The Spread–Cleveland Horseshoe Casino Buffet

With my birthday coming up on Thursday, I got a great early present; the dealers were invited down to try the Spread Buffet at the Cleveland Horseshoe Casino and it was spectacular. 

Located in the lower floor of the Higbee Building on Public Square the Spread refers to both the amount of glorious food that is presented and the layout.  Tastefully decorated seating areas are located in front of long wall of food stations with a wide variety of choices.  Although the spread will seat about 400 at a time, they have managed to make the arrangement feel warm and inviting with the food being the star.

There are seven different food stations, each with a open kitchen immediately behind it so that food is a fresh and flavorful as possible.  Dishes will be rotated in and out so that they can take advantage of seasonality and local products.  I will highlight some of the favorites that I was lucky enough to try, but you will have to see what is there when you go.

The Asian station is the furthest to the right when facing the Spread, it provided a mix of different Asian cuisines done in an upscale manner; the Sweet and Sour Shrimp I tried were expertly prepared with large tail on jumbo shrimp in a sauce that was not overly sweet, but could have used a sour counter-point.  I do have to admit that I did go back for seconds on the shrimp, as they were juicy and succulent.

The next station over was the carving station, not eating meat or foul, I had to pass on the wonderful looking game hens that they were roasting, but I did try the vegetable sides and they were outstanding.  Golden breaded Okra was tasty and the creamed spinach was as good as I have had.

Next we come to the Shuffle station which allows them to mix things up.  On one side they had a do it yourself Taco Bar, which I passed on, on the other they were featuring some Cleveland favorites, fried perch and pierogies.  The Pierogies were artfully presented in a small cast iron casserole with purple cabbage on the bottom one nice sized potato pierogi topped with sour cream, showing a nice balance of care and appreciation for one of our local culinary favorites.  The fried perch were one of the real highlights of the meal.  Two beautiful small fillets were corn meal breaded and then expertly fried so that the coating was crisp with the fish inside mild and flakey; the fillets were topped with a sweet and hot sauce that made my taste buds dance with delight.

The American section had a nice variety of well prepared favorites, including clam chowder, fried chicken and salmon along with plenty of sides.  The Salad station provides a nice variety of fresh produce in nice variations, all very well done, but I was hunting for more exotic fare.

The Italian station provides great pastas, a variety of pizzas and flatbreads and another of the highpoints for me were fresh clams in a nicely seasoned broth with garlic bread sopping it up.  The clams were tender and delicious, an feat that is not easy on a buffet, while the broth soaked bread provided the perfect way to finish the savory side of the meal.

Located in the center of the Spread as you enter and exit is the desert station and it is a stunner and is probably worth a trip all by itself.  Featuring everything from woppie pies to panna cotta and gelato to bread pudding, you can be a kid in a candy store with all the choices.  What will catch your eye is the circular cooler case with about a dozen varieties of Gelato that revolve to allow them to be scooped.  I tried 4 different small scoops, with the fresh banana being the highpoint; there is a topping station if you want, but with Gelato this good there is no reason to cover it up.  Other highpoints (and there were nothing I tried that wasn’t delicious) were the Panna Cotta, providing a nice soft custard topped with fruit and a classic rendition of bread pudding with a nice cream sauce on the side.  If you really want to go into kid mode there is cotton candy machine for some spun sugar goodness.  The only downside was that I was full before I could try all of the many cakes and delicacies available.

The Spread will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and should prove very popular with anyone who wants a wide variety of expertly prepared high quality foods.  I have been to upscale buffets before, including the Seafood Buffet at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, and this would rank at the top of my list for quality, taste and variety.  You will want to get a Total Rewards card as this will knock a couple bucks off the buffet price, plus it is the best casino rewards card available and is well worth having. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the great service we had at the Spread, everyone is incredible friendly and upbeat, ready to insure that you have a great meal.   The Spread is a wonderful addition to the Cleveland dining scene and there will be people coming to the Casino just for the buffet, but you should also check out the gaming upstairs, it will knock your socks off.