2016 Best of Laughlin Awards

For Immediate Release

LAUGHLIN, NV – April 21, 2016

Laughlin Buzz is proud to announce the winners of the 2016 Best of Laughlin Awards.  

Best Overall Awards

Best Casino Resort -  Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Hotel - Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Restaurant - Bumbleberry Flats, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best “Locals” Casino - Old Town Saloon

Best Customer Service - Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Chef - Chef Craig Pinkard, BumbleBerry Flats

Casino/Gaming Awards

Best Slots -  Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Table Games - Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Video Poker - Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Live Poker - Harrah’s Laughlin

Best Video Keno  - Riverside Resort

Best Live Keno - Riverside Resort

Best SportsBook - William Hill Sportsbook, Edgewater Casino

Best Bingo - Riverside Resort

Best Players Club - AcePlay Players Club, Aquarius Casino Resort       

Best Casino Bar for Gaming  - Sassy Sue’s Saloon, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Restaurant Cuisine Awards

Best Breakfast - Bumbleberry Flats, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Buffet - Fresh Market Buffet, Harrah’s Laughlin

Best Fine Dining - Gourmet Room, Riverside Resort

Best Special Occasion - Saltgrass Steakhouse, Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Café/Diner - Claim Jumper, Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Late Night Eats -Bumbleberry Flats, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Cheap Eats - Dotty’s, Laughlin River Lodge

Best Coffeehouse - Duet Coffee & Wine, Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Steakhouse - Saltgrass Steakhouse, Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Seafood - Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co., Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Burger - Daniel’s Restaurant, Regency Casino

Best Pizza - Pint’s Brewery and Sports Bar, Colorado Belle Casino

Best Mexican Food - El Burro Borracho, Harrah’s Laughlin         

Best Italian Food - Passaggio, Tropicana Laughlin

Best Barbecue - Blaze N Blues, Old Town Saloon

Best Prime Rib - Prime Rib Room, Riverside Resort

Best BBQ Ribs - Blaze N Blues, Old Town Saloon

Best Shrimp Cocktail - Cove Lounge, Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Buffet Crab Legs  - Windows on the River, Aquarius Casino Resort           

Best Sub/Sandwich - Capriotti’s, Edgewater Casino

Best Bloody Mary - Bumbleberry Flats, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Ice Cream - Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Laughlin Outlet Mall

Best Desserts/Sweets - Bumbleberry Flats, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best People, Places, & Services

Best Place for Happy Hour - Pint’s Brewery and Sports Bar, Colorado Belle Casino

Best Casino Floor Drink Service - Harrah’s Laughlin

Best Place to Watch Sports - Gold Diggers, Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Wedding Venue - Aquarius Resort Casino

Best Casino Gift Shop -Harrah’s Laughlin

Best Security - Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Valet - Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Lounge for Live Music - Tropicana Bar, Tropicana Laughlin

Best Lounge for Dancing - Loser’s Lounge, Riverside Resort

Best Concert Venue - Laughlin Event Center

                                   

Best Neon Sign - River Rick (Cowboy), Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Casino Exterior Look - Golden Nugget Laughlin

Best Riverwalk Area -  Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall     

Best Casino Host - Carol Blossom, Aquarius Resort Casino

Best Bartender - John Roddy, The Lodge, Laughlin River Lodge

Best Casino Cocktail Server - Luck Hooper, Aquarius Resort Casino

Best Restaurant Server - Cearra Reddig, Loading Dock, Colorado Belle Casino

Best Customer Service Employee - Michelle Blazejewski, Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall

Best Local Business Owner - Dave and Leslie Wright, Yogi’s BBQ, Outlet Mall

Best Local Business Employee - Brian Anthony, Hideout

Community Award - Team Aquarius & Sean Hammond, Aquarius Resort Casino

Best River Cruise - U.S.S. Riverside, Riverside Resort

Best Spa Services - Harrah’s Laughlin

Best Pool - Tropicana Laughlin

Best Beach - Avi Resort Casino

Best Wi-Fi - Duet Coffee and Wine, Aquarius Casino Resort

Best Place to Shop - Burke’s, Laughlin Outlet Mall

Best Movie Theater - Riverside Resort

Best Special Event or Holiday - Laughlin River Run

Best Hidden Gem - Colorado River Greenway Heritage Trails

Best Attraction (non-gaming) - Colorado River

 Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who voted.  We encourage everyone to continue to support Laughlin local businesses, services, organizations, events, and attractions. By doing so you are helping the economy, growth and vitalization of the area and community.  Thank you!          

For more information, please contact Laughlin Buzz at:

4

laughlinbuzz@gmail.com   (702) 757-1043     P.O. Box  30284, Laughlin, NV  89028

www.laughlinbuzz.com

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Thanks and appreciation to Amy Reinert for designing the Best of Laughlin Logo for us!

Lunch Fail at the Outback Steakhouse

Laughlin, Nevada
Review:  Lunch at the Outback Steakhouse

We frequent the Aquarius Resort Casino often for various reasons.  

One of them is not for the Outback Steakhouse. 

But...a couple recently (April of 2014) invited us to lunch at the Outback.  With trepidation, (for this reason) and because of a few less than great experiences there, we reluctantly agreed.  We thought we could find something simple and reasonably good on the menu. After all it was only for lunch and we knew what to avoid from past visits. Plus they had redeemed themselves in their reinspection. 

We passed on the blooming onion despite the pushing of it by the server.  Last time it was too soggy in part and overcooked in other sections. Instead we went tried the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms.  

The menu said these were sautéed mushrooms stuffed with lump crab meat served with a creamy lemon butter sauce ($6.79). They looked good, though just 4 mushrooms?  Turned out they were very overcooked.  They were served soaking in the same lemon butter sauce given as a side to dip in. The inside was pure mush, with very little crab taste.  They were overwhelmed by the sauce and definitely would not need to be dipped.   

Stuffed part of the Mushroom which oozed out because it was too mushy. 

After that, one of us chose a Lunch Combo, consisting of a Caesar salad and a chicken artichoke flatbread ($7.99) 

The chicken was mixed with spinach, artichokes and Parmesan on a very crisp flatbread. Overall it was ordinary, not terrible, it just did not have much flavor.   The Caesar was good.  We are finding is the most reliable thing you can get at this particular Outback Steakhouse is a salad. 

The other one of us got the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich. The menu says: Prime Rib Dip Thin-sliced seared prime rib with grilled onions and Swiss cheese ($10.99). It comes with the Aussie fries. 

This sandwich was a disaster. After lifting the bun, just looking at it was unappetizing. The meat (prime rib?) was overly well done and dry except for the fat, which was stringy. Apparently that is why they give such a big bowl of au jus to dip it in.  One person suggested perhaps it was left over prime rib from the Casino Buffet.  *We know that's not true as this Outback is owned by an independent proprietor and not by the Aquarius itself. But it seemed like a plausible observation. 

The cheese was congealed and too thick. We didn't know it was swiss, thought it was mozzarella or perhaps provolone.  Most of this was picked off. The grilled onions were only lightly grilled and did nothing for it.  It was served on the same bun as their burgers and the bottom of the bun was soggy to the point of being smashed thin,  

After picking off the cheese, stringy fat, and most of the bigger onions-- a few bites were taken and the rest was pushed aside. The fries were fine, but it's sad the best part of the meal was the ketchup. 

Service was slow considering there were not too many people dining even though it was prime lunch hour. 

The Fosters beer and the company made the lunch fun anyway. 

We really have to stop coming back to this Outback Steakhouse.  We had sworn off it but other people keep wanting to go to it.  From now on if we are invited we are going to suggest a short walk or drive down the River and go to the Loading Dock or perhaps Bumbleberry Flats. We recommend you do too.  People tell us other Outback's like the one in Las Vegas are much better than this one in Laughlin.   

Even Duet for a sandwich, or the diner Cafe Aquarius right there in the Aquarius Casino would be a better choice for lunch than Outback Steakhouse. Come to think of it maybe MacDonald's or Panda Express (also in the Aquarius) might even beat them.  

Visit our Laughlin Buzz Dining Page for more restaurant information and reviews from the Laughlin area. 

All reviews are our own personal experience, based on our tastes and preferences, and are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only.  We receive no compensation from the properties or restaurants and are not in any way affiliated with them. 

Outback Steakhouse Laughlin gets 27 demerits

Laughlin, Nevada

Once again another Laughlin restaurant popped up with a bad rating and too many demerits (for our comfort) on a recent Southern Nevada Health District inspection.  This time it was the Outback Steakhouse in the Aquarius Casino.  

On February 20, 2014 during a routine health inspection they received a Grade of C (the lowest available) with 27 demerits.  

Click on Images for a larger view

Most of these were for maintaining, cooking, storage of food at proper temperatures, as well as one violation for protecting food from possible contamination.   

List of Violations and Demerits from the Southern Nevada Health District Website

Well, maybe there are a few rules?! 

This hasn't stopped people from dining there, most likely unaware of the bad report. Just two days after the inspection (we were not aware of) we were at the Aquarius and someone in our group wanted to go to the Outback.  The place was packed and wait was 50 minutes to get in (luckily we didn't wait). 

The previous inspection at the Outback was in April of 2013 and they received an A grade. Looking at the history of inspections, there has been other issues here in the past including being closed down in 2010.  

Previous Inspections

We have had some good and a few not so good experiences at this location.  We have not been there in quite a long time.  Most of the bad experiences we did have were related to service.  

*Note:  This Outback Steakhouse is not owned by Aquarius or their parent company, the proprietor listed is Archie Overton. 

Other bad recent health inspections in Laughlin included the Riverside Resort Buffet (C grade, 14 demerits) and the Minato Sushi Restaurant (C grade, 40 demerits).    

Visit the SNHD  website here to look up restaurants in Nevada. There is a search feature.  For Laughlin put in Zipcode 89029.  


Update:  They did pass a re-inspection.  Details are here.

Visit us at our Laughlin Buzz HomePage 

*All content in this blog post are presented for informational purposes only and use data taken from the Southern Nevada Health District website.   We received no compensation from the properties or restaurants in this blog post and are not in any way affiliated with them.  

Lost in the Outback

Outback Steakhouse - Aquarius Resort Casino 

*We have had good and back luck with dining at this Outback in Laughlin.   Here is another restaurant review we recently received from guest.   (October 2013)

It has been awhile since we visited an Outback Steakhouse.  On a recent visit to Laughlin we decided to try the only option for steak at the Aquarius Resort.  We had a wait of about 15 minutes even though there seemed to be empty, open tables.  We almost left to go to the Cafe Aquarius that is close by.  In retrospect, it may have been a wise decision to do so.  Our teenage son wanted us to share the Blooming Onion so we ordered that and drinks.  As I said, it had been awhile since we dined at an Outback.  The Blooming Onion seemed substantially smaller.  It also wasn't as good as we recall.  Or maybe it was just this particular Outback.  The onion definitely wasn't crisp enough.  The dipping sauce was good but without that didn't make up for the onion itself.  The small loaf of dark bread they gave us was not very good either.  The bread seemed hard in a stale kind of way, but warm in a just was in the microwave kind of way. My wife and I both had a salad.  This came promptly and was fine. After all, it is hard to mess up a salad. Then it all began.  

The waitress dropped by and said our entrees should be out soon. We waited. And waited. And waited some more.  She kept refilling our son's soda and asked us if we wanted more drinks. Finally after a long 20 minutes a manager appeared and said he was sorry that it was taking so long.  He explained that "there was a problem in the kitchen" and our orders were just put in. He asked if we would like something else like a bowl of soup on the house.  We declined this odd offer. He explained he was going to give us 50 percent off to make up for the problem.  Apparently they had lost or misplaced our slip?   The waitress was wonderful, apologetic, and attentive. It wasn't her fault. 

Finally the meals arrived.  Our son had the ribs.  These were tender, almost fall off the bone good.  He didn't care for the sauce. He said there was too much of it and it was too spicy.  My wife had the small filet steak and baked potato.  She said the steak was done perfectly and very good.  It did taste much, much better than the way it looked on the plate.  

I had one bite of it and didn't think it was quite that good.  Certainly ok, but nothing special. You expect a cut of filet to be of the best quality.  Then I tasted my ribeye and realized hers was so much better. When I ordered the ribeye they recommened char grilled preparation. The ribeye was well seasoned, however, the cut of meat was not of good quality.  It actually was one of the worst ribeye steaks I have ever had. 

Usually, a ribeye is marbled with fat.  Good fat, juicy, and delicious that you can eat.  Not gristly and hard to cut with a steak knife.  About a third of the ribeye was inedible.  The rest was chewy and lacked flavor other than the seasoning on top. This was a lesson learned, if you must have steak, and must eat at the Outback, get the filet.  At least at this Laughlin location.   The baked potato was perhaps the best part of my meal.  I do recommend getting butter and/or sour cream on the side though.  Way too much was heaped on the potato.  

When we finished we declined dessert since we had been there for an extended time already. We decided instead to pop into the McDonalds (also in the casino) for ice cream instead.  Of course, as so often is the case at this location, the ice cream machine was not working.  The manager kept his word and gave us 50 percent off our meals, but not the onion, or drinks.  Walking out I realized I didn't mind paying $60 for our meals but had it been the actual $100 it should of been, I would not have been too pleased. Ultimately, it was the ribeye that left a bad taste in my mouth.

We applaud our waitress and the manager for making the best effort in an unusual situation. Still, we probably will not go back to Outback for a long time again, and definitely not to the one in Laughlin.  

Review by guest, Carl F.and family. 

For more reviews and current happenings in the area, visit LaughlinBuzz.Com 

*All reviews are based on our or our contributors personal experience.  Your own experiences may vary based on tastes, preferences, and other variables.  Information contained herein, such as pricing, hours, menu items, etc., is subject to change by the restaurants. Reviews are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only.  We receive no compensation from the properties or restaurants and are not in any way affiliated with them.  

Cheese and Wine in Laughlin

Laughlin, Nevada

A group of us finally had a chance to try more than just a quick coffee at Duet - Coffee and Wine in the Aquarius Resort Casino.  


There is no menu for the food choices.  You simply look at what is available in the display cases and ask for what you would like to order.  Several different types of sandwiches are available, plus many delicious looking desserts.  This time we chose to try the Cheese-Fruit-Meat plate with Wine.  Next time we will try some of the desserts.

Cheese-Meat-Fruit Platters

The plates come in two sizes.  The larger one is $19.99 and the smaller one was $7.99.  The small one was easily enough for 2-3 people.  The larger one would probably be good for 4-6.   These are prepared in advance and taken out of the display case. We know this because one morning when getting a coffee, two of the staff were busily putting them together behind the counter.  

The smaller cheese, fruit, meat plate

They have a nice assortment of cheese, meat, olives, strawberries, berries, grapes, baguette slices of bread and crackers.  Plus some dried fruit and a small plastic cup of crunchy snacks.   Everything was fresh and very good except for the dried fruit.  This was very chewy in a hard way, difficult to bite.  We couldn't really determine what fruit some of it was either.  One seemed to resemble a prune and perhaps the other was apricot.  The cheeses and meats were surprisingly better than we thought they would be.  One person compared them to that which they had gotten in Vegas at Paris on their breakfast.  

The cup of crunchy stuff seemed out of place and didn't work with the rest of the platter either.  One suggestion is that they should perhaps partially prepare the platter with everything except the bread and crackers.  Then add those when an order is placed.  Ours were just a bit moist or soggy due to sitting with the rest of the items and being kept cool.  

There are 8 selections of wine.  Four in each of the two wine dispensers.  You can also buy a whole bottle if you want, though we did not see the pricing for this.   We haven't seen a set up like this before.  You purchase a wine card (see pictures below) and the cashier loads your card.  For instance if you bought $15 worth of wine, you could dispense that much from the machines.  The wine is sold by the ounce and varies in price, depending on which kind you choose.   The wine bottles are in the dispensing machine with a tube.  You select the wine you want and the amount you want.   Once you make your choice it dispenses into the glass you place underneath.  

Wine Dispensers

The Patio of Duet at the Aquarius Resort Casino

A couple can easily have a couple glasses of wine each and the small cheese platter for under $25. We thought it was good quality, something different, and pretty good value.   Give it a try and see what you think.  The sandwiches seemed popular to several other people there.  Definitely a step up from Subway right next door.   Coffee and dessert are also a good choice.  

Here is a link to their coffee/drink menu. 

If you have tried Duet, share your experiences with us in the comments below.  We would love to hear them. 

LaughlinBuzz.Com

Duet - Coffee and Wine at Aquarius Update

Update:  8/17/2013 - Duet is now open. 

Opening on August 16th!

Awhile back we mentioned that the Aquarius Resort Casino was going to reopen the old Starbucks space as the new Duet, featuring coffee, wine and food selections.

Just yesterday we received an invite including free vouchers to give them a try.

Passing through the Casino yesterday we noticed that the wall was now down and curtains were up.  In addition they had removed (temporarily?) some of the slot machines that were in front of the location.   It looked like they were still busily remodeling the space inside.

Duet under construction

They will be open
Sunday through Thursday from  6am to 11pm
Friday and Saturday from 6am to Midnight

Free WiFi has also been promised!

Watch this space for more updates and a review as soon as we get a chance to stop by.

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The Cove Bar and Lounge at the Aquarius Resort Casino

The Cove Bar and Lounge
Aquarius Resort Casino

Tucked just steps from the River Walk is a great little Bar and Lounge.  They feature wonderful cocktails including an array of Margaritas, Martinis, Mojitos and Bloody Marys.

Margarita

 We stopped in one evening for Free Drinks* (see below) and an appetizer.   There were so many good drinks to choose from but we went with our usual favorites.  A frozen Strawberry Margarita and a Vodka Martini.  Everything else looked so tempting though!  Maybe next time we will switch it up and try some of the other choices.  Click here to see the Drink Menu at the Cove  You can even get a 22 oz. Breakfast in a Bucket Bloody Mary.

Grey Goose Vodka Martini Dirty Straight Up

The Cove also offers a nice a selection of delicious appetizers, including gourmet pizza.  Although they don't specify this, the appetizers are from the same kitchen/chef at The Vineyard Ristorante located in the Aquarius.  If you have been to the Vineyard you know how good it will be! 

Mushrooms Casino

Chicken Tenders

We really had a hard time deciding which appetizer to go with.  Finally we ended up ordering two.  The Mushrooms Casino were absolutely delicious.  Packed with King Crab.  We knew we would like them after having had them at The Vineyard.  We also got the Chicken Tenders.  These were cooked perfectly with a light breading and were very juicy, not dry.  The spicy Asian sauce was perfect for dipping.

Several other diners had ordered the Gourmet Pizza.  Seeing the Pizza as it came out made us wish we had tried one too.  We have been searching for a good Pizza in Laughlin.  Maybe this is the spot?!!

Here is a link to the Appetizer Menu for the Cove

Our server was wonderful.  Fast and attentive in spite of them being fairly busy.  As you can see from the menu prices are pretty reasonable and the quality backs them up.  We will definitely be back and recommend you try this little spot.

There is also a bar with Video Poker machines.  Although we don't play them very often we have heard they have some of the best pay tables.   Don't quote us on that but if you are a video poker player check them out.

The Cove is open: 

Monday through Thursday - Noon to 11pm

Friday through Sunday - 9am to midnight

Appetizers - Daily - 4pm to 9pm

The Cove is a non-smoking lounge.  

*Currently if you are a Green or Red ACE Play card holder at the Aquarius it appears you will get a comp of 2 Free Drinks and possibly 1 Free App at the Cove each week.  Although we haven't paid attention to the specifics of how these are determined or given, it appears to be awarded based on the amount of your play on a weekly basis.  

Visit  http://www.laughlinbuzz.com  for more news and updates about Laughlin. 

Windows on the River Buffet at Aquarius - Another Visit

Review of the Buffet/Brunch at the Windows on the River Buffet

We last visited the Windows On The River Buffet at Aquarius Resort and Casino last September for a Sunday Brunch.  That visit was semi-disappointing. Read about it here.

This time we went on a Saturday (mid morning) for the Brunch.  This was the day of the Reba on the River Concert, which may have been the reason there was a long wait and line way out into the Casino.   Luckily, we got to use the preferred VIP line (for Green or Red ACE Players Cards) and were seated almost right away.  If not for that, we would not have waited.

You get two free drinks with Brunch at the little bar that is set off to the side.  Once again, as on previous visits, no one bothered to tell us this.   Choices are champagne, beer, or wine.   We got the Mimosas, Coffee, and a Mr. Pibb (Dr. Pepper's brother who didn't go to college).  Perhaps because of the larger crowd the food was fresher than the last visit.  Basically it is still a standard buffet.   They do have two omelet stations.  These are nice, the line for them was a bit long though.   

Highlights that people in our party most enjoyed:   

-The carved Ham (this was the only meat on the carving board).  

-The omelet station

-The chicken wings (hot sauce served on the side)

-Biscuits with Sausage Gravy (skip the Chicken Fried Steak thing, it was dry)

-Breakfast potatoes 

-Toronados (Raspberry and Cream Cheese filled)

-The BBQ Ribs (very tender, fall off the bone), however, several people didn't care for the sauce. That is mostly a matter of personal preference though. 

-Salad Bar and Fruit was fresh enough. 

-Mini Belgian Waffles (these were good if you grabbed them fresh in the bin)

-French Toast (same deal as the Waffles)

Just a few of the items off the Brunch

Other choices that were adequate:

-Eggs Benedict.  Better this time than last but small.

-Potato Bar - Make your own baked potato

-Fish

Low points 

-Eggs were bland

-Sausage was ok, but again was brown and serve type

-Bacon, some of it was good, other pieces were not cooked enough in the bin.

-Breads weren't super fresh

-Cheese Blintzes, expected them to be good but they had little flavor, maybe had sat too long

-Soups were just ok

The counters surrounding the salad bar, soup, bread stations were sort of messy with spills.  They need to be more diligent in cleaning up a bit faster.   The main food bars were kept much cleaner. 

The desserts were also better this time than the last visit.  Fresher.  Wide assortment of pies, cakes, custard, donuts, cupcakes, cookies, apple crisp, sugar free choices, and fat free yogurt.  No chocolate dipped strawberries again though!  They need to bring them back, this was a favorite.   Favorites (from our party) from the dessert included the Cupcakes, cheesecake, and the donuts (described as a chocolate cloud).  For some reason most of the pics we snapped were of the dessert (see below).

Service was pretty good considering how busy they were.  Maybe a bit too fast.  When we went for a second trip to the Buffet one of the employees started to bus our table.  They must of believed we had left.  One member of our party was just returning to it when she was about to finish clearing it.  She did apologize profusely and replace our drinks she had whisked away.  We have never had that happen in years of going to Buffets.  

View of the section overlooking the River.  Not viewable from the other section. 

The view from the Buffet is very nice if you can get seated over by the Window overlooking the River.  On this day there was a Special Event in that section so we could not.   

The cost for the Windows on the River Buffet Brunch is currently $10.99 (for Orange, Green, or Red ACE Player Cards) and $13.19 (blue ACE Player Cards).  If you don't have a card it is $14.65.  Cards are free. Even if you don't play or plan to you can get a Blue Card at the Customer Service area.   It was nice to see the prices had not risen (from the last time we were there) as they have at two other local Buffets. 

The Brunch runs from 7am - 3pm.   

Saturday is Prime Rib and Crab Legs Dinner night on the Buffet.  This starts at 4PM to 10PM after the Champagne brunch ends.  Prices go up:

$16.99  Orange, Green, Red Cards

$20.39  Blue Cards

$22.65  No card

Beer, wine, margaritas included. 

Overall for the price ($10.99) we were satisfied.  If we had to pay the higher price, maybe not so much. Either way, if you like brunches and buffets, this is a pretty good one for Laughlin.  They do allow you to use comps off the Players card if you have them. 

 Keep up on the latest from Laughlin, Nevada and the surrounding area at

http://www.laughlinbuzz.com 

All reviews are presented for information only and are our solely our personal opinion reflect the experience we had at the time of our visit.   This may or may not reflect your own visit to the establishment.  We are not in any way affiliated or compensated in any way with the restaurants or businesses reviewed.  

If you tried this Brunch or any other places in Laughlin we would love to hear from you.  Leave us a comment below.  

Duet Coffee and Wine to Replace Starbucks at Aquarius Casino

Update:  The new Duet opened on 8/17/2013

Duet is under construction at the Aquarius Casino

You will no longer be able to get satisfy a Starbucks craving at the Aquarius Resort and Casino.   A new cafe, called Duet is going into the space formerly occupied by the old 24 hour, free Wifi Starbucks.  From the signage it appears they will serve coffee, wine (by the glass or bottle) and various sandwiches including breakfast.  Hopefully they will be open 24 hours and keep the free Wifi.  We will miss the old Starbucks but look forward to what should be a nice new addition to the resort.  Besides it is only a short stroll down the River Walk to the (smaller) Starbucks in the Golden Nugget.  

Now

Even the big Starbucks sign has been taken down

WiFi gone for now, will it return?

Lunch at the Outback Steakhouse - Aquarius Casino Laughlin, NV

Despite a not so great experience the last time we had dinner at the Outback Steakhouse in the Aquarius Casino (Laughlin, NV) we were invited to lunch there so decided to give it another try. 

Date of visit:  October 2012

We got there just after they opened for lunch so they were not busy except for a few people eating at the bar.  Service was fast and prompt.   We were given the lunch menu but also told you could order from the dinner menu, which is left on the tables.

We chose the:

Cup of French Onion Soup and the Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad

and

1/2 Filet Focaccia Sandwich with a Side Caesar Salad  (this is a lunch combo for $7.99)

 

 

The soup was very good and as always the Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad was excellent.  It is one of the Premium salads listed on the menu but worth a buck or so more than the regular salads.

The Focaccia Sandwich was tasty as well, though they did give an overabundance of a too big cup of the au jus.  The bread was good and the filet was tender, didn't even need to be dipped. 

Both salads were very, very cold however.  Perhaps because we had come right after they opened or maybe they are stored prepared in a too cold refrigerator.  We didn't notice this on other occasions. We let them sit at room temperature for a bit before eating them. They were both very good after doing this.

Topped the meal off with 2 Fosters on draft (small ones since after all it was just after noon).  

We enjoyed the lunch.  The cost was a bit higher than we could of gotten elsewhere on the strip for an inexpensive lunch but we enjoyed it.  If you want something slightly different than the diner or fast food or a burger, the Outback is an ok choice for lunch. 

Read our other Review on the Outback for Dinner Here.

Entrance off the Riverwalk - Aquarius Casino

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