Taste

The Cosmo’s retooled Wicked Spoon helps the Vegas buffet fight off extinction

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The Wicked Spoon buffet
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The restaurant industry as a whole is hurting from the pandemic, but there’s something especially poignant about the disappearance of the buffet, that most iconic Las Vegas culinary institution. It’s as much a part of this city’s identity as blackjack tables or production shows, a symbol of the city’s abundance and, yes, excess. Buffets exist elsewhere, of course, but Vegas made them famous.

The appeal of the buffet lies in its unbridled celebration of food and flavors from all corners of the world, laid out in all-you-can-take arrays. But these days, that has been its undoing. Caesars Palace’s beloved Bacchanal Buffet, which served hundreds of dishes from its nine kitchens, remains shuttered. Wynn Buffet opened briefly with a retooled order-from-the-table format before closing down again.

Yet the Vegas buffet hasn’t been extinguished completely. Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan has revamped the concept a bit for its Bottomless Brunch. Now, attendants serve individually plated items to guests from behind a velvet rope, and diners take the plates back to the table to eat to their hearts’ content—or at least within a two-hour time limit.

The global food stations remain, including south-of-the-border favorites like ceviche and tacos; an Asian station featuring Korean short ribs, noodles, salt and pepper shrimp, and bone marrow with kimchi glaze; a carving station with prime rib and pork shoulder; and breakfast stations with fresh pancakes, eggs, bacon and potatoes. There are salad and juice bars for those seeking healthier fare, but good luck trying to resist the dozens of artful desserts laid out in the middle aisle. From small tarts to single-serve bourbon bread pudding and pies, they’re all wickedly good.

The Cosmopolitan has put a lot of thought into making its new-look buffet run smoothly, with the brunt of the work falling to servers clearing plates double time and all the folks behind the scenes, plating and cooking the food. For our part as diners, let’s remember to keep six feet apart and to tip extra-generously. Those are small sacrifices to keep this Las Vegas tradition alive.

WICKED SPOON The Cosmopolitan, 877-893-2001. Thursday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

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