Question of the Day - 05 March 2023

I used to go to South Point for Sunday brunch, but got tired of waiting in line for up to an hour. I'd rather pay a little more at Rampart to be seated almost immediately and get a fresh cold bubbly drink in a real champagne flute. I also checked out the Palms' brunch for the first time yesterday.

None of them actually serves real Champagne, but "Champagne Brunch" sounds better than "Cheap Sparkling Wine Brunch." Only the Sterling Brunch at the former Bally's and the one at Paris served French Champagne, but they're no more.

Currently, three buffets that include bottomless sparkling wine or mimosas in the price of the brunch:

* Garden Buffet at South Point; 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., $28.95, $25.95 with club card.

* Market Place Buffet at Rampart; 9 a.m.-2 p.m., $31.99, $26.99 with Rampart Plus or higher tier card.

* A.Y.C.E. Buffet at the Palms; 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 32.99, 2-for-1 or 50% off with LVA Member Rewards coupon.

The Westgate brunch, seven days a week (7 a.m.-2 p.m., $27.99) serves all-you-can-drink mimosas with the LVA coupon.

Several others offer it as an option, charging $20 or more for it. You still get the same cheap stuff they buy for less than $5 a bottle.

All have the usual self-serve breakfast items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, eggs Benedict, hash browns, French toast, etc. Other mandatory buffet items include pizza, bread, cold cuts, smoked salmon or lox, and a small selection of Asian and Latino dishes. There's also a salad bar with fruit, choice of dressings and soup. Serving stations include omelets made to order, meat carving with ham, sausages, etc., and a dessert section with ice cream and pastries.

Tip: When getting ice cream at the Rampart or Palms, pick up a ceramic cup or small bowl somewhere and present it to the attendant. Otherwise, you end up with a tiny disposable plastic or paper cup with no room for toppings.

South Point's carving station has prime rib and Rampart's has leg of lamb. The Palms has two carving stations with several types of beef, but no prime rib. All three have peel-and-eat shrimp with cocktail sauce. The Palms has prawns with the head still on and is the only one that has crab legs with drawn butter.

Tip: When getting crab legs, shrimp, or anything else in a shell, pick up an extra empty plate to separate the empty shells from the edible parts.

South Point's bubbly is served in plastic cups from the tap. Order from the server or pick up at the bar. It tends to be at room temperature and flat. Rampart serves drinks in real glasses, chilled and fresh from the bottle. Servers frequently stop by to top off the glass. They serve J. Roget Brut or similar. The Palms also uses real champagne flutes. Servers walk around frequently to top off glasses from a carafe. At some point, I had to cut myself off and told my waitress "no more, thank you," or they would have had to roll me back to my car. I never saw a bottle, so I don't know the brand.

As for wait times, South Point's is up to an hour in line; it has no reservations or priority line. Rampart has a priority line on the left side, but hardly ever a wait and if there is a line, the wait is no more than a few minutes. Both sides handle customers regardless of tier level. At the Palms, there's a priority line for Diamond and higher tier members, but rarely is anyone there; the program rules for tier promotion and status match are too tight. Around 12:30, the wait time was close to an hour. By 3 p.m. there was no line. They close at 4. Best to arrive either early or late.

The goal is to keep the rooms fully occupied without too many people waiting in line. This isn't an issue at Rampart, which almost always has tables available with no wait. South Point has several spotters with two-way radios and bus people with carts who quickly clear off tables. With people in line, they have a quick turnaround with very few unoccupied tables. At the Palms, the servers clean the tables quickly, but there is no clear communication to the front. One of the hostesses walks around the room occasionally to check for availability, but I've seen tables set up and idle for at least 10 minutes.

None of them takes reservations. Palms has a virtual line only for the immensely popular Wednesday lobster buffet, not fort he brunch.

Obviously, the buffet manager's only concern is to keep the place full without looking at the big picture. People waiting in line don't generate revenue for the casino. They should take a look at Caesars Bacchanal that has the system worked out to perfection.

To summarize, South Point and Palms' long lines aren't worth the additional dishes unless you're a big fan of prime rib or crab legs. The Rampart has no wait and similar offerings. Palms has the advantage of being located close to the Strip and a larger variety of selections. 

It's a shame Rampart didn't renew its buffet coupon in the LVA Member Rewards Book.