Comments on some of the restaurants and buffets we visited on our December trip.
Ping Pang Pong (Gold Coast) – Excellent meal, large portions, and reasonable price. Never had a bad meal in the half dozen times we have eaten here. Love the hot and sour soup, the huge bowl is a meal in itself. Genuine Chinese!!!
Silverton’s Saturday night Lau Buffet – We eat here every Saturday night when we are in town (three times a year). Can’t vouch for the other nights, but Saturday’s Lau is definitely outstanding. An entire roast pig (snout to tail) is placed on the buffet and boy is it good. Not to be missed if you like roast pork. Various Hawaiian specialties are also available along with peal-and-eat shrimp, etc. Fantastic sushi, seafood salads. Great deal if you have a coupon from MRB or ACG both of which can be used on Saturday nights. Never a line or wait when we visit which I don’t understand considering the selection and quality of the food.
Casa Don Juan – Used a Groupon coupon here. Portions not overly large but food is very filling so we did not walk away hungry. I liked the food (Full disclosure, being from upstate NY, I am not an expert on Mexican food). This place always is packed whenever we stop there. Attentive wait staff!!
NOVE (Palms) – Third visit to this establishment. Very good food, large portions, and a great view, up near the top of one of the towers with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the strip. Try to hit this place at sunset. On the pricey side but the MRB coupon helps greatly (Note: MRB cannot be used with price fix menu, not sure about weekends either). Only down side is the wine list, bottles are all really high, no modestly priced options. I am used to over-priced wine in eateries but NOVE was crazy high. I asked the waiter about the corkage fee. He had no idea what I was asking about, got the feeling he was a new hire, nonetheless he was an attentive waiter.
Suncoast Buffet – Dinner buffet is average. The breakfast buffet though, is great. Reminds me of the Sahara Buffet because they offer faux LOX, cream cheese, capers, sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and bagels. Haven’t seen that since long, long ago when the Sahara buffet was overlooking the pool area. Wait, now that I think about it, bagels and LOX was still available at the Sahara after the buffet was moved to the cavernous 2nd floor room on the northeast side of the casino. What is truly strange at Suncoast, however, is that all of the fixings for bagels and LOX are in one spot in the center of the buffet except for the bagels which are hidden away at the extreme far end of the buffet where a toaster can also be found. You can score a free buffet here with little play. I usually play late at night for the free breakfast buffet (mid-week, don’t know about weekends, check with players club). AC touted the breakfast buffet here and for once I have to agree with him.
Deli – good food, reasonable place to grab a snack.
Café – like the Thai food here. I recommend the pineapple fried rice!
JW Marriott Spiedini Ristorate – Some reviews on the internet rated this place highly so we thought we would give it a try as we were staying nearby at the Suncoast. Prices were similar to those at NOVE (i.e., one large for a dinner for two). Appetizer (squid) and salad were good but the food quality and quantity went downhill rapidly from there. Main courses were skimpy, tasteless (straw and hay) and watery (seafood stew). The manager came by and inquired about the food and we candidly, but politely, told him what we thought. At least I assume he was the manager even though he was dressed in a wrinkled shirt and pants looking like he just rolled out of bed and forgot to shower. His response to our critic was to tell us to be sure to ask our food be cooked with garlic on our next visit as they do not routinely cook with garlic, most folks don’t like it. This said as he was walking away. Hello, we just told you the main courses sucked and you expect us to come back and get screwed again? What didn’t you understand? Lesson learned, be more candid and less polite. Avoid this restaurant -- high prices, not even Olive Garden (chain) quality food, no view except of the swimming pool through hedges, and uncaring management. And, oh yes, do not believe everything you read on the Internet!
Main Street Station – Brunch a little better than average, good value for the money if using a BOGO coupon (for 2015: ACG for 250 points, MRB coupon does not include brunch).
Orleans – buffet. Average buffet, ate here for free on Young-at-Heart day. Worked out well for us because we had a red-eye flight back east and did not want a large meal.
Courtyard Café. Always eat breakfast here and never been disappointed. Late night specials are good also. Hope with the Boyd’s reshuffling of their restaurants they do not eliminate this café. We left Sam’s Town when they exchanged the excellent coffee shop there for a TGIF. I don’t have to fly across the country to eat in a chain restaurant.
Ping Pang Pong (Gold Coast) – Excellent meal, large portions, and reasonable price. Never had a bad meal in the half dozen times we have eaten here. Love the hot and sour soup, the huge bowl is a meal in itself. Genuine Chinese!!!
Silverton’s Saturday night Lau Buffet – We eat here every Saturday night when we are in town (three times a year). Can’t vouch for the other nights, but Saturday’s Lau is definitely outstanding. An entire roast pig (snout to tail) is placed on the buffet and boy is it good. Not to be missed if you like roast pork. Various Hawaiian specialties are also available along with peal-and-eat shrimp, etc. Fantastic sushi, seafood salads. Great deal if you have a coupon from MRB or ACG both of which can be used on Saturday nights. Never a line or wait when we visit which I don’t understand considering the selection and quality of the food.
Casa Don Juan – Used a Groupon coupon here. Portions not overly large but food is very filling so we did not walk away hungry. I liked the food (Full disclosure, being from upstate NY, I am not an expert on Mexican food). This place always is packed whenever we stop there. Attentive wait staff!!
NOVE (Palms) – Third visit to this establishment. Very good food, large portions, and a great view, up near the top of one of the towers with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the strip. Try to hit this place at sunset. On the pricey side but the MRB coupon helps greatly (Note: MRB cannot be used with price fix menu, not sure about weekends either). Only down side is the wine list, bottles are all really high, no modestly priced options. I am used to over-priced wine in eateries but NOVE was crazy high. I asked the waiter about the corkage fee. He had no idea what I was asking about, got the feeling he was a new hire, nonetheless he was an attentive waiter.
Suncoast Buffet – Dinner buffet is average. The breakfast buffet though, is great. Reminds me of the Sahara Buffet because they offer faux LOX, cream cheese, capers, sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and bagels. Haven’t seen that since long, long ago when the Sahara buffet was overlooking the pool area. Wait, now that I think about it, bagels and LOX was still available at the Sahara after the buffet was moved to the cavernous 2nd floor room on the northeast side of the casino. What is truly strange at Suncoast, however, is that all of the fixings for bagels and LOX are in one spot in the center of the buffet except for the bagels which are hidden away at the extreme far end of the buffet where a toaster can also be found. You can score a free buffet here with little play. I usually play late at night for the free breakfast buffet (mid-week, don’t know about weekends, check with players club). AC touted the breakfast buffet here and for once I have to agree with him.
Deli – good food, reasonable place to grab a snack.
Café – like the Thai food here. I recommend the pineapple fried rice!
JW Marriott Spiedini Ristorate – Some reviews on the internet rated this place highly so we thought we would give it a try as we were staying nearby at the Suncoast. Prices were similar to those at NOVE (i.e., one large for a dinner for two). Appetizer (squid) and salad were good but the food quality and quantity went downhill rapidly from there. Main courses were skimpy, tasteless (straw and hay) and watery (seafood stew). The manager came by and inquired about the food and we candidly, but politely, told him what we thought. At least I assume he was the manager even though he was dressed in a wrinkled shirt and pants looking like he just rolled out of bed and forgot to shower. His response to our critic was to tell us to be sure to ask our food be cooked with garlic on our next visit as they do not routinely cook with garlic, most folks don’t like it. This said as he was walking away. Hello, we just told you the main courses sucked and you expect us to come back and get screwed again? What didn’t you understand? Lesson learned, be more candid and less polite. Avoid this restaurant -- high prices, not even Olive Garden (chain) quality food, no view except of the swimming pool through hedges, and uncaring management. And, oh yes, do not believe everything you read on the Internet!
Main Street Station – Brunch a little better than average, good value for the money if using a BOGO coupon (for 2015: ACG for 250 points, MRB coupon does not include brunch).
Orleans – buffet. Average buffet, ate here for free on Young-at-Heart day. Worked out well for us because we had a red-eye flight back east and did not want a large meal.
Courtyard Café. Always eat breakfast here and never been disappointed. Late night specials are good also. Hope with the Boyd’s reshuffling of their restaurants they do not eliminate this café. We left Sam’s Town when they exchanged the excellent coffee shop there for a TGIF. I don’t have to fly across the country to eat in a chain restaurant.
