Mandalay Bay - Bay Side Buffet

With sweeping views of the hotel's tropical lagoon, this cleverly partitioned room is done up in a light, breezy style. Among the food selections are peel-and-eat shrimp, salads and two types of crab legs anchoring the cold bar, with thick-crust pizzas and a large Mexican station adjacent. A Chinese station offers up authenntic pot stickers, egg rolls and barbecue spare ribs. Carnivores are in heaven here with a carving station featuring six meats in addition to prepared facorites such as roast duck, osso bucco, veal scaloppini and lamb chops with apple chutney.

Desert aficionados, however, will argue that it's the home-made cookies, coconut macaroons, bread pudding, cheesecake, pies and chocolate mousse that define this spread.

Dinner: $17.95

Bellagio - The Buffet

Owing to expectations, this is an upscale affair with no holds barred. The de rigueur cold seafood is taken up a notch here -- the shrimp are large, and the crab legs taste fresh, not previously frozen. A pantry offers continuously made salads such as Caesar and radicchio or endive, and the selection of bread and rolls is diverse and tasty.

An array of hot entrees is presented over an extensive display of bronze chafing dishes, silver woks and sizzling grills.

For those whose tastes lean toward more exotic fare, there are dishes like roast pigeon and venison. Side dishes are plentiful and varied; specifically, the Curacao-infused, mashed sweet potatoes are to die for. Service is extremely attentive.

Dinner: $22.95

Caesar's Palace - Cafe Lago

A compact but classy affair, Cafe Lago's dinner buffet epitomizes the quality-over-quantity experience. Featuring subdued lighting, aqueducts, water walls and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Garden of the Gods swimming pool, the room is a fittingly tranquil backdrop for the cuisine presented.

Creative salad preparations served in Italian pottery, specialty breads, soups, pasta and cold seafood are perfect starters. Main fare includes roast meats and well-seasoned side dishes. The dessert highlight is lemon merigue pie. Exacting service complements the elegant atmosphere, and recording artist David Osborne accompanies the experience on piano, creating an ambience rarly found at a buffet.

Dinner: $19.99 Note: 24-hour menu service is also offered here.

Paris Las Vegas - Le Village Buffet

Set in a cozy village atmosphere, Le Village Buffet wins point for originality and food quality. Once past the fresh salad bar, cold crab legs and shrimp, guests encounter French cuisine in five separate and extensive food stations, each representing a Gallic region. Chefs were imported from Alsace, Burgundy, Normandy, Brittany and Provence to add authenticity to the dishes in their repective stations.

Featuring a varied selection of soups, pastas, roasts and ragouts complemented by crusty French bread and rolls, this buffet is a Francophile's dream. Topping it off are authentic pastries and live-action desert crepe and Bananas Foster stations.

Dinner: $21.95

Aladdin - Spice Market Buffet

This multiethnic affair could best be described as 1,001 nights meets Hong Kong over Alaskan crab at a Mexican fiesta. And despite the culinary diversity, it works. A kitschy Arabian Nights decor is the backdrop for five food stations, plus a salad bar with steamed clams, mussels and cold seafood. This ethnic-themed stations are Asian, Italian, Mexican, American and Middle Eastern.

The Middle Eastern fare is typified by spiced lamb and chicken skewers, hummus (mashed chickpeas with garlic and olive oil) and baba ganoush (a cold dish made of eggplant, ground sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic and other spices). Following the theme, a belly dancer works the room during dinner -- an interesting diversion and definitely a Las Vegas first. Service is warm and attentive without being overbearing.

Dinner: $18.99

Regent Las Vegas - Upstairs Market Buffet

Off the Strip but definitely in the running, this setup is the Regent's nod to the Las Vegas buffet gods. Yes, even in the suburb of Summerlin, nestled in the foothills amid meandering golf courses, the buffet reigns supreme. Served in a serene, Spanish colonial setting with a vaulted ceiling, this feast fit its highend surroundings.

Preparation stations feature Chinese and Southwestern cuisine, as well as pasta and seafood. Interesting salad preparations, fresh vegetables and "fit fare" are juxtaposed with meats like roast duck and lamb. The dessert station fills the bill with peanut butter cookies, cheesecakes and homemade whipped cream. It's well worth the 20-minute drive from the Strip.

Dinner: $13.95