First Buffet of the Year

On the first of January, two thousand and ten, my family and I went to Morongo Casino in Cabazon. My dad played Baccarat, while us girls went shopping at the nearby Premium Outlet. We met up at 4.30pm for the buffet inside the casino.

(I threw a strawberry into my champagne for fun!)
Morongo... it was the first day of the year, and Morongo was packed. I mean honestly "people mountain people sea"... not one slot machine had an empty seat, people crowded around gambling tables, the food court, and outside of restrooms. I wondered where all these people came from. I expected people but I never imagined it to be a full house. Maybe they planned the visit or maybe they were spontaneous like us. We woke up that day and somehow our conversation topic became going to "Vegas" like right now and staying over a night. Of course, my sister and I jump at this opportunity and began researching hotel prices. Well... even hotels like Riviera and Stratosphere were costing over $100 for a room that day. It was also getting close to midday, and the drive would take at least 4 hours, so we came up with another plan. Morongo where there's a casino for dad and shopping next door for us. So that's how we ended up going.


Well, the topic of this blog is actually the buffet. I think it's called the Canyon Buffet, or something with Grand or Canyon... We didn't know they were doing a New Year's special but it was a champagne buffet for $21.95 per person. Originally, a Friday dinner buffet is the seafood special for $19.95.
I did enjoy the buffet. They have a wide variety of food from meat, pasta, sushi, Chinese, to cold platters, and seafood. I particularly liked the roast beef and roast garlic. I almost forgot to mention their shrimp - I would rate them comparable to those served at the Paris Hotel Buffet. They also have king crab legs (hot and cold), however, since I do not have the patience I didn't eat much of it.

(a gingerbread house on display)

Their dessert selection should also be commended. I tried their Tiramisu, chocolate mousse, cookies, and creme brulee. All desserts surpassed my expectations. It is rather rare for me to praise a buffet that is not on the Strip in Vegas. Obviously, this one is not quite at the same level as those. However, for the price and place, I highly recommend it. I haven't tried this place during normal times, so I am not sure if the quality is the same standard. But, if next time someone asks to eat at a buffet, I wouldn't mind this one. (If you are a close friend, you'll know that I am not a buffet fan - with the exception of Vegas) Really, I would definitely choose this buffet over Zen Buffet and Todai any day.