Grand Café at Palace Station
Cinnamon Roll
Banana Nut Muffin
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Buttermilk Biscuits
Blueberry Lemon Cupcake
Chocolate Chip Cookie / Peanut Butter Cookie / Spring “Black and White” Cookie
Chosen for lunch when I delivered a colleague visiting for a conference back to the hotel, a visit to Grand Café at Palace Station served as my second experience at one of Station Casino’s 24-hour eateries, and although the pasty case was not quite as well apportioned as that at Red Rock, it was to the same menu of diner eats and American classics that we were treated, the service a bit less attentive than at the Summerlin iteration but the cuisine no less competent or well priced.
Located just inside the Self-Park garage, mere steps away from the gaming floor outside, Grand Café at Palace Station features a rounded central bar set on both sides by tiered dining and opting to be sat opposite several large parties our arrival was greeted with menus and water, the humorous ‘My Generation” placemats cleared from tables as a sizable selection of pastries and entrees were made.
Largely self-selected, my dining partner already sated from a lunch at the conference from which she came, it was with a shared cinnamon roll and banana nut muffin – both rewarmed and piping hot to touch – that the dining began and while the tightly wound roll lightly topped with icing was as good as the sticky bun from previous experience the muffin was unfortunately marred by what can only be assumed as artificial banana extract, the flavor too sweet and far underspiced despite a crumb that was quite moist.
Moving next to ‘entrees,’ the Log Cabin eschewed for pure maple syrup that has become a staple of my weekend laptop bag, a four-stack of pancakes punctuated with fresh blueberries proved every bit as good as the chocolate chip version enjoyed at Red Rock and again challenging DuPar’s for best the best Buttermilk batter in the valley a similar tangy topnote imbued both members of a duo of biscuits, the fluffy rounds just-short of golden but otherwise excellent beneath a topcoat of butter and honey served alongside a selection of jams.
At this point quite full, but still with ten bucks to spend on the hotel’s $30 voucher, it was with three cookies and an abysmally dry cupcake that the meal would end, and although the cutesy “Black and White” was far less interesting than it would have been had the kitchen actually used cocoa or lemon instead of just sugary vanilla, both the chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies were homey and classic, the lightly crisp rim and soft center dense with flavor yet relatively low in sweetness, the results far better than one would expect from a simple café in a smoky off-strip Casino…or even one along Las Vegas Boulevard charging a dollar or two more.
THREE STARS: Generally disinterested in the soups, sandwiches, salads, or entrees offered at places of this ilk, Grand Café once again proves to a good spot for a cheap breakfast for locals and tourists alike.
RECOMMENDED: Pancakes, Cookies, Cinnamon Roll.
AVOID: Banana Muffin, Cupcake.
TIP: Frequently offering dining deals to locals and plenty of comps to tourists and hotel guests, those interested in a deal are advised to sign up for Station’s Boarding Pass, a free, BOGO, or discounted meal never more than a weekend e-mail or mailbox coupon away.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://palacestation.sclv.com/Dining/Grand-Cafe.aspx
