The Las Vegas Foodgasm: Wicked Spoon

Katie and I wandered through the  halls of Cosmopolitan’s second floor, en route to Wicked Spoon, passing by tourists posing inside of larger-than-life shoes and walls adorned with art.

We were on a mission: stuff our faces with good eats at the hotel’s much-praised buffet, Wicked Spoon.

I’ve already confessed, I’m no foodie, but  after being seated in the dimly lit room, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

There, a mere few feet from our little table-for-two was the largest and most spectacular dessert island I had ever seen:

Sweet goodness. Mmmmmm.

Yeah, I’m pretty much a sucka for anything sweet (except cheesecake and cream cheese).

“Oh my goodness,” I exclaimed, looking across the table at my friend. “Holy shit. That’s a lot of dessert.”

“I’m not really into dessert,” Katie explained.

Then I don’t have to share.

After our server came (and we committed to unlimited glasses of wine for $7 each), I let Katie do her thing and go explore while I continued to drool over the rows and rows of confectionery delight encased in glass, and the continued display of dessert wrapping around four sides of the dessert area.

I probably could have just dined on the dessert. But, noooooo.

Then, Katie returned, snapping out of my dessert trance.

“It’s amazing,” she informed me. “I just went to one station, but did a walk around to see what’s out there. Oh my goodness.”

And I was up.

Of course, I started with the desserts. Not eating, but just eyeing.

Then, I saw the buffet.

A huge sprawling display of station after station … a sea of savory, spice, succulent, sensational food.

I didn’t even know where to start. I mean, how does one properly conquer a buffet?

I knew one thing: I was going to enjoy this. And, in an effort to not waste (“there are starving children in Africa” was running through my head) I wasn’t going to pile copious amounts of food on my plate.

So, I took my time. I took multiple trips. Each time, just putting a little bit on my plate.

I started with the Asian selection, grabbing a few pieces of sushi and some red curry tofu to take back.

A few minutes later, I was up again, eyes wide at the next station. And the next.

The thing about Wicked Spoon that struck me was the difference between it and the other buffets. Sure, I haven’t been to a lot of them, but just in researching my article, I knew what they served. And, what they didn’t. And, the buffets in Las Vegas didn’t have what this one did.

Bone Marrow. Mac and Cheese station. Asiago-Stuffed Gnocci with Lamb Ragu. Peach and Jalapeno Stuffed Pork Race. Watermelon Salad with Cucumber Slaw. Chocolate-dipped marshmallows on a stick (c’mon, I had to throw in a dessert reference).

[Note: there are so many more, but I had to stop listing them because I’m hungry as I write this.]

Finally, when it came time for dessert, I didn’t know where to start. Tiny little cakes, mousses, pies … pink marshmallow logs sprinkled with pink sugar (which I so loving dubbed “marshmallow log-y things) … cookies … gelato … chocolate dipped strawberries …  fudge …strudels … heaven.

I piled my plate with all of the sweet morsels and headed back to Katie (for good measure, and to add some healthy to the plate, I added some melon with basil).

“I just … I mean … it just all looks so good …” I breathed, words failing to do justice. Katie looked at my plate and then to me, eyebrows raised.  “I’m not going to eat it all … don’t worry. I just want to try it.”

So, I did.

I would take a bit, close my eyes to savor the amazingness and then pass it over to Katie to try.

An hour or so after we began the culinary affair, we looked at each other over our second glass of wine.

“Stuffed?” I asked.

“Definitely.”

For a few minutes, we recapped our Wicked Spoon experience.

Was it all amazing?

No. There were some dishes that left us unimpressed. The Leek Bread Pudding was bland. The Char Su Pork was met with a scrunched nose and quick chasing of red wine. The Fried Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers sounded good, but turned out to be a flavor combination which couldn’t survive  the first two bites (hey, I had to give it at least a chance).

And there were other items that were little tastes of fantastic. Katie and I both dug the  Wild Mushroom Polenta. It even earned the honor of being one of the best things Katie had ever eaten in her life. She was also a fan of the Prime Rib (“heavenly … so tender it falls apart in my mouth”) and the Korean Short Ribs.

In all, I filled my plate four times … not eating everything, but trying everything on the plate. My favorite was the Cavatelli with Short Ribs. Oh my goodness. I could have eaten the entire little bowl it was in, but pacing at a buffet is key. So, instead I just kept telling Katie how damn delicious it was and how it tasted like Christmas. Don’t ask. It just did.

She and I walked out of the hotel, way too full, nearly in food comas. Fortunately, we were able to muster our strength and head downtown for some patio drinks with one of my best friends for a few, before it was time to let our bodies digest … and get ready for Round Two less than 48 hours later at The Buffet at ARIA.

For you foodies, here’s pics to make you hungrier:

Editor’s note: The Cosmopolitan provided the dining experience at Wicked Spoon but all opinions are my own.