Remember the days when you could gorge yourself for just a few bucks at a Las Vegas buffet? Yeah, those days are gone.

But there's good news attached to that in the form of Cravings, the new buffet at the Mirage, which will cost you more than a few bucks but will also serve you food that makes it more than just a refueling station.

The old Mirage buffet was one of my favorites, but the new one is even better, with a coolly elegant room, tons of high quality food, and enough variety to satisfy even the most picky eaters.

The dining room is of the cavernous-communal variety (meaning one big room with lots of tables) but it's done in such a mod-meets-high-tech style that I can forgive that. Sleek lines mesh with warm, coppery colors to create an inviting, upscale and lively space worthy of the fine dining selections.

There are 11 cooking stations scattered along the fringes of the room. As usual with buffets, the exact menu items change daily, so I won't go too deeply into specifics. When I visited there was a barbecue area with ribs and bacon-topped pork roast (pork topped pork -- genius!), a wood-fired pizza oven, cooked-on-the-spot Chinese entrees such as pot stickers and garlic chicken, south-of-the-border entrees including enchiladas, hand-mixed-to-order salads, a sushi section, a carving station and much more.

There's also a full bar inside the buffet, which of course costs extra. But it adds a unique touch.

A fantastic dessert station with delicate pastries, pies and amazing hand-scooped Italian ice cream makes a perfect capper to the meal. Desserts are often underwhelming at buffets, the theory being (I presume) that once everyone has loaded up on the entrees they won't have room for sweets. This buffet was done with people like me in mind, who will always find room for dessert. Seriously. Always.

But as I mentioned, this ain't no cheap all-you-can-eatery. Meals will run you $12.50 for breakfast, $17.50 for lunch, $20.50 for Saturday and Sunday champagne brunch and $22.50 for dinner. Ouch. But look around. Those prices are not outrageous for a Strip buffet these days.

If all you need is fuel, you can save yourself a lot of dough by going elsewhere. But if you're going to pay these kinds of rates for a buffet you're getting into Bellagio and Paris territory. I'm happy to report this buffet rivals them for quality and overall experience, so now you have another choice when making your dining plans.

Cravings at the Mirage
3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
(702) 791-7111
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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