Smorgasbords

Your plate will runneth over at this year’s Best of Nevada bountiful buffets.

By CHARLIE JOHNSTON | July/August 2012

Best Buffet: North

Toucan Charlie’s Buffet & Grille at Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa has been a locals’ favorite practically from when it first opened in 1994. In the years since, it has amassed a heap of accolades, awards, and “bests.” The seven-time Nevada Magazine Best of Nevada winner has certainly earned its fame.

Holding claim to the largest buffet in Northern Nevada, Toucan Charlie’s truly offers something for everyone. Each of its dedicated cuisine stations has as many options as most buffets in their entirety. The Mexican food section recently received high praise from a group of journalists visiting from Mexico, and the Asian section’s Mongolian Grill is a perennial favorite, where guests get custom, made-to-order Mongolian barbecue creations of their own design.

Made-to-order salads are another favorite and complement the traditional salad bar nicely. Breakfast and the ever-popular Sunday Champagne Brunch get in on the made-to-order action with an omelet bar. Toucan Charlie’s signature dish, slow-cooked prime rib, is available every day (as it has been since the buffet opened, according to Executive Chef Bob Katausky), but the biggest draws are the special seafood buffets on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, when heaping platters of chilled crab legs and plump shrimp, mounds of fresh-shucked oysters, and oceanic offerings that range from lobster raviolis and fired calamari steaks to grilled salmon filets and steamed mussels.

In addition to offering and expansive lineup of fresh fare, Toucan Charlie’s is also doing its part to make the Atlantis and local food industry more sustainable. The buffet was the first restaurant at the property to send food waste to be composted at Minden’s Full Circle Compost, keeping about two thirds of its waste out of landfill. Every restaurant at the Atlantis now utilizes the composting service as well, keeping more than 120 cubic yards of waste from entering landfills each month.

TOUCAN CHARLIE’S THEMED DINNER BUFFETS

Wednesday – Steak & Crab Spectacular
Friday – Succulent Seafood Feast
Saturday – Sensational Steak & Seafood
Sunday – Prime Rib Dinner

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Toucan Charlie’s Buffet & Grille
Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
3800 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89502
atlantiscasino.com
800-723-6500

Best Buffet: Rural

A three-time Best of Nevada winner, Rum Jungle Buffet at Carson City’s Casino Fandango offers a selection of more than 140 house-made dishes. Large salad and dessert sections, five “live-action stations,” and an award-winning champagne brunch make it little wonder why Rum Jungle is so loved by Nevada Magazine readers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Rum Jungle Buffet
Casino Fandango
3800 S. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701
casinofandango.com
775-885-7000

Best Buffet: South

One of the few buffets in Nevada to offer beer and wine included in the price of meals, M Resort’s Studio B Buffet in Henderson impresses diners—and Best of Nevada voters—with more than free drinks. Cooking technique demonstrations in an adjacent kitchen studio are broadcast on video monitors throughout the buffet so guests can learn something about their food as they select from the more than 200 daily appetizer, entrée, and dessert options.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Studio B Buffet
The M Resort Spa Casino
12300 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Henderson, NV 89044
themresort.com
702-797-1000