Vegas4Visitors Weekly Column by Rick Garman


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News of the Week
January 15, 2007 Vegas4Visitors Weekly by Rick Garman

Review: Santa Fe Buffet Nevada Casinos Win Big Show & Restaurant To Close Riviera Back on the Block City Center Sales Pavilion Open Q&A: Tropicana?	For Sale Again

Nevada Casinos Win Bigger Than Ever 2006 was another record year for Nevada casinos as they raked in more than $24 billion in revenue, clearing more than $2 billion in income, both figures up dramatically from the previous records set in 2005. The Nevada Gaming Commission’s annual report shows that not all of that bounty was from gambling. In fact, for the second year in a row Nevada casinos took in more money from non-gambling sources of revenue than from the slot machines and table games, 51% versus 49%. The non-gaming revenue was divided fairly evenly between hotel room rates, dining and drinking tabs, and the money spent on things like shows, shopping, spa treatments, and the like. Of course the bulk of that revenue came from Las Vegas, with casinos on The Strip racking up an impressive $14.9 billion of the total revenue. This was bolstered by yet another record breaking year of room occupancy (94%) and rates (average $137 per night). return to the top Show & Restaurant Closures Announced Prepare to say goodbye, at least temporarily, to two more long-running Vegas hits: the musical “Forever Plaid” playing at the Gold Coast since January 2005 will close in April of 2007 and Commander’s Palace, the upscale New Orleans eatery at The Aladdin will close in mid-January. Fans of either have reason to be hopeful, though. Both are rumored to be moving to new homes but their locations have not been disclosed. “Plaid” has been playing in some form or another for years in Vegas, most recently at The Gold Coast but before that for an extended run at The Flamingo. Commander’s is the sister restaurant to the famed 125-year-old New Orleans establishment and has been in business in Vegas since 2000. return to the top Riviera Back on the Block With hotels and casino chains being snapped up left and right around town, one has to wonder what’s up with The Riviera and why it seems that no one is able to complete an attempt to buy it. Earlier this year a potential deal to buy the hotel was scuttled by shareholders who deemed the offer too low. Now, another bid to buy the joint has hit the skids. An investment firm and a local developer had put together an offer to buy The Riviera for $21 a share, $4 a share higher than the previous bid that was turned down. With major backing and a good reputation (it’s the same team building the $1.8 billion Cosmopolitan project near Bellagio), the offer was considered a fair and realistic one by analysts but apparently the shareholders didn’t see it that way. Unable to garner the support needed, the negotiations fell apart and now the deal is off the table. Part of the problem seems to be a desire from the major shareholders of the Riviera parent company to capitalize on a North Strip boom that hasn’t really materialized. When Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2005 it was expected that development would move north and nearly a dozen major casino and condominium projects were announced for various parcels between Wynn and The Sahara. To date, only three of them have actually turned earth – The Trump International condo/hotel now under construction behind The Frontier, The Sky Las Vegas condominium complex, and Encore, the sister hotel to Wynn. Everything else is either stalled or dead completely and so the bloom, perhaps not entirely off the rose, is at least not blooming as vibrantly as anticipated. I think shareholder expectations and reality will find a common ground soon and The Riviera will probably have a new owner before the end of 2007. return to the top City Center Sales Pavilion Now Open Interested in moving to Vegas? Got an extra couple million dollars lying around? Well, then maybe you should stop by the new sales pavilion for the upcoming City Center project. The sales center, located on The Strip between Bellagio and Monte Carlo, is nearly 30,000-square-feet of showroom with full-sized replicas of condominium units, floor and design plans, and high-tech wizardry that will allow you to see what view you’d be getting depending on which unit you chose. It’s all part of the massive $7 billion City Center development currently under construction at the same spot. When complete in November of 2009 it will include thousands of hotel and condos, a casino, entertainment venues, shopping, and more. And just in case you don’t have a couple of million dollars lying around, there are some units available for less than that but you will need at least a half-million to claim your piece of the sky here. The sales pavilion is open to the public daily from 10am until 7pm and is free of charge. Unless you buy something, of course. return to the top
Feature of the Week

Review: Feast Buffet at Santa Fe Station

There are dozens of buffets in Las Vegas, so what make one stand out from another? A wide variety of food choices is an obvious answer; well-prepared and fresh a must. Value is a primary consideration as the price of buffets skyrockets each year. Service and atmosphere are important too. The Feast Buffet at Santa Fe Station stands out in every category, making this a dining experience that you absolutely must consider on your next Vegas vacation. New as of December 2006, the buffet at Santa Fe Station takes everything the folks at Station Casinos have learned at their other hotels and improved upon it. The room is a high-ceilinged, airy affair; modern and comfortable with plenty of booths and tables. Since it is open to the casino, the seating areas located near the front can be a little noisy but that’s a minor concern. The selection of food is almost staggering. Start with the salad bar area, packed with the typical chilled varieties of lettuce and accompaniments but also featuring cold cuts, cheeses, fresh fruit, rolls, soup, and more. Get into the main courses and the choices become more difficult. I highly recommend you cruise the entire length of the serving stations to get an idea what’s there before you load down your plate so you don’t hate yourself later for being too full to indulge in something you missed. There’s a barbecue station with several picnic favorites like Texas macaroni salad, potato salad, and cheddar mashed potatoes; heavily sauced affairs such as ribs, pulled pork, and shredded barbeque beef; plus some true southern regional cooking like collared greens. Visit the Asian section for everything from potsickers to Pad Thai with stops at things like spicy eggplant, sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, and “General’s Chicken” along the way. The Italian area has a made to order pasta bar (pick from a variety of noodles, sauces, and fresh ingredients while they cook it for you) plus a pizza oven and items like meatballs, sausage and peppers, and lasagna if you are pretending you’re carbo-loading. The American area has a carving station with turkey, ham, or roast beef plus traditional diner fair like fried chicken and catfish with hush puppies. We’re not done yet. Keep going to the Tex-Mex area for tamales, enchiladas, chicken or beef fajitas, and made to order Mexican favorites. And finally be sure to save a little bit of room for the dessert area. Most buffets in this town stumble badly in this category but Santa Fe’s Feast does a great job with cookies, cakes, pies, several different cobblers, soft-serve ice cream with all the toppings, and even hand-scooped gelato. Keep in mind that selections change often and we visited during lunch so what you find when you get there may be different depending on the time of day and day of the week. But we can attest that everything we tried was fresh, hot when it was supposed to be hot and cold when it was supposed to be cold, and very well prepared. All of this for prices that are a fraction of what similar buffets on The Strip charge. Breakfast is only $8, lunch a buck more, and dinner and the weekend brunch only $13. If you sign up for the free Station Casinos players’ club card they’ll even knock and additional dollar off of that. True, the location is a bit of a drag. Located on the far northwest side of town it’s quite a trek for most Vegas visitors but if you have a car at your disposal it’s really not that big of a deal. And I don’t want to hear you whining about how expensive buffets in Las Vegas have gotten – not when there’s one as winning as The Feast at Santa Fe Station. The Feast Buffet Santa Fe Station 4949 N. Rancho Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89130 866-767-7771 website Open Daily 8am-10pm return to the top
Question of the Week

From: Jane in Detroit, Michigan Question: I heard they are tearing down The Tropicana. Is that true? Answer: Yes and no. The new owners of The Tropicana are planning a massive, $2 billion redevelopment and expansion of the site and the hotel as it is now will be almost entirely replaced by the time the project is complete. But some of the hotel will remain and it will stay open for business during the construction. The two hotel towers will remain while as many as four more are built around the property, bringing the total inventory to more than 10,000 rooms including some condominiums. The “garden” rooms out back, part of the original hotel, will be demolished. The rest of the hotel will be closed in portions while they build new stuff to replace it. When complete there will be an all new casino, a bigger convention center, a shopping mall, new restaurants and entertainment facilities, more parking, and a revised pool and recreation area. Part of the complex will retain The Tropicana name but at least two of the new towers will get a new name and be operated as a separate, but still connected, property. Construction is expected to begin in the next couple of months and take more than two years to complete. return to the top