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Eats from our January 2016 Trip – The Buffet Yard House Cravings Feast of not so Grand Buffet

Posted on February 9, 2016 by scottyvegas

LasVegasFood

Yard House – Located near the High Roller observation wheel at The Linq is Yard House. Nice looking place with good service and 100 beers on tap plus good, very reasonably priced, eats… do I need to say more? Sure I do! If the already mentioned didn’t spark an interest than these tips should:

Tip: GREAT Lunch Specials and Happy Hour (M-F, 3-6)

Tip: The Club Sandwich is da bomb! Seriously large sharable dinner portion.

Mirage’s Cravings Buffet – Cravings is a solid buffet option with several themed stations with a variety of consistently good food options. Since we often stay at The Mirage Casino Hotel we’ve visited this buffet probably more than any other.

Tip: Buffet includes unlimited draft beer (Budweiser and Goose Island IPA) and house wine (a red and white)

Tip: Active military receives BOGO or 50% off

Excalibur’s The Buffet – If in the neighborhood and hungry for a buffet that won’t break the budget consider The Buffet at Excalibur. This recently upgraded buffet is well appointed with the usual buffet fare. Taste and selection is pretty good and the dessert area has a crepe station that I always look forward to.

Red Rock’s Feast Buffet – Located 30 minutes west of the strip in the Red Rock Casino is the Feast Buffet. And a feast it is!! This is one tasty, well appointed, clean buffet. I can’t think of one thing that didn’t taste good. We went for lunch and it was very crowded but service and food item availability surprisingly excellent!

Tip: Excellent weekday pricing (with players card), Breakfast under $7.50, Lunch $9, Dinner $14

Tip: Same quality and pricing can be found at Green Valley Ranch which is also a Stations Casino

MGM (not so) Grand Buffet – Saving the worst for last, you’re welcome. Wow, what a disappointment this buffet was. Went for dinner at around 5pm ($60, $30 each) and lunch was still being served. Talked to the manager as he happened to walk by. He admitted that the kitchen was slow transitioning (lunch ended at 3!) to dinner. I told him food dishes were empty and the place was a mess, and he agreed! Ironically there was plenty of cheap pizza coming out of the kitchen. No Thanks, refund please.

Tip: If something isn’t right, say something. Vegas usually makes things right without hassle

The manager said a buffet remodel is underway and asked us to give them a second chance after completion. Since I’ve had good experiences with the Grand Buffet in the past, I just might do that, but not until the remodel is complete.

 

Filed under: Food, Informational, reviews, Tips, Trip Planning | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

El Segundo Sol @ Fashion Show Mall

Posted on January 9, 2015 by scottyvegas

El Segundo Sol Tequila and margarita bar located at the end of the Fashion Show Mall  rfashion showight across from the Wynn is a personal favorite of ours. The food is very good, and the happy hours specials keep us returning when in town. WP_20141006_019

Belly up to a bar table, order some endless chips and salsa and a street taco or two AND don’t forget the sangria (DELICIOUS!)

 

Tip: Certificate’s are available at Restaurant.com, they go out of stock fast!

Filed under: Food, Fun, reviews, Tips | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Ellis Island Steak Special and Other Budget Conscious Dining Options

Posted on December 28, 2013 by scottyvegas

It’s funny, when many people think of Las Vegas they think of cheap buffets and eats. Unfortunately those days are long gone from the strip. Instead celebrity chef named and other fantastic restaurants dominate Sin City these days. But not all is lost. Here are a couple places and ways to eat well and save some money.

Ellis Island

Looking for a good steak dinner at a fantastic price? If so, then read on because this little gem just might be one of the best deals going. If you rent a car (click for rent a car tips post) while in town then it should be a no brainer. Located just off the strip, on Koval (behind Bally’s/Paris) a block or so south of East Flamingo Rd is Ellis Island Casino and Brewery.

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This is a no thrills local’s casino near the big boys. This place offers great black jack and video poker payouts and wide selection of good food.  Okay so here’s the deal, for $9.99 (as of 1/2014) you get a 10 oz steak, choice of potato, vegetable of the day, salad, and a 22 oz Beer or Root Beer! Also, don’t expect to see this special on the menu or advertised anywhere in or around the casino because you won’t find it, just ask for it. I’m not a steak expert or pretend to be so I’m not sure of the cut. But what I do know that of the 4 or so times I’ve had it, it’s been good every time.

Warning:  Be warned this is not your Bellagio/ Steve Wynn property crowd here. This is a blue-collar working man’s casino that offer’s big bang for the buck.

Idea!: While you’re there why not sample some of their micro brews while playing 3-2 Black Jack or 9/6 Video poker or check out their highly rated karaoke nights?

Like this?: Check out my Mr. Lucky’s $7.77 Gambler’s Steak Special post

Buffets

Craving a buffet? Here’s a few that will satisfy your hunger and budget. All are off strip but offer breakfast and lunch buffets for under $10 with player’s card. Just another reason renting a car in Vegas for me is essential.

  • Palms Hotel and Casino just off the strip on Flamingo.  Besides a fantastic room, you can get a very good buffet and food court offerings.
  • South Point Hotel and Casino, several miles south on Las Vegas Blvd. Good buffet, good sports book, and lots of cheap table games.
  • Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino, okay this is a personal favorite all around, I just plain out like this place. Located in Henderson 12 miles from the Strip.
  • Orleans Hotel and Casino just off the strip on Tropicana, solid buffet and not a bad place to stay and play at either.

Tip: You can almost always save a few bucks at Casino buffets/restaurants by showing your players card

More, more, more…

Don’t have a car while in Vegas, no worries, check out these tips.

  • Groupon.com and LivingSocial.com – Possibly the best way to save on meals and entertainment.  I subscribe to both and regularly receive email announcing offerings.  Like with anything, always read the fine print before you buy.

Tip: Start watching a couple months before your trip and purchase deals as they pop up. Usually deals go like, get $40 for $20.

  • Restaurant.com – Many, many, opportunities to save money here. sign-up for email and receive discounts off certificates. Here you buy gift certificates at a discount.

Note: before you buy review the menu and minimum purchase requirements

  • Happy Hours – Nearly all restaurants have some type of happy hour specials that discount food and drinks.  Check out my Get Happier in Las Vegas with Happy Hour Specials! post
  • Casino food courts – Most casinos on the strip offer food courts with your usual fast food fare and some decent offerings for example, Earl of Sandwich (our go-to quick fix place) in Planet Hollywood, delicious!
  • Split a deal! Most portion sizes are huge, instead of stuffing yourself, consider splitting a meal with someone. Besides it’s hard to drink all that “free” booze on a full stomach.
  • Eat a late lunch and save. Lunch is cheaper than dinner and often goes until 4pm.

Why not?

Now that you saved a few dollars why not splurge and treat yourself and that special person to a fabulous meal. Like I said, there are plenty of wonderful, world-class restaurants to choose from in Fabulous Las Vegas!

Bon appetite!

Filed under: Food, Gaming!, Tips, Trip Planning | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Get Happier in Las Vegas with Happy Hour Specials!

Posted on September 26, 2010 by scottyvegas

I always consider every hour I spend in Las Vegas Happy Hour but believe it or not it gets better! Especially, with this great tip.

I just recently found this cool website I think you just might be interested in. It’s a site that keeps track of Happy Hour Specials all over Vegas. They break down the specials by location in the following categories for easy navigation: On Strip, Off Strip, Downtown, Hotels & Casinos, and Shopping Malls.

The site does a good job of providing you with all the information you need to know such as, location, happy hour times, description of specials, and much more. As I looked around I was pleasantly surprised with some of the offerings. As you can imagine the common special is ½ drinks and ½ appetizers but some places get more creative and specific.

To be truthful I actually never really realized happy hour specials were as common as they are in Vegas. Maybe it’s an economy thing but you can bet that before my next Vegas trip I will certainly review this site and take some notes, as I’m usually ready for a break mid to late afternoon.

So whether you need a break from a losing streak, feel like taking a load off from nonstop walking or you’re simply watching your budget. I see taking advantage of a little happy hour happiness nothing short of a pure win!

Have a Happy Hour tip/experience to share? Post away in the comments below.

Don’t forget to check out these other posts:

Make a Drink List!

YES drinks are FREE in Las Vegas!

Mr. Lucky’s $7.77 Steak & Shrimp Deal

Sports, Drink, Food…

Filed under: Fun, Tips, Trip Planning | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »