What $17 million looks like in Vegas, once you get away from the craps table.

The glitz, the glitter and the chance to head home a few doubloons richer can make people in Las Vegas feel like royalty. Comped rooms, palatial casinos and sky’s-the-limit grandiosity only add to the effect. And once all the gambling, partying, sunbathing and debauchery take their toll, the ubiquitous all-you-can-eat buffet awaits–and now Caesar’s Palace is upping the ante.

On Monday, the venerable hotel and casino threw open the doors to its brand new Bacchanal Buffet. The latest entry into Sin City’s over-the-top buffet contest, the $17 million, 600-seat restaurant attempts to outdo the massive spreads already on offer at the nearby Wynn and Bellagio hotels.

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Here’s what $17 million can buy:

Menu items: over 500

Caesars Entertainment

• Diners can choose from house-smoked BBQ meats, freshly-made enchiladas, fresh oysters, wood-fired oven pizzas, sushi, Peking duck, dim sum, souffles, shrimp, prime rib — and that’s just the tiniest fraction.

• “We are offering the most items out of any buffet in Las Vegas,” executive chef Scott Green told NBCNEWS.com. He added that the menu, which focuses on quality and presentation, was narrowed down from about 750 items.

Show kitchens: 9

• Diners can fill their never-ending plates with creations from chefs specializing in Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and American cuisines, as well as seafood, pizza, deli and dessert stations — all of which are open kitchens.

Staff: Almost 180 employees

• This includes cooks that will interact with diners, make food to order and individually plate certain dishes.

Caesars Entertainment

Size: 25,000 square feet

• To put that in perspective, that’s the size of about half of a football field, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s house, or Conan’s TV studio.

Capacity: 600 guests

• When/if diners can focus on anything other than the smorgasbord, they can observe the hotel and casino’s Garden of the Gods pool complex in the glass, wood, and steel space. The modern look was created by Japanese design firm Super Potato.

Price per person: $39.99



• For dinner, excluding tax and tip.

Glass jars filled with edible items: 3,607

• Why not?

If that sounds nice and all, but you really want to empty your pockets while you fill your belly, Caesar’s buffet isn’t the priciest in town: Bally’s Sterling Brunch weighs in at a hefty $85 per person.

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