Bally’s Sterling Brunch
Perrier Jouet Champagne
BLT Steak Popover with Butter
(Plate 1 Lobster, Cognac, and Boursin Cheese Omelet / Grilled Lobster Tail with Drawn Butter / American Amia Caviar with Blinis and condiments)
(Plate 2 Jonah Crab Claws / Poached Jumbo Shrimp / Steamed Alaskan King Crab / Roasted Red Pepper Frittata / Grilled Lobster Tail / American Amia Caviar / Drawn Butter)
(Plate 3 Prosciutto Eggs Benedict / Lobster Eggs Benedict)
(Plate 4 Lobster Ravioli / Lobster Bisque / Roasted Slab Bacon)
(Plate 5 Bread Pudding French Toast with Caramelized Bananas / Belgian Waffles, Fresh Whipped Cream, Macerated Berries with Lemon Zest, Pure Maple Syrup)
(Plate 6 Grilled Filet Mignon with Rosemary / Lemon Rosemary Airline Chicken Breast / Applewood Smoked Bacon / Roasted Pork Sausage / Chimichurri Crusted Rack of Lamb / Cheddar and Bacon Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes)
(Plate 7 Lemon Tart / Chocolate Tart / Cheesecake / Pineapple Upside Down Cake / Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Ganache Suckers)
(Plate 8 Grilled Peaches, Bacon, and Burrata / Chocolate Covered Strawberries / Mixed Nuts / Dates and Apricots / Cheddar, Brie, Blue, Idiazabal Cheese / Yogurt and Granola Parfait)
(Plate 9 Fruit Tart / Chocolate Caramel Crunch Bar / Peanut Butter Mousse with Chocolate Ganache / Hazelnut Chocolate Tart)
(Plate 10 Raspberry Chocolate Tart / Passion Fruit Parfait / Strawberry Parfait)
Heavily clad in silver when it opened its doors to high rollers in 1981, Bally’s Sterling Brunch has undergone a few changes in the last thirty-four years, including a brief closure that saw it reinvented within BLT-Steak in 2014, but still considered a piece of classic Las Vegas on the ‘you’ve got to do it once’ list for locals and tourists alike a visit on the Sunday preceding Memorial Day showed the place to be still going strong even despite a doubling in price across the three decades past.
Undeniably a pricey experience, currently tallying $90 (or $85 for those presenting a Total Rewards card,) but justified by its boutique nature with all-you-can drink Champagne, Screwdrivers, Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, or Coffee plus a spread including Grilled Lobsters, American Caviar, and King Crab Legs that far outshine the meager offerings at overwrought spots elsewhere, arrival at the doors of BLT Steak during service is likely to be met by a short line but with reservations the wait is minimal, my 9:30am arrival seeing me seated within five minutes by a GM who showed great skill in memorizing the names of diners at several tables where he checked in frequently to make sure all going according to plan.
Doing my best to snap a few photos before the buffet was in full swing before returning to my table to find a young waitress that was soon to be overstretched in serving more than a dozen tables, it was with champagne and coffee glass filled that the details of the dining room were described and soon given an enormous cheesy pop-over plus whipped butter by a tall male back-server the experience was underway, the airy bread exceedingly wispy beneath a soft golden shell with cheesy top-notes so pronounced that it almost led me to request another – until I recalled what treasures were to come.
Acknowledging my limitations as relates to alcohol, and as such imbibing in only two-and-a-half glasses of Perrier Jouet along with at least three-fold as many refills of coffee during the course of my 175 minute stay, it was with a deliberate pace and path that I worked my way through the buffet’s offerings, a first plate featuring the restaurant’s heralded omelet prepped to order with 2oz of caviar, a trio of blinis, and a nicely grilled lobster tail plus freshly drawn butter at its side.
Generally underwhelmed by buffet seafood, but immediately impressed by both the lobster as well as the caviar, a second trip saw snappy shrimp set beside another tail, more roe, plus two types of crab and although the cold pre-cracked claws were a little more grainy than I’d have hoped the King Crab was as sweet and succulent as most found in fine dining establishments spanning the strip, a follow-up of benedicts from the kitchen taking far too long to prepare and meagerly decorated with protein when compared to what customers can just as easily gather themselves.
Taken by the delicacy of noodles surrounding lobster ravioli topped in a sauce quite similar to the bisque, but richer when thickened by hot cast iron, and more than a little surprised at just how supple the slab bacon was when sliced to order, it was here that sweets would first be sampled and although the miniature waffles topped with whipped cream and macerated fruit plus a drizzle of maple syrup were a nice balance of crisp, pliable, and yeasty the laminated pastry given a custard bath before being baked into French Toast was an absolute show-stopper, easily amongst the best in the city and far superior to many that cost $17-20 at several 24-hour cafes.
Spending some time admiring decorations fashioned from reappropriated utensils, the restaurant now nearing half-full with several inebriated patrons pushing the noise level to a dull roar, it was unfortunate that neither the flimsy bacon nor run-of-the-mill sausage were any better than that available at a neighborhood diner while the tiny slice of filet mignon was almost inedibly cooked past well – the tender lamb chops as well as stuffed chicken proving far better seasoned and prepared on my final plate of savories before rounding out the experience in to a quartet of plates featuring small desserts, fruits, cheeses, and nuts.
At this point losing track of the server who seemed to be covering half the room, it was to the GM that I appealed for another cup of coffee and tasting through each of the sweets presented from the bar up front only two items really stood out – the hazelnut tart for its ability to reinvent Nutella into an ever-so-light mousse and the Cheesecake whose sour thickness was absolutely the opposite, a far better bite found in a small bowl of grilled peaches and candied bacon atop fresh pulled burrata that sat unannounced on the cold bar next to an equally fresh berry and yogurt parfait.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Without a doubt an experience, the quality of the cuisine and beverages easily justifying the cost for fans of shellfish and those capable of drinking their fair share of bubbly brut, Sterling Buffet lived up to its ‘bucket list’ billing as one of those places that everyone should try once, the impetus to return a matter of tastes and budget, particularly in a city where far more vast spreads can be found at a mere fraction of the cost.
RECOMMENDED: Lobster Tails, Caviar and Blinis, Roasted Slab Bacon, Bread Pudding French Toast with Caramelized Bananas, Hazelnut Chocolate Tart, Grilled Peaches with Bacon and Burrata.
AVOID: Benedicts, Filet Mignon, Jonah Crab Claws, Cheesecake.
TIP: Aside from the obvious fact that the free Total Rewards program will save each diner $5, those gambling frequently within the Harrah’s properties would be well advised to inquire about comps, the two tables adjacent to mine clearly known to waiters who addressed each man by name and never presented them a bill.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
https://www.caesars.com/ballys-las-vegas/restaurants/sterling-brunch#.VWaS0enbJ9A
