Casino Food 101
Over the years, the various gambling games and the gambling joints or the casinos have undergone a change, making the experience riskier, adventurous and unique in itself. An often overlooked, but yet important component in the entire casino experience is the food. The casino towns have a variety of buffets and joints to offer to its tourist population. Cities like Las Vegas, Atlantic and Monte Carlo are revolutionizing their food regime.
Las Vegas, the God of all gambling cities has moved from being just a casino city to has now become a complete recreational hub. The city's primary focus for ages had on casinos. Incidentally, it left out the entire food experience. Consequently, it lost many of its tourists who were non serious gamblers. Investors and casino owners have now realized that with state lotteries and Indian casinos soon catching up, they need to diversify. Many resorts and casinos have now come up which promise a complete holiday. If this is not enough, restaurants with celebrity chefs coming from all over the world have a wide range of cuisines to offer. While Caesar's Palace now has two dozen restaurants, Bellagio has the one of the best cuisines of the place. Numerous other dining joints offer a mix of various cuisines, like the Olives which has exotic Mediterranean - American dishes on its menu.
Vegas also has the famous Emeril Lagasse's restaurants. The renowned chef, who has an entire range of cooking accessories attributed to him, opened the New Orlean's Fish House in the MGM Grand Hotel. The menu chiefly comprises of sea food. Delmonico's Steakhouse, another grand experience is well known for its bar and cigar collection. This Lagasse brainwave specializes in steaks.
Wolfgang Puck is another brand name in food design. Spago, a chain of hotels opened by Puck started business in Vegas in 1992. This famous chain is the Synonym of wealth and style. Situated in the Caesar's Palace, this hotel offers both, light dishes and dinner. The menu includes oven pizzas and pastas. Postrio another one of Puck establishments offer the New American menu. The list comprises of fish and other sea food dishes. It also has a good wine collection. Other Puck restaurants in Vegas include Lupo and Chinois.
A factor that perhaps forced Atlantic City to catch up with the 'new casino experience' was its geographic location. New York and Connecticut have both seen an escalation in the number of casinos in the past years. This in turn has forced many gamblers to stay home and visit these weekend joints. The first step in the evolution of the Atlantic City's casino front was the opening of a casino cum resort in 2003. The sea food buffets in the Atlantic are similar to those found in the Vegas. The Caesar's Palace is the venue of a number of award winning restaurants of the place. Some of them include the Primavera, which is hugely dominated by the Italian Cuisine, Bacchanal which is a mini Rome, and Nero's Grill , a famous steak and seas food restaurant.
Monte Carlo is situated between France and Italy, along the French Riviera. The city is a luxury niche which advertises its luxurious gambling experience. It boast various villas and secluded beaches, providing ultimate European comfort. Louis XV, a name that stands for wealth, royalty and prestige is an exclusive dining experience. The menu comprises of fish and local vegetables cooked in French style. Le Grill, another restaurant, popular for its Mediterranean view has grilled sea food on its food list.
For years, the gambling destinations have offered cheap sea food and buffets for the serious gamblers who visit these cities. The new resort concept, complete with its multi cuisine dining rooms, now promise to offer something more than just slot machines.
Mansi aggarwal writes about casino food topics.