We have been going to Le Village Buffet at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas annually for several years. My kids love going there and insist that it be part of our annual trip (my husband goes for a conference, I go for the pool, the kids just come along). In these years, I’ve noticed a substantial decline. We visit it with a Buffet of Buffets pass, which means we pay about $20+tax per person for the meal. For that, it’s not a bad deal. But at the $32 full price, it’s not in the least justifiable.
We visited Le Village Buffet both for a weekday dinner and breakfast last week. I noticed the dinner buffet to be poorer and less French than in previous years. Gone was the tri-tip from the Savoy section, for example, replaced by roasted cauliflower! You could still get chicken or sausage, but no beef. The prime rib had been replaced by roast beef – it had a nice flavor and it was a large piece, but it wasn’t special. There was no roasted lamb or pork belly. There was duck a l’orange, but it was a failure. Once again the meat was too dry and the flavor lacking to justify the dish. I was sorry I tried it. If they are going to kill a duck, they should honor it by cooking it properly. Mashed potatoes and mushrooms were good, but pedestrian.
A mushroom crepe, cooked with cheese and sprinkled with some sort of truffle sort, OTOH, was delicious. I did have to wait for half an hour to get it – the Paris was apparently too cheap to have two crepemakers working on tandem -, but at least I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the leftovers of my daughter’s caprese crepe (but note that the mozarella they use is not fresh, despite their claims). She liked the truffled mac & cheese.
Desserts, as usual, did not awe, but some were OK. Mostly not worth the calories, however.
Breakfast for me the next morning was a strawberry ricotta crepe. The wait wasn’t as long, but again they could have used a second crepe-maker. The crepe was delicious – but not worth the $22 price, even if we add the average coffee and non-fresh orange juice that I also consumed. But the crepe was too filling to want to eat anything else. My daughter had the cookie dough crepe which she felt was really good but too sweet. The more traditional banana/nutella crepe was also good.
The choices for crepes (same for dinner and breakfast) have also gone down. They used to have mixed berries and sliced hazelnuts available in the past, but they do no longer.
Note that Le Village Buffet is the only buffet in Vegas that accepts Open Table reservations. Make them and save yourself the line.
Le Village Buffet at the Paris Hotel & Casino
3665 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 946-700
http://www.parislasvegas.com/restaurants/le-village-buffet.html
Weekday Breakfast $22/13, Weekend Breakfast $24/15, Weekday Lunch $25/15, Weekend Brunch $31/20, Weekday Dinner $31/18, Weekend Dinner $31/20. Groupon deal often available. Available with Buffet of Buffets pass.
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The following review is from 2014
For years, Le Village Buffet at the Paris Hotel and Casino was my favorite buffet in Vegas. I appreciated the combination of French classics and regional dishes, and looked forward to tasting dishes that I don’t encounter that often otherwise. My daughters love the atmosphere – the buffet is decorated so that you feel you are eating al fresco in a French village square. However, my last visits to the buffet – for dinner and breakfast in August 2014 – were really disappointing, and I don’t look forward to going back.
DINNER
We went to dinner at 8 PM, later than in previous occasions, but not what I would consider particularly late for Las Vegas. The place was hopping and there were enough people in line that I was happy we had made a reservation through Open Table and were sat immediately (however, we were put in the non-decorated room near the bathroom, nor a particularly nice dining location). The food, however, left much to be desired. They were out of several dishes and the quality and taste were inferior to previous occasions.
This time I started with the cavatappi with truffle sauce, which I had raved about the previous year. It was almost as good. The duck a l’orange was overcooked and a little tough, but not too greasy and the orange sauce was good. Scalloped potatoes were as good as I remembered – as was the tri-tip.
Other dishes were a failure. Both the prime rib and the stuffed lamb were dry, the former was also chewy. The mac & cheese had peas instead of bacon, and even my 9-year old didn’t like it. The sole was cooked Florentine style this time, and also seemed dry. They were out of quiche. The pork belly, which had been served in a cute individual plate last year, now had the texture and flavor of pork shoulder, but still managed to feel dry in my mouth. I usually like my dishes salty, but I felt most of the meat was oversalted.
For dessert I had a made-to-order crepe with mixed berries (they were out of strawberries) and bananas inside, and caramel sauce, powdered sugar, whipped cream and candied hazelnuts outside. It was outstanding, delicious, perfect. I would much recommend.
The creme brulee was also quite good, and there was a square cheesecake with berry fruit inside which was also delicious. Other cheesecakes weren’t, but I didn’t try too many of the desserts.
Service was good, but all in all, I didn’t think it was a particularly noteworthy meal.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast the following morning was also disappointing – or would have been if I had paid full price for it. None of the pastries looked appetizing, they weren’t French and they were served cold. My daughter likened them to pastries from Costco. We didn’t actually try them, however, so perhaps they tasted better than they looked. My daughter had a muffin and enjoyed them.
My husband said the slab bacon was pretty good. They have a wide assortment of savory dishes, but I prefer sweet fare in the morning. I had one of their #1 crepes, with banana and nutella, and it was very good. However, there is a creperie right outside selling crepes for $11, which is a better deal than the breakfast buffet.
The coffee was OK, the orange juice was low-quality bottled stuff.
We’ll be staying at the Paris again this year, so I may still give the restaurant a try if I get a good daily deal. Regular price for Total Rewards members vary from $23 to $34 depending on meal and day.
August 2013 review
I will admit that what keeps us returning to Le Village is, more than anything, the setting. The buffet is made to look as if you are eating in the middle of a French village, under the late afternoon sky. Sure, it’s a little bit Disneyesque, but charming nonetheless and a huge favorite of my oldest daughter, Mika, now age 11.
We wouldn’t go back to Le Village if the food wasn’t good, however, and indeed the food here is at least a notch or two above that of other buffets. Not everything is a winner, of course, but there are enough wonderful dishes to keep any French food lover happy.
The buffet is divided in stations which purport to present dishes from different regions of France. In addition to these, there is a large salad, soup and seafood station as well as a dessert station. The food at the regional stations is not always true to the provinces it represents, but they at least try to make the effort.
During both of our most recent stays, we enjoyed the grilled meats in the Savoie station. They are nicely seasoned and cooked, just make sure to forgo the sauces. Don’t miss the cheeses at this station either.
Next to it, the Brittany station specializes in crepes. They have both savory and sweet offerings. I haven’t tried the savory yet, but make sure you leave room for a sweet crepe at the end of your meal. They are very, very good. I particularly enjoy the hazelnuts on top.
The Normandy station specializes in seafood, and if you must have sushi while at Le Village here is where you’d find it. I had the stuffed sole instead, which was very good. I hadn’t enjoyed the quiche when I had it in 2012, but by 2013 it had become more flavorful.
No Vegas buffet can survive without the obligatory carved-to-order roasts and other American traditional foods, and Le Village has decided to place this in the Burgundy station. The prime rib was very good, so I guess I can’t really complain. The mac & cheese was lacking back in 2012, but by 2013 it was made with brie and bacon and could satisfy both kids and grownups alike.
Food in Alsace also got better. In addition to the traditional bakeoff, this year there was an amazing pork belly, fork tender and extremely flavorful. Don’t miss it and get some scalloped potatoes and caramelized onions while you’re at it.
I’ve always left the Provence station for last, but perhaps next time I should change that. The cavatappi pasta in truffle sauce I had this year was, easily, the best dish I had in Vegas. It would not be out of place at a 5-star restaurant and I think next time I’ll begin by having half a plate of it. Alas, I remember this same dish lacking the year before so hopefully my good experience wasn’t a fluke.
Dessert wise, if you must try something other than a crepe (and you probably must), Le Village does a particular good job with its chocolate pastries and its creme brulee. The kids like the frozen custard, very much like soft ice cream.
When we were there, Le Village also offered an “all you can drink wine, champagne or mimosas” for $14. According to their website, they’ve now changed this to all-you-can-drink Blue Moon or Miller Lite beer, house red and white wine or bloody marys for $12. The house wines are undrinkable, however, so unless you really like Blue Moon (which I haven’t tried), you may want to stick with water or soda.
Service was competent both times we went, however it was much friendlier the second time. She got a much better tip.
The one issue I have with Le Village buffet is that it’s rather expensive. It’s between $30 and $33 for dinner ($3 off if you have a Total Rewards card) for adults and $18 to $20 for children, but Le Village defines as an “adult”anyone over the age of 8. I hope that they don’t apply the same standards to their labor practices. In any case, I wouldn’t pay full price to go to Le Village, but keep your eye on groupon for special deals (we got dinner and unlimited drinks for 2 for $45). Le Village also participates in the Buffet of Buffets deal.
July 2012 Review
My husband and I love French food and had been happy enough with our last experience at the Paris Buffet (back at the turn of the millennium), that we decided to give it a try again for dinner when we visited Las Vegas last month (July 2012). This despite the fact that the buffet now gets mixed reviews. In all, I have to say we were pretty happy and it was easily the best of the four other buffets we ate in Vegas using our Buffet of Buffets pass (Planet Hollywood, the Rio, Harrah’s and Main Street Station).
Three things make the Paris buffet special. One is the Disneyiske setting, in an open-air plaza, under a fake sky, surrounded by cute French-looking houses. My kids loved it, but so did I. A second is the fact that the food actually tries to be regional French, it doesn’t always succeed, but it’s a valiant effort. Finally, it’s the fact that the menu is limited enough to at least give you a chance to try everything you want to try (not everything there is, of course). I tried a lot of stuff.
The food stands are divided by French region, though there is a station dedicated to soup, salads and seafood and another to desserts. I tried the French Onion soup here and was underwhelmed. The onions had not been caramelized enough and the broth was too weak.
The first region I visited was Provence. Here I tasted some beef braised in a dark sauce. My husban liked it quiet a bit, but I felt the dish needed some sweetness, some wine in the sauce or caramelization on the beef. The saffron rice tasted like plain buttered rice, it was good but there were no hints of saffron. A dish of pasta in a cream sauce was quite satisfying, though I think it would have been helped by some grated cheese on top. A stewed chicken gave a hint of having been cooked in wine, but otherwise lacked seasoning.
My next region was Alsace, a region in the border with Germany that has gone back and forth between the two countries. I’ve both eaten and cooked Alsatian food before and I’m quite fond of it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too fond of the chocroute garni, the meat was a tad too sweet and too spicy for me, while the pickled cabbage was too vinegary for my taste. The rest of the offerings were better, but not Alsatian. The cassoulet was nicely done and the meat was flavorful,the caramelized pearl onions were delicious, though a little underdone, and the scalloped potatoes were wonderful.
My venture into Savoie (a region I don’t know at all) was even more successful. Here I tried the grilled pita bread, lamb, tri-tip and chicken – apparently they like to grill in Savoie. They were all great, in particular the lamb and the tri-tip. Don’t bother with the chateubriand sauce, however, it wasn’t that good and would have ruined the meats.
This station also includes a sample of cheeses. The smoked gouda (or a cheese that tastes as such) was particularly delicious.
Normandy offered a stuffed sole which I loved. It had a beautiful crust and a delicious flavor, once you added a squeeze of lemon juice. Mike wasn’t as fond of it, and I can’t really understand why. The ham and cheese quiche was less successful, it tasted very much of Parmessan. There is also a small sushi section, but I didn’t try that at all.
Finally, I was surprised that there was neither beef bourguignon nor coq au vin in the Burgundy section but I then realized that this was actually the American station. Here you can find rotisserie chicken (I didn’t try it), prime rib (very good), roasted pork with apples (so salty as to make it inedible), roasted and mashed potatoes (good enough) and mac & cheese (lacked flavor).
For dessert, I first headed to the Breton section where you could try apple crisp and bread pudding (homey, but nothing to write home about) as well as made-to-order crepes. The crepes were the standard French variety, rather than Breton buckwheat galettes, but they were delicious. I had mine with strawberries and bananas covered with fudge and hazelnuts. The one problem is that the strawberries were already macerated and too sweet, so make sure you add some element to compensate for that. Still, it was sooo good.
We also visited the dessert station and here I tried several things. There was a chocolate mousse pastry on a hazelnut crust which was delicious and a lemon cookie sandwich that was out of this world. The other desserts impressed less. The cheesecake was less inspired that at other buffets and the creme brulet lacked umf. I liked the peanut butter cookie, but the sugar cookie was nothing special. The kids loved the soft custard (aka ice cream).
I had the unlimited mimosas/champagne/wine deal for dinner ($14, I think), and it’s a good deal if you’re planning to drink alcohol and are not too picky about quality. I enjoyed the mimosas and the champagne. The wine tasted like $2 chuck and I would definitely not have it again.
Probably the worst part of the evening was our waitress. She was efficient but seemed to be having a crappy night and there was never a hint of smile on her face. I’m sorry, but dining is an experience and unhappy waitresses bring it down a notch.
All in all this is a good buffet and I’d definitely do it again.
I got a breadmaker for Christmas, and Mike picked up one of 
I got these at Grocery Outlet yesterday. They were only 50-cents, or so, as today was the expiration day. I was going to use them in quesadillas, but we ended up eating them whole.
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