March 09, 2002
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Looking for an outstanding Sunday champagne brunch at an affordable price? Do you have transportation to get there? Then you’ll want to pay a visit to the Capri Sunday Champagne Brunch at Santa Fe Station, where buffet offerings and menu selections have come together in a way that is truly unique in the Las Vegas Valley. Some background: Back in the days when the Santa Fe hotel-casino was a popular locals facility owned by Paul and Sue Lowden, one of its most popular attractions was the Ti Amo Sunday brunch. A modest selection of high-quality buffet items was complemented by a live jazz combo, and the brunch was consistently rated one of Las Vegas’ top ten values by the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter. Santa Fe Station, the name given to the property by new owner Station Casinos, no longer offers the Ti Amo brunch; but its successor, the Capri Sunday Champagne Brunch, is worthy enough to remain a top-ten-value choice of Las Vegas Advisor. And this writer agrees that it deserves the recognition. The brunch costs $14.99, and its hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Later that evening and the rest of the week, the space is occupied by the resort’s Italian eatery, Capri Ristorante. The restaurant seats 155, but the number drops to about 120 for the brunch, due to the extra space required for the buffet arrangement. This means there can sometimes be a lengthy wait for seating, especially from about noon to 1:30 p.m. The brunch’s buffet component is surprisingly small, though its quality is outstanding. On the day we visited, these were the buffet items that were offered: field greens; Caesar salad; slices of tomato, meats, cheeses; sliced watermelon; cantaloupe, honeydew and pineapple; bagels and cream cheese; chilled snow crab claws; peeled shrimp; oysters on the half-shell; smoked salmon; California roll and salmon sushi; chef-carved turkey and New York sirloin; a selection of rustic breads; petits-fours; chocolate eclairs; several gourmet cakes; individual chocolates. That is the sum total of the buffet items, but all stood out in terms of quality. The peeled shrimp were as large and tasty as I’ve ever encountered at a buffet. I didn’t think oysters could be that plump. And the turkey and sirloin, carved to order, were exquisite. But the buffet arrangement was just the beginning. A second component of the brunch is the action station, where diners stand at the kitchen’s pass-through window and place orders for their choice of omelets, as well as Belgian waffles that can be served with strawberries and whipped cream or with maple syrup and butter. Coining a phrase from late-night TV ads: “But wait, there’s more!” And the “more” at this brunch is special indeed. As soon as diners are seated, the waitress or waiter delivers menus. The menu is divided into two sections, each of which has four items, and diners are allowed to order one item from each section. It sort of reminds one of a Chinese-restaurant menu, “one from column A and one from column B.” The first section is labeled “Specialty Items Prepared to Order,” and each item is a meal in itself. The four items are as follows: 1—Eggs Benedict, described as poached eggs on an English muffin with prosciutto and pesto hollandaise, served with homestyle potatoes. 2—Steak and Eggs. The steak is an eight-ounce sirloin, and the two eggs are prepared any way requested. Served with potatoes O’Brien. 3—Smoked Pork Chops. Two chops, served with smoked garlic marjoram sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and the chef’s vegetable of the day. 4—Baked Halibut With Champagne Sauce, on a bed of sautéed leeks with garlic mashed potatoes and the chef’s vegetable of the day. The second section is labeled “A La Carte Items,” and includes the following four choices: 1—Chef’s Choice of Pasta, with marinara, Bolognese or Alfredo sauce. 2—Linguine and Clams, in a red or white clam sauce. Littleneck clams sautéed with garlic, white wine and clam broth. 3—Lasagna, described as traditional homemade lasagna with ricotta, ground beef & pork, and tomato sauce. 4—Chicken Parmegian, served with a side of pasta and choice of sauces. I ordered the steak and eggs. My steak was cooked perfectly rare as ordered, and the potatoes O’Brien were delicious. Then I ordered a bowl of pasta, which on this day was linguine. Having seen the huge portion that one of our companions had received, I requested a half-portion, which was still as much as you’d receive in an average Italian restaurant. All the menu items ordered this day by our party of six were pronounced excellent. In addition to all this, the menu contains this message at the very top: “Ask your server about steamed snap-and-eat crab legs for your table. Served with hot butter and lemon.” We asked, and our server responded by bringing two heaping platters of hot snow crab legs to the table. Since the buffet table includes cold crab claws, this should benefit those who care for either hot or cold crab when they visit a buffet, although the cold selection was claws and not legs. Champagne, freshly squeezed orange juice, mimosas, soft drinks, tea and coffee are served as requested. The current champagne is Jacques Bonet extra dry. Although the live jazz combo is history at this venue, the piped-in music, of the “smooth jazz” variety, does help to create a sophisticated, relaxed mood. The service from our waitress was exceptional in every respect, very important when some of the brunch elements have the aspect of a restaurant. In summary, the Capri Sunday Champagne Brunch is an exceptional offering at a good price, and well worth the effort to get to Santa Fe Station for the experience. The resort is located at 4949 No. Rancho Rd. in the northwest area, adjacent to the Rancho exit from U.S. Route 95 North. You can also reach it by picking up Rancho at W. Sahara near Palace Station. This latter route is shorter, but you’ll have to contend with a number of traffic-light intersections on the way. For more information, you can call Santa Fe Station at (800) 872-6823 or (702) 6548-4900. -- |
