Bacchanal Buffet
Coffee / Champagne / Ice Water
Shu Mai / Har Gow / BBQ Pork Bun / Custard Bao / Taro Bao / Roast Duck / Roast Pork
Chicken and Waffles / French Toast with Whipped Cream, Bananas, Caramel Sauce
Nutella Crepe with Whipped Cream / Chocolate Cupcake / Strawberry Cupcake / Peanut Butter Cupcake
Lobster Biscuit and Gravy / Shrimp n’ Grits / Crab Benedict
Egg Custard Tart
Congee with Century Egg, Roasted Peanuts, Crispy Shallots, Green Onion, Chinese Doughnuts
Milano/Varzi/Genoa Salami/Bresoala/Coppa/Clothbound Cheddar/Roquefort/Parmesan Reggiano/Brie/ / Honey / Banana Bread / Carrot Bread / Apricots, Pears, Kumquats, Cranberries
Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut / Sprinkled Doughnut
Crawfish Broil / King Crab / Green Lip Mussels / Shrimp
Ham, Cheese Croissant / Red Velvet Pancakes with Fruit Compote and Cream Cheese Frosting / Breakfast Burrito
Yellow Curry / Crispy Spicy Cod / Kung Pao Chicken
Buttermilk Biscuit / Honey Glazed Slab Bacon / Hickory Bacon / Turkey Bacon / Pork Link / Sweet Potato Tots
Cheese Pizza / Pepperoni Pizza
Molten Chocolate Cake / White Chocolate and Cherry Bread Pudding / Berry Cobbler
Bear Claw / Maple Pecan Roll / Blueberry Danish / Pecan Sticky Bun
Vanilla Fleur de Sel Gelato, Salty Caramel, Candied Almonds / French Toast Gelato
Red Velvet Yuzu Whoopie Pie / Carrot Cake with Pineapple Compote / Milk Chocolate Cream Puff
Beef Rib / Smoked Brisket / Summer Risotto / Truffled Mushroom Flat Bread
Pineapple Tofu / Chocolate Decadence / Strawberry Cheesecake / Chocolate Oreo Mousse / Individual Apple Pie Tart
Pandan Tiramisu
Pecan Tart
Crème Caramel
Referred to as a “crown jewel” by its new executive chef and purporting a “feast for the Gods” a visit to Caesars’ Bacchanal Buffet comes with certain self-appointed expectations and although prices have crept upward since the sprawling space opened to the public I can only say that my $47.50 Saturday Brunch, complete with bottomless champagne, was worth every cent. Grand in both scope and spectacle with ornate glass, open floorplans, and plush seating complimented by a staff of over twelve-dozen overseeing preparation, service, and customer needs my arrival at Bacchanal shortly preceded its 8am opening and greeted first by a cheerful cashier, then by assistant manager Stephanie, my experience commenced; the subsequent three hours adrift in 70+ of the buffet’s offerings and a sea of smiles emanating from each employee and nearly every patron. Divided into several sections with many offering cooked-to-order options including crepes and omelets it was Asian that my meal began and with fresh steamer baskets just opened the dim sum excelled – a small quibble in the thick-skinned har gow more than compensated by bao, duck and pork as good as that at Jasmine plus full-service congee complete with century egg, not to mention Sin City’s best Egg Custard Tart later discovered at the dessert island. Moving next to things more “American,” one is well advised to monitor for items fresh from the kitchen as both the crunchy waffles and well seasoned chicken proved superlative while later tastes of waffle fries and tots fell flat – a fresh buttermilk biscuit, hot seafood preparations, and sliced meats including smoky beef ribs with caramelized crunch all showing far better. At times a touch liberal in salt with Kung Pao Chicken and Risotto suffering the most, Bacchanal again shines in selections of shellfish, cheese, and charcuterie but with much eating to do and such things widely available elsewhere it was thoroughly in my sweet tooth that I indulged and although I passed up a few cookies plus a duo of sorbet suffice it to say that I nearly ran the gamut; cakes, doughnuts, pies, tarts, and more all justifying the calories with the aforementioned egg custard, pecan pie, cream puff, carrot cake, and citrus ‘tiramisu’ all warranting special mention along with the lovely pastry team who jovially tended to baking, saucing, arranging, and making crepes at a pace seldom to lull.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Slightly more expensive than Wicked Spoon but making up the difference in complimentary champagne there are things to love about both of Las Vegas’ premier all-you-can-eat experiences yet aside from a more expansive gelato case and my predilection to The Cosmopolitan’s soundtrack I’d be hard-pressed to ever recommend it over Bacchanal. Obviously limited by the constraints intrinsic to feeding anywhere from 2500 to 4500 persons in a given day yet defying the odds through a combination of remarkable customer service and striking attention to detail I’m happy to say that Bacchanal lives up to the liberally applied superlatives and although “Gods” may require something slightly more refined I’m almost positive they won’t find it in such a format for less than $50, especially on Las Vegas Boulevard.
RECOMMENDED: Roasted Duck, Crispy Spicy Cod, Chicken and Waffles, Lobster Biscuits and Gravy, Egg Custard Tart, Beef Rib, Congee, Pecan Pie, Cream Puff, Carrot Cake, Padan Tiramisu.
AVOID: Risotto, Kung Pao Chicken, Bear Claw, Breakfast Burrito, anything that looks as though it has been sitting longer than a half-hour.
TIP: Early arrival is recommended as waits stretch past an hour after 9:30am, though a ticketing system that dispenses return-time ‘reservations’ helps to mitigate a true ‘line.’ Fans of specific items would be best served to call in advance as new items frequently displace older ones and the menu undergoes wholesale change seasonally, four times a year.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/bacchanal-buffet.html
