Q:
One day we went to the Silverton Casino for lunch, only to find that their Buffet was closed. Another day, we stopped by the Stratosphere for lunch, and found their Buffet closed. What happened? Do you know of any other casinos who have stopped their lunch times so we don't have to waste money driving around?
A:
What happened is that you got really unlucky. But it didn't have to be that way!
The Silverton discontinued its lunch buffet last November (see LVA Dec., 2009), although it still serves brunch on the weekends. Meanwhile, back in January 2009, the Stratosphere ceased serving separate breakfast and lunch buffets and combine them into a brunch, which initially was then served from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. and then last May was extended until 2 p.m. Dinner is served from 4 p.m. -- the buffet shuts down for two hours prior to prep.
In terms of advice, our top suggestion, if you really want to stay on top of the buffet and dining scene (among other things), is to become a member of LVA. We're not just being self-serving here: We pride our research department as being the best in the city and every month we call every single buffet (and every single show) for the latest on times, prices, speciality meals, remodeling, and whatever else is going on, which we then report in the online version of the monthly newsletter. We include a digest version in the printed copy -- noting every dollar increase or half-hour start-time change or new Seafood Night would simply take up too much space. Yep, it really does change that much from month-to-month and there's no way you could possibly stay on top of it, unless you regularly want to do a couple day's worth of phone bashing (in which case, feel free to send us your resume!)
To give you a taste of what you're missing, here's a link to the free archival copy of the newsletter from last August -- Dining Notes are on page 10, which also include restaurant updates. The online version of that month's newsletter contained the following notes, just for buffets:
Buffet Notes
- Eastside Cannery—Cannery Row Buffet: The hours for lunch have moved from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. to 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and dinner, which was previously served daily from 3 p.m.-9 p.m. is now 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Seafood night has moved from Wednesday to Thursday.
- Gold Strike—Bonanza Buffet: Prices have changed and the all-you-can-eat Crab Legs dinner on Friday has been discontinued. Lunch is now $4.95 (was $8.95), Saturday brunch is now $10.99 instead of $9.99 (Sunday brunch is still $9.99), and dinner on Friday is now regular dinner for $9.99.
- Imperial Palace—Emperor’s Buffet: Now featuring Luau Buffet on Tuesday and Saturday for $19.99. Dinner is from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. with Luau dancers and music starting at 6:30 p.m.
- Mandalay Bay—Bayside Buffet: Now featuring an all-day buffet for $35, $40 on Sunday.
- Monte Carlo—Monte Carlo Buffet: Seafood dinner’s been added for $22.05 on Friday. It runs from 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Orleans—French Market Buffet: Now features an all-day buffet price for $21, ($25 on Friday). All players card holders receive a $2 discount. This offer expires August 31st.
- Plaza—Stuffed: The renamed buffet will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven nights a week, plus champagne brunch on Saturday and Sunday. While breakfast and lunch retain the same $7.77 price tag as the former Lucky 7 Buffet (which served brunch and dinner for that price), every night will now feature a specialty dinner (New-York Steak and Snow Crab night on Monday, Southern Fried on Tuesday etc.) for $12.99 ($15.99 on Friday and Saturday), while the champagne brunch is $9.99/person.
- Red Rock—Feast Buffet: Land & Sea dinner on Friday and Saturday night has been discontinued—now regular dinner daily from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. for $18.99.
- Riviera—World's Fare Buffet: Has reopened for dinner, which is served daily from 4 p.m.-10 p.m. for $15.99.
- Santa Fe Station—Feast Buffet: Steak & Shrimp dinner on Saturday night has been discontinued. Now serves regular dinner Saturday-Thursday from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. for $16.99. The price for Friday Night Seafood has increased from $18.99 to $21.99 and Champagne Brunch is now served on Saturday and Sunday (formerly Sunday only), which means that breakfast and lunch are now served Monday-Friday instead of Monday-Saturday.
- Springs Preserve—Springs Café: The Sunday Champagne Brunch has been discontinued "for the season." Apparently, they plan to bring it back in September or October.
We honestly don't know of any other source where you'll get this kind of information, but we do have one other -- complementary -- suggestion. If you're not an LVA member, you should still definitely consult our Buffet listings before you make a special journey somewhere. These are free and accessible to all, and not only include details of times, prices, and specialty meals, but also have our reviews and other readers' reviews and ratings, to help you find the best option to suit your taste and budget. Of course, one of other upsides to being a member is all the buffet deals in the Member Rewards Book, which this year for the first time includes the Mirage, M Resort, and Planet Hollywood, along with staple favorites including the Rio, Red Rock, South Point, and Silverton.
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