It’s the day before Thanksgiving.
The supermarket is packed with shoppers.
Some are picking up multi-item prepared meals that require nothing more than reheating—thus providing the illusion that you’ve been prepping and cooking and baking for days.
Some are picking up pre-ordered turkeys to be thawed tonight and placed in the oven tomorrow morning.
Others are roaming the aisles, searching for ingredients that only Thanksgiving Day recipes seem to call for.
And then there are the people (you, perhaps???) who have done no planning whatsoever and are staying as far away from the supermarket as possible.
Their (your???) thoughts range from, “I wonder if anyone can tell the difference between a just-baked turkey and packaged turkey slices?” to, “I wonder if the pizza place delivers on Thanksgiving?”
The answer to their (your???) first question is: Definitely.
And the answer to the second question is: Depends where you live. The bigger the city, the better your chances of getting a pie (of the non-pumpkin variety) delivered tomorrow.
There is yet another alternative for those who failed to plan for the big day: Hop on a plane and head to Las Vegas, where the new Bacchanal Buffet will solve all your problems.
The Bacchanal Buffet—which overlooks the Garden of the Gods at Caesars Palace—covers 25,000 square feet and offers more than 500 different items. As one blogger put it, “I’m not sure I’ve eaten 500 different things in my entire life.”
Caesars’ salute to excess takes the Las Vegas buffet to a whole new level. Back in the day, Vegas buffets were cheap, designed to lure potential gamblers. Most were glorified salad bars accompanied by a carving station where you could get a slice of roast beef or ham.
As Vegas casinos became more corporate, management began to look at each area of the operation for “hidden money.” Many expanded their buffets, but also increased prices considerably. Today, only a handful of the “old-school” buffets remain, and rare is the buffet that doesn’t cost double-digits—even at breakfast.
But Bacchanal goes well beyond the “Gen-2” buffets that replaced the “old-school” buffets. Breakfast is priced at $19.99, lunch goes for $24.99 and dinner will set you back $39.99.
Which brings up the question: Is it worth it?
The answer may surprise you: Absolutely.
We already mentioned the sheer scope of the offerings—500-plus items. But it’s the presentation of those items that redefines the buffet experience. At Bacchanal, there are nine different “kitchens” to peruse—Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, Seafood, Pizza, Deli and Dessert.
Selecting just one item from each means that you could nosh on sopapillas, baked lasagna, dim sum, sashimi, rotisserie chicken, oysters, pizza and charcuterie, topped off with a pistachio soufflé.
Like to start your meal with soup? There will be 10 from which to choose.
Are you a bread fan? There will be 20 varieties of bread and rolls.
Need vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options? They’ll be available.
And should you be craving turkey tomorrow, this being Vegas, it’s an even-money bet that it’ll be available at Bacchanal.
Need another reason to go? I’ve got four words for you: No dishes to wash!
You can read more about the Bacchanal Buffet here.
And no matter how or where you’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving, all of us at Vinesse hope it provides plenty of delicious memories.
I went to the Bacchanal Buffet for the first time last week, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food offerings. Everything tasted like it was right out of one of the high-end restaurants on the strip. What a great way to sample many haute cuisine dishes without it costing an arm and a leg.Beware — the lines can be long, especially on the week-ends.