I promised Liz at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino that I would offer her some valuable feedback to assist her in making the Bayside Buffet more efficient and create a delightful dining experience. But first a little background information is in order…
Cooking is my Life
I was born to cook. My grandmother taught me as soon as I was tall enough (with a step-stool) to reach the stove. I was 6 years old and she let me make the oatmeal — real oatmeal, not the brown paper pouch kind either. I obtained my food and beverage certificate and since I couldn’t afford the tuition for a degree in the culinary arts, I sought out employment where on-the-job training was part of the deal.
I’ve held jobs as:
- a bread-maker,
- a short order breakfast cook,
- cafeteria line worker,
- a fry cook,
- a salad maker,
- I smoked fish every Sunday for 3-years,
- I’ve been a caterer,
- a donut maker,
- a cake decorator
The list is very long, but you get the idea. I’ve learned from some very smart chefs and women who can put the professionals to shame. (Thank you, Cindy! Thank you, Lila!)
A MineCon Birthday Gift!
When we decided to celebrate Shawn and Zack’s birthday in Las Vegas at MineCon, the entire family was bubbling with excitement…we could hardly wait. The guys had been playing Minecraft pretty often. My son was even asking for work, in order to earn extra money for our trip. This was our first vacation in close to five years. Occasionally, we would get away for an overnight trip but we were simply too busy to be able to take off and go.
We finally decided this was something we had to do for ourselves. I encouraged Shawn to order the tickets to MineCon right away, (he was in the first 10% to purchase tickets). I booked our room, paying in advance for the first night. We weren’t cancelling this vacation if I could help it.
Searching for Buffet Nirvana
Minecraft holds no interest for me. I was going for the buffets. I told Shawn I was going on a Seafood Diet, if I saw food, I planned to eat it. I promised to gain 10 pounds while we were there – and I meant it. I have severe food issues, which leave me unable to eat very much at one sitting, so I nibble. I find that if I eat a nice variety I manage to eat enough to keep me going.
A few years ago we took a whirlwind road trip to Las Vegas and back. It was a last-minute trip, so I did a quick search online and booked a room at the Silverton Hotel. It was Friday night and I was saying goodbye to my nephew who had been visiting with us for most of the summer. He claimed he didn’t like seafood when I invited him to dine with us at Season Buffet.
They say seeing is believing, and it only took one look to convince him. The Seasons Buffet had an incredible spread, every single dish I sampled was exquisite. Every station was impeccably clean, even though the place was very busy. That night I grazed on moist tender turkey, homemade cornbread stuffing, tender steak, lobster bisque, fresh sweet snowcrab legs… The buffet was a full 1500′ and packed full.
For the past two years, I had been dreaming about returning to Seasons.
Friday, I returned to find the buffet was much smaller, the dishes not so fresh and not of the quality and caliber I was anticipating. I was crushed to the point of tears when we left without eating. (That was a huge mistake.)
We opted instead to eat at The Buffet at the Bellagio — everyone I had spoke to about dining in Vegas just raved about it. It had to be the best, right? It is one of the most expensive buffets on the Las Vegas Strip, so it must be the best! Wrong.
What I didn’t know until now is that every single buffet we sampled during our short stay in Las Vegas was owned by MGM Corporation. Well, it’s no wonder all the food tastes the same! MGM Resorts International owns 16 resorts and 165 restaurants in Las Vegas. With odds like that we could spin the ‘ole buffet roulette and crap out every time. And we did.
Related articles
- Mandalay Bay, Vegas (retailbandit.com)
- Bayside Buffet Review (retailbandit.com)