Good thing I already had a blog entry written for today, because I am in shock by the record number of responses, both in the comments and private e-mails, to yesterday’s entry. When I recover, I will return to that fiery subject . 

In the meantime, here are some odds and ends I had planned to share today. 

From some fellow frugalites: 

You can add The Orleans French Market Buffet to join the ranks of all-day   eats. ($21 all days but Friday when it is $25 to include the Seafood Dinner Buffet)   Being teachers are we gearing up for our annual low rollers trip in three weeks. We are so excited! (as always)  Last trip we ate for $34 for the entire week thanks to LVA and your tips.  

Keep up the good comp work, Rob and Karen. 

And from Westie, an antithesis of the all-day buffet deal: I just read of the following locals only discount at the Four Seasons. 

Too complicated to be frugal for me. 

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And here is some totally useless information about July 8 if tonight you are up in the middle of the night: At exactly five minutes and six seconds after 4:00am it will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

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Thanks to my good friend, Westie, here is a list of the new Vegas gastronomical wonders, the one-price-and-eat-all-day buffet. 

==Excalibur $25
==Luxor $29.99
==MGM $29.99 (M-Thur)
==Palace Station $19.95
==Stratosphere $19.99 (Sun-Thur)

I give this information with some trepidation, fearing the wrath of gourmet foodies. And having to eat in some of these buffets for even one meal would be considered by some as cruel and unusual punishment. 

But if you aren’t a picky eater – or you have teenagers who will eat anything, this can be a frugal choice. To be sure, compare the total of the individual meal prices with the all-day price to see how much you are saving.   Then decide whether you really want to eat at the same buffet 2 or 3 times in one day!

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Just saw an ad in today’s Review-Journal for Buy-One-Get-One Free meals at Silverton, going on now through July 5. This is for all food outlets except Starbucks, Johnny Rockets and Luciano. You must be 21 years or older so don’t expect a 2-for-1 for children. 

There are some changes from similar offers in the past. Although you must still be a players club member, you don't have to have a higher-tier card. Any level card will work. (And if you aren’t a member yet, you can join – for free, of course -- and get a signing bonus of $10 in Free Play to boot.) The offer is also for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. 

This offer makes all levels of dining “frugal” – meaning a good value for your money – from the buffet and coffee shop to the wonderful gourmet restaurant, TwinCreeks. 

A word of warning: From past experience with even more restrictions, you should avoid some time periods unless you want to wait in impossibly long lines. Dinner hours between 6-8 are extremely busy, especially so on the weekends. Sunday brunch is extremely crowded from 11-1. You won’t see as many long lines during weekday lunch hours. 

If you look closely, you might see Brad and me at the buffet today around 4-5 p.m. Stop us and say "Hi!"

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Last night Brad and I ate dinner at the Switch restaurant in the Encore casino. This is definitely an upscale dining choice, with prices to match. We don’t usually eat at fancy gourmet restaurants. Not because of their prices since we would have plenty of comps to cover them, but because we like to eat simpler. Sticking mostly with buffets allows us a better variety of healthy foods, including lots of veggies. 

But we made an exception last night in order to help our close friends celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary. And we really enjoyed the experience. The restaurant atmosphere is very unique, with the changing (switching – get it?) décor every half hour. Not only do the walls change but the ceiling with its moving chandeliers does a magical switch as well. Novel and romantic! 

Although both couples have comps to burn, we opted for the Pre-Theater menu. This is a one-price option available from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. that includes 3 choices of appetizers, 3 choices for the main course, 2 choices for dessert, and a glass of sparking wine. Both couples are big on sharing so we did a lot of that. One ordered shrimp cocktail and the other a salad. We rarely eat beef anymore but Brad ordered the petit 9-oz filet mignon and I ordered chicken. I had filled up early on their wonderful nutty wheat buns and the shared appetizers, so I ate a few bites of Brad’s steak and brought the chicken home to eat today.  

Fortunately I was full when they brought the regular desserts so I only “cheated” on my sugar-free diet with a couple of bites of the luscious chocolate-peanut lava cake and Crème Brule. Then I went back to my healthier dish of mixed berries. 

For someone who isn’t using comps, this Pre-Theater menu is a frugal option, only $59, much cheaper than if you order the same items from the regular menu. 

I never restrict the word “frugal” to “cheap” choices. To me, “frugal” mean getting a good buy or extremely good value for your money. This was definitely a “frugal” option for gourmet dining.

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