Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing is definitely not your kid’s playground. This is serious, testosterone fueled racing geared toward grown-ups. In fact, you have to be at least 5-feet tall to take part in a race and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

It’s located on a dead-end street in a mostly industrial section of town, that while in the shadow of The Strip, is still not easy to find unless you know exactly where you are going. It’s not helped by the fact that it’s in a non-descript warehouse building with a tiny sign. God bless Google maps.

Inside, the no-frills facility is basically just a warehouse with a racing course set up in the middle of it. There are giant fans and roll-up doors providing ventilation but one would imagine that on scorching Las Vegas days this is not going to be a cool place to play.

The karts themselves are gasoline powered with 200cc Honda motors capable of getting up to 50 miles per hour, although the course is so curvy and relatively short that you probably won’t be able to attain those speeds for more than a second or two.

You get a full on racing helmet and are then buckled into one of the karts along with 5 or 6 other racers and then the green flag comes out for a 10-minute race. Although bumping and other unsportsmanlike behavior is forbidden, the reality is that this is as close to a real race as most people will ever get so expect to be knocked about a bit. People with back and neck problems should avoid this. Oh, and the karts are small so the very tall and very wide might want to consider another diversion.

At $25 per race (multi-race packages available), this is not a cheap experience but it’s a bargain when you consider the adrenaline rush you’ll get.

Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing
4288 S. Polaris Ave. #109
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702-736-8113
website
Mon-Sat 11am-11pm
Sun 11am-9pm

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That’s the gimmick behind Studio B at M Resort, an upscale buffet that ups the ante by including a full kitchen studio where chefs put on cooking demonstrations and broadcast the goings on to giant screen televisions spread around the main dining room. They don’t happen all the time – you can’t just drop by at any old time and expect a show – but when they do it’s a unique angle perfectly suited to the Las Vegas ethos where everything, including eating, has to be entertainment.

Set that aside though, and you still have a really good buffet. The curvy serving station layout wraps around the circular room, which is infused with natural light – a rarity for most Las Vegas buffets.

As usual the menu will vary depending on when you visit but during a recent Sunday brunch they had a wide assortment of salads; several carving stations with ham, turkey, chicken, roast beef, and more; a wide variety of Asian cuisines including Chinese, Vietnamese, and sushi; pizza and pastas; and a big breakfast area including pancakes, bacon, sausage, waffles, and made to order omelets.

The dessert station, often a missed opportunity at Vegas buffets, was quite extensive including hand scooped gelato, pastries, cookies, cakes, and much more. I only made one trip but not for lack of desire.

Everything I sampled was well prepared, flavorful, and served at the right temperature (that last one is important considering the tepid no matter what selections at a lot of buffets). It was all a cut above the standard all you can eat fare.

There are three downsides here for most Vegas visitors. The first is the location. M Resort is situated at the far end of the Las Vegas Valley, a solid 20 minute drive from The Strip if traffic is cooperating and more if it isn’t. Los Angeles commuters should take note of this on their way in or out of town, but for everyone else there are probably five or ten just as good, closer options. The second issue is its popularity, which means that there will almost always be a line here and sometimes a very long one. Reports of hours long waits are not uncommon.

And finally there’s the price. I often encourage people to get away from The Strip for buffets to the locals hotels for the quality and the cost savings but here, breakfast is around $11, lunch around $15, dinner $23-26, and brunch $25. You can get a couple of bucks off if you sign up for the M Resort player’s club card, but that’s still a big chunk of change and not any cheaper than equally good buffets on The Strip.

This is an “if you’re in the neighborhood” (or on the freeway) kind of buffet, not one most visitors should go out of their way to experience. Although if you can time it to when they are having one of their live cooking demonstrations that might just make it worth the trip.

Studio B
M Resort
12300 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Henderson, NV 89044
702-797-1000
website
Mon-Fri 7am-10pm
Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

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