Page 13 - March 2002 • Southern California Gaming Guide
P. 13
’Iipay Corner Café at Barona Casino
by J. Kenneth White
A s a group, San Diego casino restaurants do a good deal more than feed their guests. They are rare ed oases catering to the hungry, sensory-overloaded gamer looking for a respite from the ching-ching of the casino oor. And one of San Diego’s best
casino restaurants (and worth the trip for the food alone) is Barona’s ’Iipay Corner Café.
No, that’s not a typographical error. ’Iipay (pronounced ee-pie) is a Kumeyaay word meaning, “the people,” and according to Assistant Manager, Maria Yakkey, this is “the people’s restaurant” where Barona guests are treated to great food and remarkable service in a relaxed setting.
SAN DIEGO GAMING GUIDE
Open 24 hours, the ’Iipay Corner Café has evolved over the years from a tony steakhouse with table linens and ve- course meals, to a more casual and inviting restaurant that breakfasts, lunches and dinners its guests at any hour of the day.
stuffed with Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses and accompanied by rice and refried beans nestled in a small tostada. This is a won- derfully spicy chile rellenos, but not too hot.
And dessert? This is where I needed to loosen my belt! We chose several desserts to share. By this point we were all wondering who was going to roll us out to the casino oor! We chose Decadence—a notoriously rich and thick ganache (a ourless chocolate and egg cake) iced with chocolate and served with vanilla and raspberry sauce. One bite was an overwhelming, but wonderful experi- ence! But my favorite dessert was the Turtle Cheese Cake. Served elegantly in a martini glass, the cheesecake is crustless with tiny rib- bons of caramel, white and dark chocolate, dustedwithpecansandacherryontop!
Tucked literally in a corner of the casino, the ’Iipay Corner Café is, in addition to the ne food, a place to relax, and enjoy!
Open hours, days a week. Reservations accepted. Call () - or 1-888-7-barona ext. .
The San Diego
The breakfast menu (served day or night) is a favorite with Barona gamers and has over 12 large-portioned, greatvalueitemsincludingEggsBenedict($5.25),Huevos Rancheros ($4.50), and Pioneer
Omelet ($5.50).
The ’Iipay’s lunch and dinner
menu is laden with everything
a hungry gamer could want:
fourteen appetizers, nine soups
(including a “soup of the day” for every day), nine salads, twelve sandwiches, seven burgers, wraps, pastas, inter- national dishes, chicken and pork, plus a “Catch of the Day.” But the steakhouse items are the ’Iipay’s big draw and they rival many ne San Diego restaurants. Among the steakhouse notables: Surf and Turf ($19.50) that includes either an 8-oz. New York steak or prime rib with grilled shrimp; Filet Mignon with a Cabernet sauce; and the awesome Petit Fillet & Lobster ($27.50 to $37.50). This extraordinary meal includes an 8-oz. sweet lobster tail and either a 4-, 8- or 12-oz. tender llet which explains the varied price.
Each dinner entrée is served with a choice of soup or the house salad. Soups include the favorite Tex-Mex tortilla soup, an award-winning chili, and an excellent
meatball soup that is the secret recipe of Chef Alejandrina Pelayo. Each dinner entrée also includes fresh sautéed vegetables and your choice of mashed potatoes, a baked potato, French fries or buttered rice.
Our lively group headed to the ’Iipay for dinner before trying our luck at the tables. From the appetizers, we chose a variety of starters to suit all tastes, and loved the sublime Hot Dungeness Crabmeat and Spin-
ach Dip. Made with crab- meat, spinach, sour cream, white wine and cream cheese and served with toastedbaguetteslicesand homemade tortilla chips,
this dip was an enormous “hit” with our crowd.
For entrees, I wasn’t going to leave without trying the Petite Fillet & Lobster. I chose the 8-oz. llet (about 11⁄2˝ thick and so tender!) and the generous-portioned
“...the steakhouse items are the ’Iipay’s big draw and they rival many fine San Diego restaurants.”
lobster was sweet and deli- cious! This is an incredible value considering the size and quality of the meal.
Thenon-carnivoresinour group chose the Anaheim Chile Rellenos from the “South of the Border Clas- sics.” Served on an enor- mous16˝platter,twohuge roastedAnaheimchilesare
Look for us in over 800 locations throughout San Diego County Including...
7-Eleven • Albertsons • Ralphs Blockbuster Video • K-Mart • Vons SavOn Drugs • Rental Car Locations Convenience Stores • Bottle Shops Downtown San Diego Hotels Hotel Circle Hotels & Motels Gaslamp Quarter Hotels North County Coastal Hotels North County Inland Hotels
The Petit Filet Mingon and Lobster Tail is a Specialty at Barona’s ’Iipay Corner Café
Wherever you go, there we are.
MARCH 2002 Page 13
Column: Dining Review