The Buffet at Bellagio (Bellagio Vegas -- Strip)

Among the highest-quality buffet in town, but with relative prices. If you ever wanted roast duck and weird mushrooms as part of your buffet, this is the joint for you. Lunch is the best deal, value-wise. The desserts are superb, however, especially the chocolate cakey thing that's crunchy and powdery. That's the official name, we think.

Wicked Spoon Buffet (Cosmopolitan Vegas -- Strip)

The buffet is mostly like other Strip extravaganzas with similar pricing, only smaller in space, and with bigger chandeliers and louder decor. They serve brunch and dinner. There is staff there to prepare food so it doesn't sit in a steam tray so long, and the portions often come on small plates. There are a few unique examples and some very good desserts.

Wynn Buffet (Wynn Las Vegas -- Strip)

Just about as good as the other three or four best upscale buffets, with the added bonus of a very pretty room. That is to say, it's way better than the lower end crud, but this is not a reinvention of the buffet. There are nice touches, such as sushi and good steaks. The desserts are fantastic, especially the layer cake. and some of the shellfish are better than elsewhere.

Le Village Buffet (Paris Hotel Vegas -- Strip)

It's very good, but it better be for the money they charge. They claim it is authentic French food, but it looks more like slightly dressed up American food with some crepes thrown in. We must admit, though, that crepes made to order, and filled with wonderful berries, sound better than a $2.49 steak and eggs. The breads are fresh. The dining area is broken up into small and classy rooms.

Feast Buffet (Green Valley Ranch Casino -- Off-Strip)

A very good, but boring buffet, just like at every other Station Casino. It is not a fancy buffet, just a meat and potatoes one with ribs, chicken, cheap steaks, some seafood and lots of pretty good desserts. The prices are right, with a pricier upscale weekend brunch that includes a big ol' heaping of seafood on Sundays. Well, that higher brunch price makes sense, right? Brunch is, after all, the smushing together of both breakfast and lunch.

Market Street Cafe (California Las Vegas Casino -- Downtown)

It's one of our favorite coffee shops, although the service can be slow. The food is good and the prices are right. For breakfast, try the tasty French toast. They offer Hawaiian and Chinese specialties and have good-priced weekday specials, plus a small breakfast buffet. Some dishes come with a side of Spam. Open 24 hours a day. Hooray!

Magnolia's Veranda (Four Queens Vegas -- Downtown)

A typical coffee shop, and one of the very few downtown still open 24 hours, even if it is just one harried waiter. The main eating area overlooks the casino, so you can keep on eye on your favorite machine and throw cherry tomatoes at anybody who tries to sit down and win your money while you're eating.

The Grand Cafe (Sunset Station Vegas -- Off-Strip)

Susnet's Grand Cafe is a traditional--and pretty good--coffee shop. They have specials and a wide menu that covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast has always been the best time to visit a Grand Cafe.

Triple Seven Brewpub (Main Street Station Casino -- Downtown)

Huge portions and fresh-brewed micro-beers. We've had a few different items here and it tastes like a better version of TGI Friday's or Bennigan's, with good beer, and sushi, too. The filet mignon sandwich or beer-battered fish get rave reviews. Definitely a nice place to get dinner if you want sports bar atmosphere. You know, the kind of place where you can unzip your fly and let your gut out after the meal. That is, if you're a lady. Us guys usually just let our waists rip right through the fabric.

The Grand Cafe (Boulder Station Vegas -- Off-Strip)

The Grand Cafe is a prototype of what an efficient, good and relatively low-priced coffee shop should be in Las Vegas. The menu covers the gamut from breakfasts to stuff drunk people like, to treat kids love. We're talking, burgers, eggs, fluffy pancakes, shrimp cocktails and prime rib.

Picasso (Bellagio Vegas -- Strip)

Oo la la, this meditaranean restaurant is so fancy it makes us blush just knowing we're even in the same city. Genuine Picasso paintings stick to the walls, while genuine Picasso-priced food sticks to your ribs. Most of the meals are served on a fix prixe basis. This joint is for folks who are really, really trying to impress someone. We hope you want to impress us sometime soon.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant (Paris Hotel Vegas -- Strip)

Very good French food eleven stories above the Strip and just about the most expensive joint in town. This is the fanciest and most "romantic" restaurant at Paris, and you have to dress accordingly. They serve traditional French cuisine. Make reservations in advance and try to be there for sunset. If you just want to eat even higher up in the air, there are the Rio Voodoo Cafe and the Stratosphere Top of the World restaurant.

Top of the World (Las Vegas Stratosphere -- Strip)

This is one of the most expensive restaurants in Las Vegas. It is at the top of the Stratosphere Tower, so the views are spectacular. It can be very romantic, and if you really want to impress someone, book a reservation for sunset and watch the valley twinkle in the twilight. Dinner is steaks, lamb, duck and other staples but done quite interestingly with Middle-east and Asian spices. If you want a good deal, though, check out the lunch menu, which starts in the mid-teens for relatively basic sandwiches and salads and includes a free ride up the tower. The view's nicer at night, because during the day you see all the smog hanging over the valley, but we can't afford to be picky.

Zefferino (The Las Vegas Venetian -- Strip)

Fancy pants Italian seafood, including a wide range of shellfish in creamy and cheesy sauces. This is pretty amazing food, actually. It's ranked way up there with the best, but like everything else in this dang Venetian, it doesn't qualify as cheapo. The lunch special costs $20, or apprximately what we pay for a week's worth of Mac and cheese. The adjoining bistro "Tintoretto" has meals as low as $11 and "outdoor" seating.

Michael Mina Bellagio (Bellagio Vegas -- Strip)

The seafood house is open for dinner only and is very fancy. It's located in the Bellagio's conservatory, which means flowers and plants to look at if the person you're dining with is boring or ugly. A five-course prixe fixe is over $120, unless you don't eat meat. Then it's not quite as expensive (or delicious). The room looks like you're eating in some really rich person's kitchen, with cabinets and shelves along the walls.