“Vegas resorts are telling people this is part of the experience package,” Erdem says. But it was still culinary excess, albeit an updated version, with some of the newer buffets offering as many as 500 choices. Taste, quality, and appearance became more important than bargains, and prices went up accordingly. Starting with Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan in 2010 and followed by Bacchanal at Caesars Palace in 2012, the steam trays faded away and individual servings - with, in many cases, on-demand preparation - arrived. “Lobster, steak, and a buffet.”īut it’s been a while since the Strip was peppered with bargain buffets.

In dining, that often means a lavish buffet.Įrdem says he remembers his own first visit to Las Vegas as a tourist in 1997, when he went to the Flamingo for lobster and steak - for $9.99. Las Vegas is known for indulgence in pretty much every category. Think: cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, or Cajun/Creole food in New Orleans. Las Vegas is a destination city, and most destination cities are known for a food item or style of cuisine, he says.

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