The top five Las Vegas buffets step up to the plate

— -- Pigging out on all-you-can-eat is a Vegas tradition.

While the days of cheap casino grub are gone -- unless you're a comped gambler, coupon ace or lover of low-end spreads --quality now trumps the obligatory quantity at top resorts.

With the just-opened $17 million Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace proclaiming itself the biggest and best in gluttony-promoting Sin City, USA TODAY -- aided by the input of readers and Vegas insiders -- took a tasting tour to pick the top buffets of the moment. Adults can expect to spend about $11-$40 a person, depending on the meal and day.

PHOTOS: Touring Vegas' top five buffetsMORE: A first tasting tour of the Caesars Palace buffet in Vegas

Before we start, keep in mind the mantra of Vegas.com content director Jennifer Whitehair: "Buffets are like politics," says the Vegas local. "Everyone has his or her favorite, and you can't change their minds."

Her pick (without having sampled Bacchanal): The Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, also proclaimed No. 1 by a panel of eight Vegas insiders that USA TODAY polled in 2011. "Not your traditional buffet," she says. "There's so much variety. I even had bone marrow."

No. 5: Wicked Spoon

Oh, what a difference a year makes!

On a weekday dinner visit last week, the ambience at Wicked Spoon (orange light boxes casting a glow from recessed ceilings, food served in cute containers such as mini metal fryer baskets) remained hip. But the cuisine wasn't rave-worthy, as it was on previous visits.

Prime rib looked good but was tough. Crab legs were succulent, but small cocktail shrimp in tiny glasses tasted bland. Whitehair's beloved truffled scalloped potatoes were undercooked on this night; French fries were cold; the waiter's recommended stir-fried ginger chicken was dry; pasta was mushy. Only the creamy corn risotto prompted a second helping.

We consulted two tourists at the next table, who turned out to be foodie restaurant managers from Bethlehem (the one on the West Bank). "We were extremely disappointed," said Amira Canavati as they left plates half-full. Overall, "the food has no taste and is not interesting. It wasn't worth the money." Companion Spiros Lichnos found the gelato (18 flavors) "too sweet," though we liked the espresso flavor.

Cost: $22 for weekday brunch to $38 for weekend dinner

Information:cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

No. 4: Studio B

On to a locals' favorite: Studio B at the M Resort Spa Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard, about 20 minutes south of the Strip. It's Whitehair's No. 2 pick and winner of Las Vegas Review-Journal 2012 readers' choice award.

Studio B's airy, light-filled contemporary dining areas draw residents for many reasons, not the least being all-you-can-drink wine and beer and espresso drinks with shots of liqueur included in the price. Eat at faux granite tables surrounding food stations displaying dishes from chimichurri shrimp to green curry chicken. Generous slabs of prime rib were top-notch, shrimp was decent, crab legs so-so. New York strip was overcooked and thin. The wine, from Nathanson Creek, was not bad.

Save room for crême brulée, gelato or mousse, topped off with a foamy latte, while you watch the food videos on giant screens.

Cost: $10.99 for weekday breakfast (no booze included) to $39.99 for weekend dinner

Information:themresort.com

No. 3: The Buffet at Bellagio