to eat gourmet foods that would cost you more in a traditional sit-down restaurant. The Wynn has always had a good promo for new player club sign ups where if you earn a minimal amount of points, they'll give you two free buffets. This is probably the best route to get in the door. Check with the player's club for details.

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Since I spend many graveyard shifts at the Caesars poker room, someone suggested to me that I try the continental breakfast at Payard Patisserie. What a fantastic breakfast this was!

It opens at 6:30 in the morning. The continental breakfast costs $16 which is an excellent value not only because of the fact that it's all-you-can-eat, but also the first-rate quality of the food and beverage offerings, the service, and the setting. (I even used a $16 poker room comp to pay for breakfast.)

What you get is unlimited smoked salmon and bagels, cereal, yogurt & granola parfaits, fruit cups, milk, juice, and coffee, and their famous pastries.

I tried one of just about everything and each item was delicious. The coffee was very good, as was the grapefruit juice.

I started with a bagel with cream cheese, capers, onions and smoked salmon. When I picked up the bagel a server asked me if I wanted it toasted. "Yes. Thank you." This was a nice start and good to have a "meaty" option considering it's a continental breakfast.

Next I had a fruit cup with blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberry, and other fruit.

After that, I had a plain yogurt and granola parfait.

I was so full at this point that the rack of pastries looked intimidating, but I had to go for at least one. They suggested the almond croissant as being their "signature" pastry so I tried that one. Holy cow! Yum times 100. It was flaky so that when you take just one bite your lap and the table are covered with crumbs. It's buttery, sweet, crunchy, and flaky all at once.

In addition to the almond croissant, they offered a plain croissant, chocolate croissant, apricot danish, cheese danish, cinnamon honey bun, and a couple other pastries.

Pastry fans may want to forego the other courses and just try the 8 or so different pastries they have prepared daily. An L.A. Times reviewer (link below) claimed that it would be difficult to find pastries of this high quality even in Paris, France.

Breakfast is from 6:30 AM  to 11:30 AM. Then there is the lunch/dinner menu until 7:30 PM. After 9:30 PM they offer a prix fixe dessert menu. Try any three of their desserts for $45.

Here are a couple pictures I took on my phone (hence the poor quality), and a few links to the afternoon and late-night dessert menus as well as the Los Angeles Times review.

The spread of choices at Payard's continental breakfast.

The famous pastry selection.

The smoked salmon.

Fruit, yogurt, granola.

More pictures here:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_BF_1.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Pastries_2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Pastries_1.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Lunch2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_BF_2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_BF_3.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Desserts_1.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Desserts_2.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/lvadavid/Payard_Lunch.jpg

https://www.harrahs.com/casinos/caesars-palace/restaurants-dining/payard-patisserie-detail.html

And for those of you who want to read the L.A. Times review you can view it here:

www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-payard2apr02,1,7287274.story

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There's a group of restaurants in Las Vegas that offers an excellent value for 25-cent video poker play. It's a trio of restaurants called Kennedy, Al's Garage, and Sedona. Al's and Kennedy are located in the District at Green Valley Ranch while Sedona is on West Flamingo, very close to the 215 exit.

What makes these restaurants special is what they offer their quarter VP players. Not only will they comp your drinks for you, but they have a separate menu for VP players that offers very good food. I have scanned copies below for you to see what's on the menu.

Most bars in town will not comp food for quarter players. Most of them will only comp food for significant (a couple of hours of) dollar action or higher. Since most bar games (including these) are set at a high house edge, you've more than paid for your meal by playing these higher denomination games.

Kennedy and Sedona have a menu that includes excellent salads, calamari, and even an 8 oz Angus burger, and it's free as long as you're playing max coins on a 25-cent machine ($1.25 a hand), and no, you don't have to play lightning fast. You can play, sip your drink, talk to your neighbor or date, play another hand, and relax. I do recommend a healthy tip for the bartenders, but that's just how I roll (ain't I cool ... ?).

These places also offer a wheel spin for certain 4-of-a-kinds which gives you a little more back and makes it more fun.

I am not aware of any bar in town (heck ... any casino in town) that treats its quarter VP players as well as this group does.

All you gotta do is put $20 in, grab a cocktail, and play $1.25 a hand at your pace, and you can order one menu item and all the drinks you want. It's one of the best values in Las Vegas for quarter players.

See what you can get for free for a little quarter machine play...

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