Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace

If there is one word that defines Vegas, it's excess.  Like a vast quantity of quality items.  The all you can eat buffet really exemplifies this.  One of the best examples of this is the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace.  USA Today rated it as the best buffet in Vegas.  Even though I want to disregard this accolade, I find it hard to think of any other buffet as impressive as this one, other than the one at the Bellagio.

This place is massive.  At first, it didn't seem like it would be that big of a place.  But there are multiple dining rooms and several buffet sections further in the back.  The decor here is a bit more modern and minimalist compared to other buffets like the Bellagio.  I think its pretty swank, but personality I could less.  I'm here for the food.  And there was a lot of it.  So here's a running list of everything that I saw.  I estimate that I probably had 65% of this list.

Seafood: clam bake and mussels Munierè served on metal buckets, faro with braised Swiss chard and radish, lobster and corn chowder, salmon in white wine, paella, boiled crawfish, oyster shooters, snow crab legs, shrimp cocktail, green lip mussels, and raw oysters on the half shell.

The seafood offerings are quite unique.  Most places would serve a whole bunch of fish dishes.  Bacchanal uses more shellfish and fewer fish dishes.  In fact, the only fish dishes that were served were the ceviche and salmon with white wine.  This is the first time I've seen raw oysters in a buffet.  There's also an interesting apparatus for the butter.  The butter dispenser is not only just keeping the butter warm but is also churning it to keep it from hardening.  I just wish they had king crab legs rather than snow crab.

American: parmesan fries and two kinds of tater tots served on mini fryer baskets, beef brisket, lamb chops, turkey breast, artisan chicken sausage, kielbasa, prime rib, fried chicken, buffalo wings, sliders, and mini Chicago hot dogs.

The carved meat section is larger than most places.  Typically, there would be one or two cuts at most, like prime rib and either pork or turkey.  Here, they have six kinds.  This is the first time I've seen sausage or brisket being served.  Personally, I really liked the lamb chops and kielbasa.

Mexican: posole, carnitas, manchaca, rice and beans, and a variety of homemade salsas.

I found out about this section after I finished eating.  So I can't say how good the food was, but any station that makes their own salsas should be a good thing.

Meditarranean: Pizzas, carbonara, risotto, polenta with mushroom Tartuffe, ratatouille, and some cured meats and cheeses.

This is a section that I would have probably passed over if it wasn't for the polenta.  That dish stood out compared to the others.  It is topped with black chanterelle mushrooms and aged parmesan cheese.  The mushrooms had an amazing earthy aroma that was just sublime.

Asian: Thai noodles and curries, salmon, tuna, and shrimp sushi, a variety of Japanese pickles, and a large Chinese section which includes fried rice, Hunan green beans, kung pao chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork, dim sum, and oxtail and ginseng chicken soup.

The Chinese food here wasn't that bad.  The oxtail soup made me really happy.  It is one of my favorite cuts of beef.  Oxtails are very tough, so they are stewed, resulting in meat that is full of flavor.

Dessert: ice cream and mochi scooped to order, dark and white chocolate dipped strawberries, crepe bar with mixed berries, caramel bananas, and Nutella, fruit cobbler, bread pudding, vanilla and chocolate creme brûlée, mango pudding, cupcakes, cookies, macaroons, decadent lollipops like strawberry cheesecake and chocolate fudge, Whoopie pie, apple pie, Oreo pie, key lime pie, pecan pie, carrot cake, flan, tropical cake, chocolate cake, and passionfruit cheesecake.

One word to describe this: heaven.

Oh, and if you were wondering, there is a salad bar as well.

This is the definition of overkill.  There is so much food here its almost impossible to sample a bit of everything.  After eating here I can see why it was rated the best.  Everything here is carefully prepared and of very high quality.  Therefore, everything here is worth eating.  I enjoyed every moment here, up until I was sitting in the toilet.  Even then, I had no regrets.

The all you can eat buffet is something you must try when in Vegas.  Sure, it affirms how fat and excessive Americans are, but the clientele here, or at least on the night I was there, wasn't all fat and bulging out of their clothes.  It was a mixed bag.  Some people were even bringing their hot dates.  I don't know if a buffet is an appropriate place for that kind of occasion, but to each their own.

This is just the dinner buffet.  They also serve breakfast, lunch, and brunch here as well.  For dinner, it's $45.99 Monday-Thursday and $51.99 Friday-Sunday.  Yeah, none of this comes cheap.  But it's an experience that you cannot miss.

Caesar's Palace Hotel and Casino
3570 Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109