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Back to the buffets. Anyway, I had a coupon for the Ameristar Casino’s Centennial Buffet. This is one of Central City’s/Black Hawk’s newest buffets. It is not at all unlike some of the buffets in Las Vegas. Texas Station’s buffet and the Stardust’s buffet (now just a pile of dust & construction material) come to mind. The room is large, tastefully-colorful and warm. The food choices are abundant, artistically presented, aesthetically pleasing, and generally acceptable. (click the web site link for more buffet information.)
“With its hand-hewn timbers, wrought iron fixtures and dry stacked stone columns, the Centennial Buffet invites you to relax in an atmosphere every bit as charming and rustic as the casino. To add to the decor, we’ve commissioned a series of woodcut-style prints celebrating the rich history of Black Hawk. It’s the perfect place to gather for a delicious meal of anything your appetite fancies. Choose from a wide variety of fresh and flavorful Mexican, Italian, Asian and American dishes. Plus, every night we feature all you can eat snow crab.” [excerpt is from Ameristar’s web site.]
The Snow Crab always seems to be the big hit. Of course the buffet had a long, well-stocked Salad Bar with all the trimmings, including fruit, Ambrosia, cold vegetable-salads and more. Chilled Shrimp is stacked and served from a tall, hollow, rectangular, branded-ice-sculpture, which spills shrimp onto a platter from an opening at the bottom. This was pretty impresive, especially since the shrimp were “cold,” firm and not-too-small. Shrimp Cocktail Sauce, Tarter Sauce and Drawn Butter are on hand. Prime Rib, Jamaican Pork, Ribs, and Chicken – just to name a few of the nicely-displayed meats are behind glass or on steam-tables. Of course, All-American standards “are” in the house. Asian, Mexican and Italian food stations were at-the-ready on Sunday night. The Pasta & Pizza station had “order” cards for guest to fill out, for a custom prepared dish. Choose your ingrediants, write them on the card and the chef prepares the dish for you – on the spot. I had a tasty slice of flat-bread pizza with a killer red sauce at the Pasta & Pizza station. The chef on duty was the author of the flat-bread pizza and a good guy to boot. The Mexican station had the basics, and Green Chile…The Pulled Pork from another station reminded me of the Main Street Station’s [Las Vegas] buffet. I can’t list everything, however, the desert counter is worth mentioning: Petit Fours, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Cake, Pie, Cookies, Fruit, Ice Cream and more made a good finish.
Some things were excellent, some less-than excellent and other dishes were average. Overall it was a positive experience. The buffet Sunday night was about $18.00. Basic beverages are included.
Visit Ameristar’s Web Site for buffet prices and more information.
The Riviera gave me some nice comps, including a birthday dinner – but I’ll have to wait a week or so to cash that one in. Thanks Riv! I’ll be writing Riviera information next trip… Last but not least, The FortuneValley Casino also gave me a gift for my birthday. Thanks Fortune Valley…
Visit the LasVegasBufetClub’s pages on Colorado gaming…
Visit the LasVegasBuffetClub’s Home page…