The overhaul of the dining room and serving areas is the first success, turning what had been a Disneyland version of a farmer’s market into a sleeker, more accessible (both visually and physically) space. There is plenty of the typical wood and marble that you’ll normally find in a joint like this but also some beautiful mosaic tiles and plenty of blue and green fabrics to lighten things up. The new layout helps traffic patterns enormously, enabling people to move in and out of stations with ease.

The regional stations all have festive names (Ole for the Mexican, Fresh for the seafood, etc.) and include a well-stocked salad bar, Pan-Asian cuisine including some sushi, Brazilian barbecue, Italian offerings, American comfort food, and more. Items change often but expect the traditional (mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti, pizza from a wood-burning oven) and some more interesting items sprinkled throughout including, on the day I visited, a spicy South American stew filled with sausage and vegetables that was delicious.

Their carving station is one of the most complete I’ve seen with your choice of roast beef, prime rib, chicken, ham, turkey, sausage, lamb, roasted vegetables, and more. Several live action cooking stations offer up everything from made-to-order omelets during the brunch to hand-tossed pastas for dinner.

And unlike many buffets, their dessert station totally satisfies. Chocolate fountain. That’s all I’m saying. And a gelato station with “home made” gelato, ice cream, and sorbet. Okay, now I’m done. Oh, and pastries and cookies and cake. Really, this time I swear I’m finished.

The prices are about average for Strip buffets these days, which is to say expensive. Breakfast comes in at around $14, lunch at $17, brunch (including mimosa) is $20, and dinner is $22. Although there are a lot of places that charge those kinds of prices, there are only a handful at which I would actually recommend doing so.

Flavors is one of them.

Flavors, The Buffet
Harrah’s Las Vegas
3475 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
800-214-9110
harrahs.com
Hours:

Or can it?

M&M Soul Food in Las Vegas does a fantastic job of bringing the taste of down-home cooking to the Nevada desert and is not only the best example of the cuisine you’re going to find in Vegas but is one of the best of the breed anywhere that I’ve sampled.

The no-frills restaurant located in a slightly run-down strip mall in a slightly run-down neighborhood may intimidate sheltered suburban types, but really if you’re insisting on valet parking and cloth napkins when you’re looking for collared greens and gumbo you need a good talking to. Located a couple of miles west of The Strip, it’s something most people will have to go out of their way to get to but it’s totally worth the time and effort.

The full lunch and dinner menu includes the kinds of things that you usually don’t find north of the Mason-Dixon line, like chitterlings, oxtails, and black-eyed peas but even the more recognizable items have that southern-cooking flair. For instance, the fried chicken is crispy and juicy with a blend of slightly spicy seasonings that kicks the butt of that stuff that comes in a bucket. If cholesterol is not an issue in your life, you have to get it “smothered” – covered in their sweet gravy, which adds a new layer of flavor and texture that shouldn’t be missed.

Other entrée items include baked or barbecue chicken, short ribs, liver and onions, pork chops, meat loaf and more. You can get them ala cart or as a meal with your choice of three sides which include macaroni and cheese, collared greens, red beans and rice, cornbread dressing, fried okra, and more. Each meal starts with an amazing cornbread pancake and real butter to kick things off in a down-home kind of way.

Breakfast specialties include a lot of the above plus things like ham steak, hot links, corn beef hash, and omelets. Most come with your choice of Mississippi style potatoes, rice, or grits; two eggs cooked to order; and a choice of homemade biscuits or toast.

The prices, at first glance, seem a bit on the high side. Lunch and dinner entrees start at around $13 and go up to $19 for a large seafood gumbo but the portions are almost epic and don’t forget they come with three sides. It is entirely too much food for one normal human being to eat so sharing is an option as are a doggy bag if your room has a fridge. Plus, this is less than you’ll pay at most Strip buffets and the food is vastly superior than you’ll find at many.

Service is as down-home as the rest of the joint – expect a familial greeting and plenty of conversation with the staff.

Everything in the tourist areas of Las Vegas is processed to the point of banality, from the experience to the atmosphere to, often, the food. What a joy, then, to walk into someplace as real as this.

M&M Soul Food
3923 W. Charleston Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-453-7685
mmsoulfoodcafe.com
Hours:

Question: Someone asked me an interesting Vegas “challenge” and I thought I’d pose it to you. You have one day in Vegas and you have to spend $500 from the time you get up to the time you go to bed but you can’t gamble any of it and shopping doesn’t count. How would you do it?

Answer: I wish that spending $500 in one day was more of a challenge but unfortunately in Vegas these days that’s pretty easy.

Since I’m basically a very lazy person, I’d start by ordering breakfast via room service, watch some Hollywood blockbuster movie on the pay per view, and check my e-mail using the wireless connection in the room. Figure $30 with tip for the meal, $12 for the movie, and $14 for the Internet and I’ve already spent $56 and I haven’t gotten out of bed.

Then I’d wander down to the pool and be lazy some more, lying around while people bring me big cocktails with fruit hanging off the glass, because it’s after noon somewhere. Another $30 gone.

For lunch I’d go to the Wynn Buffet and let’s just pretend this is a Sunday so it’s their Champagne Brunch, which runs around $30 also. We’re up to $116.

In the afternoon I’d go to a few of my favorite Las Vegas attractions like The Springs Preserve and the Mirage Dolphin Habitat. Kiss another $34 goodbye and I’m at $140.

I know you said I can’t spend it shopping but I don’t consider buying food as actual shopping so I’d hit my two favorite dessert spots and pick up a one-pound box of milk-chocolate covered caramels at the Chocolate Swan and a dozen assorted cupcakes at The Cupcakery. That’s about another $60 give or take so now I’ve gotten rid of $200.

For dinner I’d go have a great meal at one of two places – either the amazing Asian fusion at Hannah’s or the incredible steaks at Austins. With drinks, tax, and tip that’s going to run $75 easy.

Then I’d go see a show. I could say that I’d just blow the remaining $225 on a front row ticket to see Bette Midler at the Colosseum but that’s too easy so I’ll do a $150 ticket to KA at MGM Grand.

With the remaining $75 I’d probably hit a couple of nightclubs. Between the crazy cover charges, which can be as high as $30, and drinks at $10 a pop it won’t take me long to hit my $500 total.

Actually after reviewing my itinerary and all of the cocktails I consumed, I’d better stop at $65 at the clubs so I have $10 left to take a cab back to the hotel.

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