We are successfully continuing our Sunday Family Day tradition. Each week, we take turns deciding what to do. So far, it has revolved around food. This week was no different. It was Jack’s turn. I was in my room and felt too lazy to walk to his room, so I texted him, “It’s your choice today. What should we do as a family?” He wanted to go to a buffet at a casino for dinner.

Many years ago, I wrote an article about the seafood buffet at Jackpot Junction. I was in heaven eating all of that yummy crab. Claud was sickened by the sight of so much crab and the people putting it into their mouths at an alarming rate of speed (myself included). At one point, Claud picked a piece of crab out of my eyebrow and that is when I realized he looked sick. Claud hasn’t been to a buffet since. So, you could imagine the look on his face when I told him Jack’s choice for the day.

Surprisingly, Claud didn’t flinch. I think he is just happy that we are all spending time together, no matter what we do. I know I am. You could imagine how many buffets Las Vegas has to offer. I wonder how many there actually are? I looked it up and couldn’t find the answer. I sent Jack two links with buffet options. The first link lead to the top rated Las Vegas buffets on Google. The second was a link to an article written about the top ten buffets here. I told Jack to do the research and pick a place.

Several minutes passed and I didn’t hear from him. I asked how it was going. He said he wanted to go to the buffet at the Rio. The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio features more than one thousand international items. They have Asian, Italian, and Mexican food. They have seafood and teppanyaki. I told him I thought that was a good choice. We could try so many different things and surely there would be something for everyone. I told him to keep looking just in case there was something he liked better.

Then, about five minutes later, he texted again, “Never mind, I want to go to Paris.” I should have known. Jack loves anything English or French. I liked the idea of this buffet because it was quite unique. Most of the other buffets are similar to the Rio. They usually have food from all around the world. Le Village Buffet at Paris, offers French cuisine only. However, it provides variety by setting up stations from different regions of France. It is set in a French village. There is a lot of food cooked to order. Five provinces of France are featured with traditional dishes from each.

So, we got ready and headed to the strip. We rarely go to the strip. As we walked into the Paris hotel, I turned to Daphne and said that I always feel like we are on vacation when we come into the fancy casinos on the Vegas strip. I love watching all of the tourists who are actually on vacation. So many of them look excited and happy. We wandered around until we found the buffet. Luckily, there wasn’t a line. We were pretty early on a Sunday. We walked in and the place really did look like a French village. The walls were made of stone and the walkways were like cobblestone streets. We were seated in a private area, which felt like a dining area in a French house, complete with a window with drapes.

When I go to a buffet, I like to walk around and take the whole place in. I want to see everything it has to offer. Claud and I wandered around to check it all out. They had prime rib, cassoulet, crepes made to order, duck, salmon, Andouille sausage, a selection of cheeses and pate, truffle mac and cheese, and so much more. I started with a plate of salads. I tried the caprese, the Greek and the Caesar salads. Then, I moved to the fish section. Claud and Jack had sushi to start. I know, sushi? Weird. Then, I moved on to the fish. I had the sole with fennel and tomatoes, potatoes, grilled zucchini and rice pilaf. I have included my sole recipe below. Normally, this would be more than enough food for me. However, I was at a buffet and felt the need to try more. I headed to the truffle mac and cheese, added some potatoes gratin, and the pesto pasta.

At this point, I was stuffed; but, I couldn’t stop there. They had macaroons! I couldn’t go home without a macaroon. I brought one back to the table. This macaroon was so incredibly good. In fact, I think it was pretty perfect. I went back for another one. Then, I stuck four in my purse for later. I am not sure if that is allowed but I couldn’t resist. In the end, I am fairly sure Claud liked it. We all did.

Sole with fennel:

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

1 cup sliced fresh fennel

cup flour

4 pieces fillet of sole

cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons butter

cup dry white wine

cup chicken or vegetable broth

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small pot, boil water and add fennel for about three minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry. Place flour into a small bowl. Dredge the fish in the flour. Heat oil in a pan. Saut fish and fennel for three minutes until golden brown. Remove fish and fennel and set aside. Pour out the oil. Add the butter. Add wine, broth and lemon juice. Simmer. Whisk the sauce. Continue to simmer for another minute. Pour over the fish.