You can still find the occasional bargain-basement buffet at off-Strip casinos, but the hassle of getting to some of these places, plus the poor quality of food, makes it hardly worth the effort.

Yet, there are still a handful of opportunities to eat well in Vegas and save enough cash to afford $4 gasoline and $3 coffee when you get home.

My top pick for both quality and price is Mr. Lucky's, the 24-hour coffee shop at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The decor is vintage roll-and-roll, and the stars of the show are two off-the-menu specials: a steak-and-shrimp dish, and an all-you-can-eat prime rib. And "off-the-menu" means exactly that - you won't find these meals advertised. You have to ask.

Legend has it that these platters were started for casino workers - dealers, bartenders, restaurant personnel - who ate at all hours. Now, anyone in the know can get them.

The steak-and-shrimp is an 8-ounce flatiron steak, typically a juicy cut, and three grilled shrimp on a skewer. They come with a house salad of mixed greens and mashed potatoes. The prime rib is a 12-ounce cut with broccoli, mashed potatoes and salad. If you want more, just ask - additional slices of prime rib come in 6-ounce portions.

I've had both meals, and I've never been disappointed. The salads are crisp, and the meat is prepared just as it's ordered. And here's the best part. The steak-and-shrimp is $7.77; the prime rib, $9.99.

For another dinner bargain, go to the modest Ellis Island Casino & Brewery, a place most Vegas visitors have never even heard of (the lodging is a Super 8 Motel).

Ellis Island, on Koval Lane, which runs parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard to the east, doesn't have a restaurant with a jazzy name. In fact, the sign over the door simply says "restaurant." As at the Hard Rock, you have to ask for the dinner special.

What you get is a 10-ounce sirloin filet with salad, choice of potato, buttered green beans, and choice of a house microbrew beer (light, wheat, amber or stout) or root beer - all for $6.99. And the paper placemat has a $5 match-play coupon that you can use to double your return on a bet. For example, when you bet $5 and use the coupon at a blackjack table - and you win the hand - you make $10, easily covering the price of the steak.

The ambience at Ellis Islands' main dining room is classic Vegas lounge: red carpet, red wood paneling, red drop ceiling. And ordering from the menu (as opposed to the "secret" special) can be just as gentle on your wallet. A king-cut prime rib is $10.99, two 5-ounce pork chops are $7.99, and another house specialty, a half-rack of baby back ribs and a half chicken, is $8.99

Spicing up the casino. The Hard Rock, in the midst of a makeover, has a new blackjack pit where the dealers - attractive young women wearing provocative outfits - smile coyly and invite passing players to sit down for a dance with Lady Luck. The black leather chairs have crisscrossed red laces on the back, like a corset, and the card tables are emblazoned with the name of the pit: Hell's Belles.

And beginning at 10 every Thursday through Sunday nights, go-go dancers perform on a stage in the middle of the pit, creating an interesting, if somewhat distracting, backdrop for players trying to decide whether to hit or stand on 16.

The added-value of the Hell's Belles pit comes at the price of fairly high minimum bets. On a recent visit, the lowest table minimum was $25, with far more at $50 and some at $100.

The Hard Rock is hardly alone in mixing sex appeal with the gambling experience. At Caesars Palace, the Pussycat Dolls nightclub spills onto the casino floor with a pit of 12 tables, including a couple of roulette wheels. The all-female dealer staff is outfitted in skimpy costumes, such as a turquoise two-piece "admirals" outfit, while a pair of dancers entertains in birdcages.

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