Wicked Spoon UPDATE - Las Vegas, NV

They say you learn a lot in the first year in marriage; about you, about your partner, and about who you are together. People like to tell me that couples grow together as two individuals evolve and establish their identity as a couple. We have grown together quite a bit. And we have grown...to hate buffets. 

We don't hate Wicked Spoon, but it's the whole concept of buffets that bothers us. To have our favorite delicacies made into bulk-buys is just too painful to process, both emotionally AND physically considering the amount of butter and fat.

One thing I do like about Wicked Spoon is their small plates. They're much higher quality than you'd expect from a buffet, and there's an impressive variety. These cocktail shrimp are sizable, and the beet salad is nice. Both the calamari and the octopus ceviche are awful, though. The pulpo has the texture of pulverized pulp.

More shrimp, well-seasoned and tender over an extremely buttery polenta. Too much butter, but butter does taste good. 

The sushi bar is a bit disappointing today, with salmon sushi only and not much else that isn't California or cooked. Oh well, there's no disappointment these three pieces of bone marrow can't fix.

They do know how to make octopus right. The two slices over a garlicky squid ink linguine are tender and perfect. The pasta is al dente, which is impressive at a buffet. Charred broccolini breaks up all the butter, and what's the harm in a few more bones of marrow?

Don't get me started on the crab legs. These are NOT snow crab. Whether they're dungeness or Jonah, I'm not sure, but they are definitely not snow crab. They actually taste better than the pre-frozen, watery snow crab they had last time, but lying to your customers is NOT cool. Seafood scampi is made to order. Clams, mussels, and crawfish are a great combination, and I would have gotten more, but I didn't feel like waiting in line. Makin' it surf n' turf with leg of lamb. It's fresh, and I love it. 

I'm just here for the dessert anyway. Chocolate cake, mango mousse, creme brulee. The vanilla mousse cone is still my favorite, and the chocolate-covered strawberries are irresistible. They have a lot of gelato and sorbet as well, and it's always a good idea to grab a scoop on your way out. 

My opinion of Wicked Spoon hasn't changed, and I'm sure it'll be the same next time I'm there. I'm still pissed about the crab legs purely out of principle - I actually hope they don't change them back. And I will be back as well. Wicked Spoon is a little pricey, but it's pretty reasonable for all the stuff you get, and though I don't love buffets, this is one I can still find somewhat enjoyable.

Wicked Spoon - Las Vegas, NV

$50 per person for a more upscale Vegas buffet. I haven't tried anything fancier than the seafood at Rio so I'm pretty stoked. We sit down to polite, speedy service, and the unlimited soft drinks are a plus. Our server keeps those drinks full, and she's easy to find when we need her. 

Already, things are looking up, and it's time to grab a plate. My plates are the gold standard of tangential, and I choose carefully, visiting every single station because FOMO is the only thing stronger than starvation. 

First plate starts Italian, but the seafood takes over soon. There's a truffle fettuccini with cream sauce, a dense alfredo and can't-say-no truffles. The pasta is impressively not overcooked. I love me a good polenta, and this one is smooth enough with juicy mushrooms on top, but both the polenta and the gravy have started to congeal. I had no less than 5 pieces of bone marrow with kimchee glaze. Marrow itself isn't great quality, but quantity can equal quality when you're talking about butter with a hint of meat. The glaze doesn't add anything, but I do recommend using salt. The sushi station is never skipped. Salmon and hamachi nigiri and some select rolls. All are fresh, and the rice is almost acceptable. There's mediocre but refreshing shrimp ceviche in the seafood section, but the Mexican corn is just meh. Props for the cotija cheese, though.

There wasn't enough space for snow crab legs on the first plate, but I'm making up for lost time on the second. There's also a very fresh tuna poke with fleshy red slice in a light shoyu, and it's one of the better things I've had. There's also a beet ravioli in butter that I can't resist, and this al dente decision is a good one. Pesto cream coats crispy gnocchi, satisfying, but I let it get cold.

The oxtail pho sounds irresistible, but it disappoints. The broth is too salty, and the meat on the bone is tough.

The dessert bar may be the best part of this buffet. Rows and stack of shiny, tiny things, a free-for-all sugarfest of a feast. Macarons are just okay - they're too hard to make well in this kind of bulk. The raspberry does taste like a sweetened raspberry, though. Props for being kinda close enough. I'm a sucker for a childhood snack, and the rice crispy treat has the right ratio of marshmallow to snap-crackle-pop. My favorite is the vanilla mousse cone; creamy mousse and a crispy cone. The chocolate tart is the best-made thing they have, a smooth mousse and a rich, crumbly center. I will also have the cake. ALL the cake. Tres leches is moist and milky-sweet, passionfruit fun-fetti will do, there are lemon cakes Sansa-style, and the mango cake is lighter than it looks. Oh, and the bread pudding is the best. The bread pudding is always the best.

It may be a mass-produced buffet, but Wicked Spoon can be wicked cool. The buffet stays well-supplied, and the service is a pleasant surprise, but we probably would have liked it more if we had gone at a better time. The never-ending buffet dilemma: 5PM beats the crowd, but all the stuff tends to sit. Brave a longer line and be prepared to fight for the better foods. Either option works; guess I'll have come back at a better time.