Eat: Breakfast, Las Vegas Buffet Style at Wicked Spoon

Prior to our trip to Vegas, we did some research on breakfast joints. Like everything else in Vegas, there is an abundance of options; I did not want to squander a breakfast opportunity on a crappy restaurant. Breakfast is kind of a big deal for me. You do not want to be the person in the way of me having my breakie on time; I will cut you.

It seemed like most restaurants on the strip were 20$ minimum per person and that buffets were still very popular. I am apprehensive of buffets in general so I was not too keen on going that route, but we passed by the breakfast buffet within our hotel (The Cosmopolitan) on our way out of the building and we thought it looked nice enough to try. As a result, I have to say that Wicked Spoon completely changed my mind about buffets. The decor was attractive and not at all tacky, as buffets can be. The table service was fast and convivial, and the orange juice and coffee flowed freely. Not a bad cup of coffee either, if I do say so myself. As for the buffet, here is how I remember the layout:

Buffet 1: Salads, Breads, Spreads, Charcuterie, Cheeses, Oatmeal, Yogurt
Buffet 2: Pancakes, French toast, Eggs (scrambled, etc)
Buffet 3: Omelet Station
Buffet 4: Potatoes, hash, beans, fried chicken
Buffet 5: Duck ravioli, gnocchi, braised short rib
Buffet 6: Bacon, Sausage, Italian sausage, pork belly, Roast beef
Buffet 7: Chow mein, sushi, teriyaki beef
Buffet 8: Pizza, sandwiches (egg & cheese, cold cuts, etc.)
Buffet 9: Gelato, croissants, desserts, macarons, marshmallows, smoothies

Those are just the ones I remember, trust me when I say there were a lot more choices. The selection was amazing and the quality of the food was really impressive. All the food was served at the correct temperature and none exhibited signs of sitting around for too long. The scrambled eggs were fluffy and moist. the pancakes fluffy and soft. The charcuterie area had a spicy capicolo that was actually good quality and sliced well. The duck ravioli, although not a traditional breakfast item, was redonkculously tasty in a sage pumpkin type sauce. As for desserts & sweets, the peach cobbler was served in an adorable individual steel pot (with lid) and it was nice and warm, with the perfect crumble. Homemade marshmallows were worth trying, as the texture was so different from the bagged variety. And macarons..... at a buffet?? Ohhhh man, was that a nice surprise.

You can check out a pretty engaging Wall Street Journal blog post about Wicked Spoon here. I wholeheartedly agree, it was one of my favourite dining experiences in Vegas. The one thing I would point out is that the price is incremented significantly on the weekend. We paid 24$ a person for our breakfast on Friday, which we already considered to be steep but we rationalized that it would be comparable to most other restaurants on the strip. It was worth the splurge. But when we went for breakfast on Saturday however, it was hiked to 33$ dollars a head. I was hungry (i.e. cranky) and I already had it in my head that I was going to eat all the goodies that I was too full to enjoy the last time around, so I suggested we pay the hefty price tag. The flaw is that Wicked Spoon does not advertise their pricing on the website, so we had no way of knowing until we got there (you pay before you eat). At any rate, I don't regret it. It was worth going twice. I would have gone again the next day too if not for the exorbitant price tag. Deliciously wicked.