The Firefly Buffet - Soaring Eagle Casino

Once we left the kids we headed north to Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Traverse City, Michigan where we stayed overnight then left there for Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. We stayed there overnight then headed out mid-afternoon on our final destination of home. Today's casinos are much more than just gambling establishments. Their banquet facilities for special events are top notch. Their restaurants range from the lower end deli [but don't turn your nose up at that either because their offerings are quite good] to the mid-range buffets to the higher end restaurants. Most offer all three dining styles although the smaller one may not. All of the restaurants are open to the general public so you do have to gamble to enjoy their good food. If you want home cooked style foods the buffets really have it. There are very few foods offered on these buffets that could not be made at home which is one of their appealing features. Many of these casinos offer excellent live entertainment also available to the general public. I'm particularly fond of the spa facilities at Soaring Eagle but I'm not sure

The Firefly Buffet

My gosh, I think we have stopped at the Firefly Buffet at Soaring Eagle ever since the resort was built. The general layout of the buffet is quite lovely. I see they are moving away from the green tones to the blue tones with their recent renovation. The ceiling tiles over most of the buffet are studded with a multitude of LED lights to simulate a star light sky giving a lovely ambiance.

To the left and end is the actual buffet. There is the soup, salad and dessert bank tucked into the 'L' formed. Seating is quite pleasant with nice sized tables and comfortable chairs. The wait-staff is always very friendly and accommodating

I take a lot of pictures in restaurants and eateries. My philosophy is to always ask for permission and to not take pictures that can identify people. I have yet to have anyone decline permission. Most like the little bit of a blurb I do on them as well. If you are taking a picture of only your meal than you don't need to worry about asking. Still it is a nice way to strike up a conversation with the chef, cook or wait-staff.

Sculptures & More

The dessert bar had two gorgeous chocolate sculptures (1, 2) so I of course had to ask if it was ok to photograph them. She told me these sculptures came over from the banquet hall. They had been used for an event there then rather than discarding them were added as displays in the buffet. Just look at the beautiful detail! I'm always impressed when food is used as part of the design. A few times we have visited they had some impressive ice sculptures. All this adds to the overall ambiance and dining experience.

Just take a look at those little cherry tarts (3). Aren't they simply delightful? Doesn't your mouth just start watering in anticipation of that pork tenderloin (4)? Both of these dishes can easily be made at home and they can look just as nice!

Crab Legs

I love crab legs so that is always my first choice when they are on a buffet. Pictured is my crab legs meal. Just look at those gorgeous contrasting colours! I had the steamed broccoli one my favourite vegetables paired with king crab legs with drawn butter and Oysters Rockefeller. Again this is a meal that can easily be duplicated at home. The crab legs are usually bought frozen in our area and simply popped into boiling water or steamed to reheat. Oysters Rockefeller are oysters served on the shell topped with parsley or spinach, cheese, butter sauce and bread crumbs. The oysters are then baked.

Crab legs take a bit more effort to eat but the meat is so sweet and tender it is well worth the effort. A crab cracker that looks similar but smaller to a nut cracker is a very useful tool. Crack the leg then use a seafood fork or picker to remove the succulent meat, dip it in hot drawn butter and enjoy. This is a very hands on in the literal sense of eating food :)