December, 17 2000
This is my report on the Le Village Buffet at the Paris hotel-casino, which Rosalyn and I attended in the company of three other couples on 12/17/2000. It was our first visit to this buffet.
Visiting on a Sunday may or may not be representative of what you'll find on the other days of the week, because the Sunday price is higher at lunch, includes unlimited champagne, and may have some extra entrees. But a member of the serving staff told us she believes the price differential is mainly because it is Sunday and the champagne is offered.
We were seated shortly before 11:30 a.m., with the result that we paid the breakfast price but still benefited from the lunch/dinner items that were put out while we were dining (all pricing appears at the end of this report).
The buffet is located in the handsome Le Boulevard shopping area on the first floor of Paris, conveniently positioned between the casino and the exit/entrance from the parking garage. The buffet room is as attractive as any you'll find in Las Vegas, though we also think the buffet room at The Regency competes favorably with this one in terms of ambiance.
The room is noisy in the center, where most of the customers dine, but the periphery is surrounded by several smaller, individual rooms available to diners. Our group was tucked away in the back of a semi-enclosed dining area that cut down on the noise and allowed for normal conversation. Service was quite good, with plates removed promptly and beverage glasses refilled in timely fashion.
Like most Las Vegas buffets these days, different types of foods are offered at a series of serving stations. The traffic flow was a bit convoluted at some of the stations, particularly when people converged from two directions at the station where cocktail shrimp and Alaskan crab legs were offered. But this seemed to sort itself out after a while.
Here is a fairly complete list of the items offered during the breakfast/lunch juncture while we were there:
Breakfast items:
Hot and cold cereals; bagels; fruit slices; smoked salmon; waffles with fruit toppings; fruit crepes made to order; French toast; eggs Benedict; eggs Benedict Dijonaise; pancakes made to order; ready-made blueberry pancakes; cottage-cheese blintzes; hash browns; scrambled eggs; smoked salmon scrambled eggs; grilled country sausage; grilled Alsatian sausage; smoked bacon; brioches; ham and cheese croissants; fresh berries with creme fraiche.
If you are sugar-restricted, any chef will give you a bottle of sugar-free syrup on request.
Lunch/Dinner items:
Field greens with a variety of dressings; mozzarella and tomato; seafood quiche; quiche Lorraine; duck terrine; chilled Alaskan king crab legs; peeled cocktail shrimp; smoked salmon salad; mixture of dilled, marinated salmon, tuna and swordfish; shrimp and calamari salad; bay scallops with apple cider vinaigrette; green-lip mussels with creamy tarragon; hand-carved roasted pit ham with blackberry sauce; hand-carved roasted prime rib; sauteed chicken with fresh tarragon; coq au vin; venison stew; Alsatian veal with onion marmalade; veal ragout; stir-fried seasonal vegetables; Lyonaise potatoes; rolls, buns, puddings, macaroons, muffins, bread pudding, soft-serve ice cream; baked pears bourguignon; creme caramel, cream puffs, eclairs; bananas Foster.
All the food was delicious. I especially liked the prime rib, rare and carved in thick slices, and the sugar-free cheesecake was superb.
There was little to dislike about the Paris buffet, and you are sure to enjoy it when you go. But if comparisons are to be made, I must give our highest rating to the Bellagio buffet if you are dining at a Strip facility. The Paris buffet is good, but the Bellagio buffet offers an even greater selection, and is conspicuously more adventurous in the variety and creativity of its dishes. And if you are able to travel out to The Regent in the Summerlin area, that buffet has suffered no reduction in its exceptional quality even as the resort itself struggles in Chapter 11 and cuts back on its dining hours.
You must add 7.25 percent tax to all the following prices to get the true cost of the Paris Buffet.
Breakfast, from 7:30 to 11: 30 a.m. seven days a week, is $10.95. Lunch from 11:30 to 5:30 every day but Sunday is $14.95. Dinner is $21.95. Lunch and dinner on Sunday is $21.95.
--Happy holidays from David in NV
