This Would Be My Last Meal On Earth: The Buffet at The Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV)

3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV
(877) 234-6358

BEST. F*^&ING BUFFET. IN VEGAS. Hands down.

Perhaps I am but a Vegas buffet noob; I've tried Planet Hollywood's Spice Market, the buffet in Caeser Palace, Rio's Carnival Buffet. I've also tried MGM's buffet, but that was quite a while ago and not fresh in my memory. In whatever case, I found something lacking in each of these buffets -- something that I could not grasp quite what it was, the je ne sais quoi that these buffets desperately needed. Everything that was missing, and then some, was found in the Buffet at the Bellagio.

I vividly recall our long journey there. We set out from the Palazzo, preparing ourselves for the cold, bitter winds of the desert. Our stomachs growling, our limbs fragile from our fatigue...but we kept our eyes on the prize, focusing on the glowing lights that was the Bellagio.

After what seemed like an eternity, we set foot in the Bellagio. But our hopes plummeted when seeing the line that snaked around the wall. "NOOO," we cried in devastation. "We'll NEVER get to eat!"

But we had made the long journey there, after all, so we sought to see it through. The minutes seemed like hours, ticking by at a snail's pace.

1.5 hours later, on a Sunday night, we reached the front of the line. $29.95 for dinner buffet! Not bad, not bad at all. We split our group of 8 into two small groups to avoid the mandatory 18% gratuity, and off we were!

I almost plowed the waiter over in my haste to collect my prizes. "Whoa, calm down there, miss!"

I threw a hasty, "sorry!" over my shoulder before continuing onto the beauty I would soon behold. I piled mountains of smoked salmon, crab legs, sashimi (I have never, ever before found sushi at a buffet good, but Bellagio is the exception to this rule). At the table, my friends and I ate in silence, only pausing to say one of the following sentences:

"This is good."
"Is that good?"
"You should try this, it's good."

Less than an hour later, we laid in our chairs, breathing heavily. I had to mentally tell myself to breathe, or else I'd forgot to. I believe I ate every single thing in the buffet...

Note: THE CREME BRULEE IS TO DIE FOR.

Ever since my visit, I have dreamt about this buffet. I kid you not. It was certainly the highlight of my trip to Vegas.