Page 12 - February 2005 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Page 12
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
FEBRUARY 2005
The Guide to Southern California Casino Buffets and Restaurants
Chef Ringo Lau, of Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino’s Ho Wan Noodle Shop prepares a variety of Asian dishes
All bu ets are not created equal, but Southern California casinos have amazing bu et o erings with the latest bu et trends. Action stations provide freshly made food for guests in a wide variety of cuisines and in an engaging blend of styles. Some bu ets are lavish in their abundance, some just plain good food (and always plenty of it). In preparing a casino trip, be sure take in a meal at a casino. Wear comfortable clothes, bring a hearty appetite, and prepare to be impressed with some awesome food choices and fabulous values. Southern California bu ets and restaurants o er sensational food choices, sometimes at incredible values. Many are family-friendly (check with the casino to see if you can bring the kids) and all are easily accessible, usually right o the casino oor.
But bu ets are not the only dining options in our local casinos. Southern Californians can be assured that before or after gambling, they will be able to experience some of the best dining experiences. Signature upscale restaurants, 24/7 co ee shops, snack bars, delis, noodle and sushi bars, food courts, and game-side dining are also o ered at Southern California casinos.
Food Glorious Food!
e all-you-eat casino-variety bu et caters to all tastes. ere are Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Mediterranean, American, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Brazilian bu et items alongside the obligatory and impressive carving stations, and fantastic live-action food preparation stations, where cooks prepare made-to-order dishes with the air and aplomb of celebrity chefs of the Food Channel.
Of the 20 casinos listed in the Southern California Gaming Guide casino directory (pages 14-15), 18 casinos have bu ets. Most casinos have designated bu et restaurants, while others hold bu ets in their main restaurants.
Some are state-of-the-art bu ets, like the award- winning Ranch House Buffet at Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino. is 850-seat bright and beautiful bu et won the 2004 First Place Southern
California Gaming Guide Reader’s Choice Award for Best Bu et and Best Brunch. Quite a recommendation from our readers! e Ranch
Southern California casinos are entertainment oases, catering to our visual senses from the glitz and glamour of the gleaming gaming halls and shiny, hopefully ashing slot machines, to the audio ching-ching (we particularly welcome torrents of ka-chings!) And casino dining is an extension of the experience. Celebrations of excess, casino bu ets are wonders of sight, smell
and taste delight. Sumptuous casino bu ets are an art form in the gaming world, and de nitely in Southern California casinos, with their magni cent extravaganzas that rival Las Vegas casinos.
House Bu et takes guests on a gastronomic tour with diverse bu et stations presenting American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Mongolian Grill cuisine, a western-inspired Rotisserie, a salad bar of a vegetarian’s dreams, and a dessert station that’s a feast to the senses. Barona also gives generous discounts
to all its player’s club members, so be sure to get a card, use it, and reap those bu et discounts!
e Pauma Bay Café at Casino Pauma has some of best bu et values in Southern California. Hearty, fresh and delicious fare is the hallmark of the brunch, lunch and dinner bu ets with remarkable discounts in its Senior Specials.
e friendly country Cahuilla Casino in Anza has a weekly Sunday Champagne Brunch in the Cahuilla Restaurant, right o the casino oor. Look for good, down-home favorites here — at a great price!
One of the newest additions to the Southern California casino bu et list is the awesome 250-seat Fresh Grill Buffet at the new Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. e new bu et features cooking stations of wood- red pizza, pastas, and American, Asian, Italian and Mexican favorites; as well as Brazilian barbecue specialties from the Churassco rotisserie. For those not familiar with South American style churassco, it consists of di erent kinds of seasoned meats roasted on an open ame and served with feijoada (black beans and rice). A must-try!
e lively and delicious Market Square Buffet at Valley View Casino, another 2004 Reader’s Choice winner for Best Bu et, continues to o er wonderful