CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH AT PEPPERMILL'S ISLAND BUFFET ~ analien in south reno

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, at 2707 S. Virginia St. in South Reno, routinely reaches out to local residents by mailing coupons for its many dining establishments.

This past Sunday, my husband and I decided to take advantage of a 2-for-1 deal on the Champagne Brunch at Peppermill's Island Buffet.

When we got there, I found out that I had brought the wrong coupon. There was one for the month of February and I had mistakenly grabbed the one for March. The hostess informed us that we could get a 20 percent “locals” discount by signing up for a Peppermill Passport card. The card is free with a local ID. So we got our cards and came back and paid our meal tab. The full-priced Champagne Brunch for two adults would have cost $41.98. With our 20 percent discount ($8.40), our total with taxes was $36.17.

Next time, I’ll be sure to read the fine print on the coupons. Meanwhile, though, our Passport cards will now entitle us to 20 percent off at all Peppermill restaurants or shops.

Anyway, Island Buffet is a good place to come when you’re super-hungry or have picky eaters in your entourage. There are so many menu choices that you couldn’t possibly eat them all, nor could anyone in your party whine, “I can’t find anything I like.”

Here’s a little hint for you. If you don’t mind eating your dinner before your breakfast, start at the far end of the buffet line, the area marked Rotisserie Grill. That’s where you’ll find the premium goodies like freshly-carved prime rib and ham. However, toward the other end of the buffet line (which begins, of course, with soups and salads) there’s a station with crab legs, shrimp and other seafood options that many diners seemed to be piling onto their plates, too.

In an all-you-can-eat brunch situation like this, it’s not uncommon to see folks mixing and matching breakfast and dinner foods. There’s something rather decadent — and crazy — about putting hash browns and corned beef hash alongside chicken, rice pilaf and vegetables.

Or adding a side of spaghetti to a plate of eggs, bacon and pork sausage.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Polish sausage (kielbasa) at the carving station, too.

This would be a staple, served with sauerkraut, at buffets in my hometown of Chicago.

Island Buffet didn’t have kraut, but the sausage was pretty tasty, as were the mashed potatoes and prime rib.

Island Buffet also features Mexican and Asian food stations. My husband and I agreed that the Mexican fare — enchiladas, tacos, chile rellenos, etc. — was mediocre and that we’d skip it next time. We didn’t try the Asian selections this time around, but that's on the “to-do” list for a return visit.

The Desserts station at Island Buffet is mind-boggling, too. We each took tiny bites of a couple of different cake slices. One was chocolate-raspberry, another lemon. Both were delicious — but by that time, we were stuffed. There were pies, tarts, cookies and ice cream in addition to the cakes.

The dining room at Island Buffet is colorful and comfortable and our server was outstanding. She promptly picked up dirty plates and refilled our beverages several times.

Our only previous brunch buffet experience, since moving to South Reno, was at Atlantis, just down the street from Peppermill. It was a pleasant experience, too, but we both thought the food and service at the Peppermill buffet were better.

After leaving the buffet, we walked around the very large casino — burning calories, ha ha — and each used $5 of free play on slots, which we earned by signing up for the Peppermill Passport cards. As local casinos go, Peppermill is one of the nicest, with less smoke and newer games than at some rival properties.