Friday night Seafood Buffet The seafood is fresh and the salmon is so tasty. You get a glass of wine or beer with the Friday Seafood buffet however to me it is a little pricey but compared to other Buffet seafood nights it is in line with their prices. Ask Pat D about Feast Buffet at Green Valley Ranch. Visit Feast Around The World Buffet for some true American comfort food smack dab in the middle of Henderson's Green Valley Ranch. In summary, the GVR Feast Buffet is a good one, certainly the best of any Station Casinos buffets. You won’t regret making the trip to enjoy it, though it won’t measure up to the top buffets on the Strip. But the kicker in this deal is that Green Valley Ranch is a lovely property to visit along with the buffet. Feast buffet green valley ranch 헨더슨. With over 140 Las Vegas-area locations on foursquare, there has never been a better time to check in at a Station Casino.

When I think of Las Vegas, I think of excess everything ... excess extravagance, entertainment, gambling, shopping, and of course ... FOOD. I mean, it's called Sin City for a reason. In Vegas, practically every hotel has a buffet, each trying to one-up the others.

So I was slightly apprehensive when my family decided that we would go to Las Vegas for the holidays. Me, a new vegan, in Vegas. I Googled 'Vegan food in Vegas' and came up with a few resources: The Vegas Vegan, Vegas Veg and Vegas.com's Top 10 Vegetarian [and vegan] Restaurants. (I actually found even more vegan options just writing this blog than I did before I went to Vegas. At least now I know where to dine next time I go there.)

Best Vegan Pizza in Vegas

On the first night there, my boyfriend and I decided to take our chances on 800 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria at Monte Carlo, since it was right across from Polo Towers where we were staying. What's cool about this restaurant is that everything is customizable and made-to-order. When I asked them if they could make a vegan pizza, and they said yes, I felt like I had won the jackpot. Seriously. Forget gambling, although we did lose $80 on slots that night. And when they asked if I wanted vegan cheese, I felt like I was on a winning streak; I assumed they didn't have that option and was just going to order pizza without cheese.

My boyfriend and I split with the Zucca pizza, one of their specialty pies with butternut squash, caramelized onions and rosemary oil. It originally comes with bacon but we substituted it with sweet corn and green peppers. We didn't realize how light it would be, not knowing that neopolitan pizza has a super thin yet chewy crust. Each pie is only about 12 inches, so if you go there, get your own pizza.

It was so good we ended up going there again the next day for lunch with my sister and brother-in-law. My boyfriend and I each ordered a vegan Margherita pizza but I topped mine with olives, mushrooms and green peppers. YUMMMM!!! They use Daiya mozzarella (vegan cheese), which melts heavenly, just like regular cheese.

We also ordered their broccolini side dish, but they forgot we were vegan and topped it with cheese so I didn't get to eat it. They offered to give us a new one but we didn't want to waste food. I was told it was delicious. It's cooked with wood-roasted garlic, Calabrian chiles and olive oil. They also have salads that could be easily altered to be vegan-friendly.

Being Vegan at Buffets

Before I share my buffet experience, it's important to note that if you're vegan, it's best to stay away from buffets. You just won't get your money's worth. However, because I was with my family and it's our tradition to dine at a buffet at least once on our Vegas trips, I didn't really have a choice.

Feast Buffet at Green Valley Ranch Casino

On our second night, we met up with my uncle and cousins who live in Henderson, just 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas. They treated us to dinner at Feast Buffet, which is in Green Valley Ranch Casino, the locals' favorite. It was also voted as 'Best Brunch Buffet' by readers of Las Vegas Review Journal. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of options available. I thought I would be limited to just salad and fruit but I didn't even make it to the salad bar.

I believe they have six food stations to choose from, but I pretty much stuck with the Asian food ('Dynasty Grill'), which includes a Mongolian grill. I put together a big bowl of water chestnuts, baby corn, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, bean sprouts, fresh ginger and garlic, which they stir-fry in front of you. I didn't realize until after they used soy sauce on mine that there were about 7-10 sauce options. If you get it with soy sauce, make sure to tell them to go easy on it because my veggies came out a little too salty.

I also got a big serving of stir-fried bok choy. It's kind of sad that I didn't even go up for seconds. But I guess it's also a good thing that I got full off of that meal. I picked some watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple off my boyfriend's plate for dessert. I thought the fruit was perfectly ripe and sweet, too. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like I missed out on the dessert spread. Maybe my palate is changing and I'm actually OK with just fruits for dessert.

Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace

On our last night in Vegas, we ate at what was once my favorite buffet: Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. It was named Best Buffet in 2013 by USA Today. I knew from eating there before as a vegetarian that I would be even more limited on options as a vegan. And wow, was I right.

It was a bit of a roller coaster of emotions. I was skeptical that they'd have good vegan options. But then I asked the hostess about it and she said to just tell them that I'm vegan, and someone would give me a tour of the vegan options. So that led me to believe that they actually did have a substantial vegan selection.

When it came time for the tour, I quickly realized that was not the case. First, I had to keep repeating to the person giving me a tour that I couldn't have anything with dairy or eggs because she kept pointing at things with cheese. When we got to the fried food section, and I spotted french fries, I thought, well there's at least one thing I can have. That bubble burst pretty quickly when I was told everything was cooked in butter, even the fries and carrots. The person behind the counter looked like she felt bad for me so she offered to cook the carrots in just oil.

Every station I walked through felt like one rejection after another. I finally came upon the Japanese food section, and was relieved to see the vegetable rolls, edamame sesame seed salad and seaweed salad. On the way back to my table, I spotted salad with vinaigrette dressing so I scooped up some of that and grabbed a guava juice as well. There was also one station that had a slice of tomato with olive oil, cracked black pepper, salt, sugar and a white chocolate horseradish sauce. I asked the women behind the counter if they could prepare one without the sauce and they obliged, begrudgingly.

I also took a gamble on the taro bao (steamed bun filled with taro paste). To my knowledge, it should be vegan. I was determined to eat whatever I could to make the $60+ my dad spent on my meal worth it. Once I ate that, I was officially full and felt less like I had wasted my dad's money. I guess the carbs from the bun really made a difference.

Since I was sitting right next to the dessert section, I had to do one lap around it. I was shocked and annoyed that even their sorbet had milk. Really, milk in sorbet?! Why not label it 'sherbet' instead of 'sorbet' then?! So I ended up having some strawberries and pineapple for dessert.

I'm sad to say that that will be the last time I'll eat at Bacchanal Buffet.

Wynn Las Vegas, the Culinary Haven for Vegans

After researching vegan restaurants in Vegas, I soon found out that Steve Wynn, owner of Wynn Las Vegas, is vegan himself. Thanks to him, there has been a shift toward high-end vegan-friendly restaurants on the Strip. That means everyrestaurant at Wynn and Encore caters to vegans. Do I hear angels singing and trumpets sounding? If I weren't with my family on this trip, I would've dined at every restaurant there.

Instead, I chose Allegro since it happened to be open while we were there. (The other two I checked out were closed: Tableau was only open for brunch and Lakeside didn't open until 5:30 PM.) They served an assortment of breads with a white bean garlic parmesan dip, which I accidentally took a bite of because all I heard was 'white bean and garlic'. So my boyfriend and I just ate the ciabatta bread (since it was the only vegan option) with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For appetizers, we split with the vegan bruschetta, which had some kind of olive tapenade spread, arugula, tomatoes and vegan ricotta. Delish! I'm going to try making it one of these days.

For our main course, we split with the vegan pizza and Gardein™ Chick'N parmigiano with linguine. The vegan pizza featured vegan ricotta, paprika almond slivers, kale and tomato sauce. It didn't have enough of a flavor kick like the pizza from 800 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria. I guess our expectations were too high because of it.

Overall, I was happy with our high-end vegan dining experience at Allegro. I appreciated the fact that they had a menu section for vegans as well as other dietary restrictions. My boyfriend and I agree that the vegan chicken parmigiano with linguine and the bruschetta were our favorites. Oh, and their white sangria is also good--it was white wine mixed with vodka. I'd definitely go back there again after trying all of the other restaurants at Wynn and Encore.

Surviving Vegas as a Vegan

In the City of Sin--and excess--it's a relief to know that there are actually establishments that cater to people with dietary restrictions. All is not lost when you're a vegan in Vegas.

Feast Buffet - Green Valley Ranch

January 2002

Green Valley Ranch Casino Feast Buffet

For longer than most can probably remember, Station Casinos has been offering its Feast Buffets at its Station-branded properties around the Las Vegas Valley. The Feast buffets, it may be safe to say, are collectively regarded as solid, high-quality dining venues that help draw in the local customers who are the foundation of the company’s business. Employing a combination of decent food with some creative dining-room elements, along with aggressive couponing and other promotions, Station has described its buffets as loss leaders that bring customers in for a good meal and some gambling in casinos that rely heavily on video poker and other machines for the company’s solid revenue stream.

Except when using coupons from sources such as newspapers, the Las Vegas Entertainment Book, and the coupon book from the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, visitors don’t have a lot of incentive to patronize the Feast buffets. But when they do, they generally pronounce themselves satisfied but not overwhelmed with the experience.

Now, along comes Green Valley Ranch Station Hotel and Casino (GVR), the company’s new, upscale resort located in Henderson just off the I-215 beltway, which makes it a relatively short drive from the Strip. And in keeping with the relatively affluent customer base Station is seeking, the resort includes a new Feast Around The World buffet that also takes their buffet product to a new level.

This is not to say that the GVR buffet is so lavish that it would now be compared with the buffets at Bellagio, Aladdin, etc. In fact, you might just call it the “Feast Buffet –Plus,” as I’ll try to explain.

The GVR Feast Buffet is open as follows:

Breakfast Monday through Friday, from 8 to 11:30 a.m., at a cost of $5.99, $3.99 for children aged four to eight, and free for children under four.

Lunch, Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is $7.99, $4.99 for kids four through eight, and free for kids under four.

Dinner, seven days a week from 3:30 to 10 p.m., is $11.99, $6.99 for kids four through 8, and free for kids under four.

Champagne Brunch, served from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday is $12.99, $7.49 for kids four through eight, and free for kids under four.

A recent addition is the late-night breakfast buffet, served from midnight to 6 a.m., priced at $4.99, $3.49 for kids four through eight, and free for kids under four.

The late-night buffet features omelets, French toast and the like, including a variety of breads and pastries. Notwithstanding the question of why kids would be awake and eating at such late hours, the reason for the new late-night breakfast buffet is that GVR needed a place for patrons to eat after the Original Pancake House, the resort’s only 24-hour food operation, cut back to a 10 p.m. closing time.

When you visit GVR’s Feast Buffet without benefit of a line pass or VIP entry based on your Boarding Pass (player’s club) level or knowing someone, the likelihood of having to wait in line, depending on the hour, is much greater than at the nearby Sunset Station buffet. The reason is simple: seating capacity. The GVR buffet holds 55 percent fewer people (480) than at Sunset Station (746). While you are waiting in line, you might be entertained by the two overhead televisions installed there for that purpose, though management doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to what channel the TVs are tuned to. If you can read lips, you might enjoy a weekday soap opera like the one they had on one day when we were there.

Most Feast buffets are wide and deep, with most of the serving stations arrayed along the back wall and salad/soup islands in the middle. The GVR buffet is similar, but it is wide and shallow due to the reduced seating capacity. Patrons enter the buffet area in front of a handsome display of seasonal vegetables, fruits and nuts, which are real but for display purposes only.

Seating is again a bit more upscale than the other Station Feast buffets. Very comfortable, comfy chairs, rich earth-toned carpeting in the dining areas, and a clear separation of smoking and non-smoking areas.

This brings us to the food, starting with the soups and salads that are presented on islands in the room. The items we’ve found here are a collective example of Station’s efforts to crank up the creativity of its dishes to a small degree, including: romaine lettuce and field greens with a variety of dressings that included lemon-poppyseed, bleu cheese, Caesar, ranch, oil and balsamic vinegar, grain mustard; chicken liver paté; smoked salmon; pickled herring in sour cream; smoked turkey Waldorf salad; cranberry orange relish; gefilte fish (a first for us at a Station buffet); Mediterranean five-bean salad; nine-grain wild-rice salad with dried cherries; fruit salad; chilled wok-seared vegetables; assorted deli meats and cheeses; sweet potato and yam cubes; tomato, basil & buffalo mozzarella salad.

Starting along the back wall at the far right is the Dynasty Grill, this buffet’s name for the Asian-cuisine section, featuring: hot and sour soup; vegetable chow mein; black-pepper beef; kung-pao chicken; stir-fried vegetables; pork-and-vegetable egg rolls; roast duck; vegetable fried rice; potstickers; steamed jasmine rice; black-bean salmon.

This buffet also joins the ranks of those offering a Mongolian grill, wherein diners select their meats, veggies and seasonings, which are cooked on a large griddle by a chef and handed to back on a plate. The available meats/seafood are lamb, chicken, beef and shrimp, with add-ons that include mushrooms, sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, broccoli, corn, pea pods, onion, zucchini, garlic, yellow & green squash, and peppers. Sauces include teriyaki, soy, ginger-garlic and several others.

Next down the line is the International Market, with its emphasis on Hispanic dishes. Selections here include: chimichangas; flour tortillas; steamed mussels in seasoned broth; refried beans; scrambled eggs; sliced carne asada with warm roast-tomato-and-garlic salsa. This section also has a made-to-order omelet station, as well as Spanish rice and chorizo sausage with eggs.

Several seafood items are to the left of the International Market, including savory steamed clams and mussels, huge mounds of peeled shrimp, and crab legs.

Daily availability of chilled shrimp and crab legs is, I believe, a first for Station buffets, and is an example of the effort to improve the quality. The snow-crab or opilio crab legs are good-sized, and the buffet is one of the few I’ve run across that does something to address the preference some have for chilled crab legs and others have for hot crab legs. As presented, they are on ice. But if you like them hot, a server will take your plate of crab legs and place it into an adjacent steamer oven. A minute later and you’ve got a plate of steaming hot crab legs.

Due to the popularity of the crab legs, there’s usually a line at this station. This can cause a bit of a problem for those who just want to get the clams and mussels or the peeled shrimp, as they have to either wait patiently in line to reach those items or find a way to semi-politely get in and get out as quickly as possible.

Green Valley Ranch Casino Feast Buffet Menu

On the journey from left to right, the next section is called Americana. It features the following: grilled pepper steak; rotisserie duck; kielbasa, ham, saffron rice pilaf; salmon with dill sauce; home-fried potatoes; sautéed carrots; bacon; sausage; seafood ragout; apple-sausage stuffing; mashed potato and gravy. This section also includes a carving station, which at various times includes two of these: leg of lamb, roast prime rib, pork loin, turkey.

Next comes the Italian section, called Tuscan Trattoria. Items we’ve found here include: mussels Vera Cruz; bowtie pasta with pancetta; eggs cosmopolitan (similar to Benedict, but with bacon instead of ham); eggs Benedict; sauté of mushrooms, artichokes and Kalamata olives; meatballs; chicken Angelo; asiago cheese sauce and Spanish sauce; French toast; penne pasta; fusilli with crab; Bolognese sauce, marinara sauce and clam sauce; spinach, mushroom and leek mini quiches.

The Italian section also features fresh-baked pizzas. The pizzas at most of the Feast buffets are thin-crust, but the chefs at the GVR buffet make a thicker crust. The pizza was good, though far from the best I’ve had.

Green Valley Ranch Casino Feast Buffet Menus

The dessert area includes the usual selections of pies, cakes, cookies, etc., with a decent selection of sugar-free pastries. There’s apple cobbler, bread pudding, self-serve soft ice cream with several fruit sauces. A server makes ice-cream sodas on request, and will also scoop ice cream for diners from a chest similar to those in ice-cream shops. If you make it to this buffet, try the killer hazelnut ice cream that always seems to be available.

Green Valley Ranch Casino Feast Buffet All You Can Eat

In summary, the GVR Feast Buffet is a good one, certainly the best of any Station Casinos buffets. You won’t regret making the trip to enjoy it, though it won’t measure up to the top buffets on the Strip. But the kicker in this deal is that Green Valley Ranch is a lovely property to visit along with the buffet. Immediately upon entering the property, most will be pleased by the understated class of the interior, and you will enjoy walking around to see the various amenities, including the handsome restaurant fronts, the cinema complex, Whiskey Sky lounge and the Whiskey Beach outdoor recreation area, and the beautiful hotel areas.

--Best from David in NV