56°F
weather icon Mostly Cloudy

Las Vegas buffet’s giant hot-air balloon is a sweet decoration

The most impressive thing in The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas these days isn’t even edible.

Well, technically it is, since it’s made of sugar, fondant and chocolate. But we have a sneaking suspicion that nibbling would be strongly discouraged in that establishment.

The model hot-air balloon in The Buffet stands 10 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. The creation of resort cake artist Flora Aghababyan, it took 200 hours to construct. The star of the show is Santa, and in this case he doesn’t need a sleigh. Santa’s packed all manner of wrapped gifts (mostly toys, we bet) in his balloon’s holly-bedecked, woven-basket gondola and is landing in a rainforest of magical mushrooms and troll-scaled trees and plants. Santa’s elves are helping with the landing, which may be a slightly rough one, judging from the elf dangling from his rope.

It’ll be on display through Jan. 2.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.

MOST READ
Exco Sidebar
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
MORE STORIES
THE LATEST
 
Randy’s Donuts opens its 4th shop in Las Vegas

The new store features a signature mix of more than 60 doughnut varieties, plus new breakfast items and a drive-thru.

Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week

Singer Jennifer Hudson, Christmas movies and dancer Derek Hough lead this week’s entertainment lineup in Las Vegas.

1st look inside new downtown bar from chef James Trees

The latest project from the owner of Esther’s Kitchen features cocktail and snack pairings, nods to street art and a determination to make happy hour cool again.

 
Vegas-only dishes and more on the menu at new Strip steakhouse

Consider the caviar Twinkie. What is essentially a buttery cornbread forms the Twinkie cake; the yuzu crème fraîche stands in for vanilla cream filling. The caviar, of course, is wholly Vegas.

Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week

The return of Nevada Ballet’s “Nutcracker,” the NBA Cup and an immersive “Nightmare Before Christmas” top this week’s entertainment options.