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| - I'm not a buffet enthusiast, so my review will not impart any startling insights about the Rampart. In the Vegas of the Before Mirage (BM) era, buffets were a source of cheap eats for gambling addicts coming down from round-the-clock binges. The food was slop but what did you want for $3.29? If you hit a jackpot you could live it up with dinner at the Palatium Buffet at Caesar's Palace for $7.
With the advent of the Mirage, Steve Wynn figured out you could OVERcharge for everything including buffet slop and suckers would still cheerfully pay. To this day, the only reason to eat at a buffet is if you're getting a deal. I received a half-price coupon for the Rampart Buffet.
Aren't buffets pretty much all the same? I once ate at the Parisian buffet, which seemed pretty special. Otherwise a buffet is just a feeding station, a venue for shoveling in the overpriced slop.
The Rampart Buffet offers a decent variety I suppose. Italian, Asian, American, and a full line of desserts. I tasted a pickle from the deli table, but it was just OK. By far the highlight was a tasty salmon filet. In hindsight, I should have just had that with a salad. But that's the problem with a buffet, you want to try all that crap just because it's there.
The dessert station has an impressive chocolate fountain with a large silver bowl of fresh strawberries nearby. You can treat your strawberries to a La Dolce Vita romp in the Trevi fountain of chocolate. I was tempted. Those strawberries made me think about the tasty tidbits Anita Ekberg's lovers must have enjoyed.
But I thought about the chocolate circulating all day in the open air picking up germs from the coughs, sneezes, and guffaws of the senior citizens. I'm not a germophobe but for some reason my mind went there. Do you think they change the chocolate daily? Maybe not. They probably allow all sorts of microscopic critters to multiply within that gooey mass for several days.
I tried to eat small portions, but there are so many things to sample I wound up with a severely bloated belly. Surprisingly, the macaroni and cheese was tasty. I don't even like the dish, but it looked good. You won't believe how far this is from Krapft.
While wolfing down my lunch I noticed that all the customers are old farts, which stands to reason since the Rampart Casino is practically a Scampi's throw away from a mammoth retirement community in Summerlin. Concievably they are the last generation for a long while to enjoy a comfortable retirement. I wonder if they appreciate how lucky they are.
The casino itself is pleasant and relaxing, far better than the ghastly Suncoast just up the street. The parking garage is a confusing mess. Just make sure you pass the first driveway and pull in where the sign says "Covered Guest Parking."
I'm giving this buffet four stars only because it doesn't seem any better or worse than the typical arena for crazed gluttony. What cured me from buffets was the Circus Circus and Excalibur buffets years ago. Those were just pig troughs dressed up with Formica and steam tables. Compared with those, the Rampart Buffet is pretty sophisticated.
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