Island Buffet (Peppermill -- Other Reno)

The best buffet we've had in Reno. It's large, with a huge selection of meats and vegetables. The desserts are fantastic. The regular dinner buffet has prime rib, crab legs, and some live action stations. Friday night is a seafood extravaganza for extra dough and Saturday is steak and crab legs for an additional charge. The décor is tropical with green carpet and chairs and a waterfall, lasers and kooky sound effects in the dining area.

Toucan Charlie's Buffet (Atlantis -- Other Reno)

A good buffet by Reno standards, probably one of the five best. The service is very good, the selection is better than average and the salad bar is delightful. Quality is great overall, except for desserts, which are just average, and the Mexican station, which is sort of bleh. A big plus is the wok station. Weekday breakfasts start around $10, dinners range from mid-teens and up depending on the night and menu. Weekends are the most expensive.

Purple Parrot (Atlantis -- Other Reno)

This coffee shop is a local favorite and very good. It's also overpriced for a coffee shop, with most breakfasts going for $6 and higher. Dinners are $10 or more.

Noodle Hut (John Ascuaga's Nugget -- Sparks)

It's sort of a hut, maybe, located off of Trader Dick's kooky polynesian restaurant. This place serves decent noodle dishes from Asia, Italy and anywhere else noodles come from. It's pretty clean and healthy for the most part, so you won't hate yourself afterward. At least not for what you ate.

Rosie's Cafe (John Ascuaga's Nugget -- Sparks)

The coffee shop, open 24 hours a day with a big menu, but limited late night. It's good and the portions are hearty. Even late at night, this place ain't cheap.

Gabe's Pub (John Ascuaga's Nugget -- Sparks)

Raise your hand if you like microbrews and the slightly upscale sandwiches that come with them. Now, put your hands down and go to Gabe's. The deli serves the sandwiches, and the bar next door serves the hooch. It's all conveniently located in the basement, right beside the fine sports and race books.

The Brew Brothers (Eldorado -- Downtown)

Their version of the ubiquitous yuppie brewery/grill is average in every sense. Sandwiches under $10 are fair and include fries. The beer selection is good with many regular microbrew, and one seasonal feature brew.

Enoteca (Siena Hotel Spa -- Downtown)

If you ever play hide and seek with us in Reno, you'll know not to even bother looking here. It's a snooty wine tasting bar and cellar. Oo la la, too hoity-toity for our blood. The happy hour drink and food menu for a few bucks is a fine deal, even for us cheapskates.

Charlie Palmer Steak (Grand Sierra -- Other Reno)

Man, this place is expensive. It's also, like, the fanciest steakhouse in town. Is it good? You bet. The steaks are tender and meaty and the room is elegant without being flashy. You can get as good a steak at the Peppermill, but you have to be ready for the dazzle there. Here, it's just about the meat.

The Summit (Harrah's Tahoe -- Tahoe)

It's on the 16th floor, which means it's actually two floors down from the buffet, but this gourmet American restaurant is probably a better choice as a location for proposing to your girlfriend, unless you both think hiding a ring for her to discover in a mound of corned beef hash is hilarious. The views are spectacular, and the food is reported to be top-shelf. This joint wins all kinds of awards from fancy publications like Wine Spectator. Just bring plenty of money, and wear something nice for a change, okay?

19 Kitchen (Harvey's Tahoe Resort -- Tahoe)

Man, this place and the accompanying bar are swanky. They are up on the 19th floor, hence the name. The menu is steak and seafood with a hipster twist. That means that you just don't get a baked potato, you get fried mac and cheese or some fancy french fries. What a view!

Sage Room (Harvey's Tahoe Resort -- Tahoe)

This is one great room to eat a steak in. It's not too stuffy or overdone, just elegant. We'd love to tell you how the steaks are, but we got kicked out by the Maitre'D just as we were about to convince some guy to give us a taste of his. It looked good, anyway.