#53: Eat at the Wynn Buffet

Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. Decadence abounds in Sin City, and so long as you like to either eat or drink, dance or gamble, then the desert strip is a sure fire bet for a good time. In the two short trips I've made, I came home surprised to learn that the outside world continued to exist while I was away. The closest to "real" life gets in Vegas is the hollow pillars in The Venetian's foyer. 

Hearing about my boyfriend's trip and his dining experience at the Wynn buffet while I was in treatment was nothing short of painful. The simulated, Vegas world was all the more attractive after the heavy reality of cancer hit me. Just last week my opportunity finally came, and Vegas delivered on it's promise big time.

The highlight was most definitely dining at the Wynn buffet. Though we stayed at the other end of the strip, visiting the hotel was like walking through paradise. The hotel is decorated with two outdoor waterfalls, an indoor forest covered in glowing Christmas lights, and pathways lined with fresh flowers and haute couture. Once I got up to the buffet with my empty plate and hungry stomach, the $40 we each paid seemed like a huge underestimate. I started my feast with two full plates of crab legs that I gingerly dipped into liquid butter, followed by the most decadent, melt-in-your-mouth St. Louis-style ribs. I couldn't stop moaning with delight at plate three, which was filled with Corn flake encrusted chicken thighs, tandoori game hen, roasted sweet, sweet potatoes, flat bread pizza with marina sauce, and freshly tossed Caesar salad with real (gasp!) Parmesan cheese .

The Grand Finale came in the form of the Dessert Bar, which was housed in a white-tiled, immaculately tidied, Parisian-style boutique, where the pastries were aligned perfectly and restocked constantly. The glass display cases were filled with Rice Krispie squares dunked in chocolate and vanilla sauce, sweet, creamy gelato in every flavour and colour of the rainbow, chocolate, vanilla and red velvet mini-cupcakes with sprinkles, slices of vanilla and chocolate cake, Rocky Road brownies, apple strudel, tapioca pudding, chocolate pudding with nuts, marscarpone, Jell-O, biscotti, and more. But my favourite was the mini candy apples. Yes, they had mini candy apples. 

Did I mention we drank unlimited California Brut for a measly $10?

Looking back on the trip is like trying to remember a dream. Did it really happen? Was I really there? It's hard to believe such a make-believe place with such opulent tastes exists.

That's exactly the allure of Vegas - it's a complete fantasy without many ties to the "real" world. Although reality hits hard after any vacation, I'm already planning my next trip with eagerness and anticipation. Somehow, my "real" life seems more bearable knowing I have somewhere to escape to.