Vegas: Krazy Buffet

Antho and I are people who love to eat, but don't necessarily want to spend our entire income dining out. As someone who's traveled a wee bit and lived abroad for a time, I'd like to imagine I've expanded my palate and refined my tastes, but let's be real here. As much as I enjoy a delicately handcrafted noodle in a light savory broth atop a majestic Japanese mountain, or still squirming shrimp fresh from their aquatic homes devoured in Seoul's famous Noryangjin market, sometimes a girl just wants some good ol' greasy Americanized Chinese goodness. American Chinese food is certainly it's own distinct branch of the culinary tree, fusing the appetites and preferences of Americans (mm, cheesy sugary starchy deep-fried goodness) with what might have started as a Chinese dish. Believe it or not, there's actually some real mystery behind the origins of some of the most ubiquitous dishes we've come to know and love across Chinese restaurant menus throughout the US. 

When you're done contemplating the historical trajectory of a dish and the possible connections or revelations it may unfurl like some kind of InterNational Treasure odyssey, sometimes it's best to just eat it and enjoy it for what it is. Krazy buffet is a good place to do that. It's cheap, like really affordable, especially at lunchtime. The parking lot is often packed with people eager to get their fill. There's a dedicated sushi section where the chefs slice and roll away. Steaming hot fish, buns, shumai, and skewers crowd in next to slices of pizza, noodles, and glistening vegetables and meats for the limelight. The food is pretty good (not outstanding) and being a buffet you can pick and choose to your heart's content. We've seen people carrying multiple plates loaded to maximum capacity with crab legs, and while we definitely and absolutely judged them poorly for getting 8+ pounds of crab in one swoop, you're free to do what you want. This is America, and if you want to eat ALL the crab you can... at least, unless management stops you, which they might, because crikey there, mate. 

And while the food isn't necessarily outstanding, it's consistent. It's not the best sushi I've ever had, but it's passably satisfactory when served alongside big crispy salt and pepper shrimp, bao, and other goodies. Sometimes the staff can get behind on bussing and cleaning, but they're pretty good at staying on top of the buffet and ensuring the trays are full with fresh food so I'd consider that a win overall. I don't mind a couple straw wrappers here or there if the food is being prioritized and handled. 

The location is a bit out of the way for us, but we do find ourselves out in that neck of the woods every so often. Given our propensity towards forgetting to eat until we start to grow hangry, having a place like this where we can consistently fill up on a variety of foods (thus negating the arguments of where to go) cheaply is great. We'll be back. 

💙💚💕

3.5 stars

Does what it sets out to do effectively and satisfactorily. Not exactly winning any awards for gourmet food, but it's consistent and cheap!

Thanks for stopping by.

💗💖

XOXO,

NAU

Vegas: the Springs Preserve Sustainability Gallery

Have I made it clear yet how much I love the Springs Preserve? Whether we're talking about their seasonally-limited but wonderful butterfly exhibit, their live animal exhibits, the Nevada State Museum, seeing where the city and our water came/comes from in Boomtown & Waterworks, hiking the trails along the expansive grounds, wandering the gardens in summer or late fall, getting spooky during the Haunted Harvest event for Halloween, or scoping out one of their limited exhibits like the Space Exhibit in the OriGen museum last September we always have a blast when we visit the Preserve! Antho and I are both members and have been since shortly after our very first visit. It's been well worth it- even though the cost of admission is quite reasonable, we've gone so many times that the memberships have more than paid for themselves. 

During this visit it was a cool, crisp December day and the Springs had gotten themselves gussied up for the winter Holidays. There were very few other visitors on this day, probably because it was pretty chilly out. We found our way to the Sustainability gallery, which we had walked by several times but never ventured into- a shame because we had a lot of fun! It was a wonderful surprise and we enjoyed exploring the exhibits. Upon exiting the Sustainability Gallery we found our way to the actual food gardens where we were pleased to find tomatillos, peppers and broccoli all going strong- though the broccoli was covered in aphids. Creepy little buggers...we didn't realize they were even bugs until we got closer and inspected the broccoli, at which point we were both a bit skeeved out. Antho went in for more photos trying to capture a good close-up of the little crawlies, though! I kept a safe distance and looked at the other plants while he did that... it's not that I'm terrible with bugs, if need be I can catch a spider, I would just rather not interact with them unless I really have to. I've handled tarantulas and various roaches in museums and biology classes, things of that nature, but I'm good with that being the end of it. Luckily there were plenty of other plants to enjoy! 

Yuck!

More photos below!