MGM Grand at Foxwoods offers everything from restaurants by celebrity chefs to theme dining pavilions, catapulting the destination to the forefront of the region’s culinary scene. From tantalizing Italian cuisine to gourmet-on-the-go, every appetite is satisfied within these enticing new venues.
At Alta Strada acclaimed Chef Michael Schlow oversees the kitchen at the 225-seat restaurant that blends traditional Italian flair with modern elegance featuring favorites such as Homemade Ricotta with Sage, Hot Pepper and Crostini, and Chittara with Spicy Lobster and Fresh Peas and Grilled Lamb Chops with Asparagus.
Famous for celebrating the flavors of seasonal ingredients sourced from small family farms and artisanal producers, celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s 150-seat Craftsteak features an extensive array of steaks, including several cuts of Wagyu beef, and an assortment of corn- and grass-fed beef. Complementing the menu is a wide selection of fish and shellfish, and seasonal side dishes.
From its state-of-the-art and energetic sound to its authentic Asian design and décor, Shrine’s menu presents a modern interpretation of Asian cuisine with a predominately Chinese feel, while also incorporating Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Cambodian and Thai flavors and spices into the mix. With two private dining rooms accommodating 20 and 40 people, a 12-person kitchen and sushi counter and a 225-seat dining room, Shrine has no trouble satisfying any appetite.
Guests looking for a more casual meal with enjoy The Gelato Café, Junior’s Restaurant and The Food Market. The Gelato Café tempts guests with more than 20 flavors of tantalizing Italian ice cream in addition to Italian drinks, pastries, specialty sandwiches and salads.
Junior’s Restaurant, famous for its legendary cheesecake, accommodates guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A full bar, take-out counter and bakery are also available.
The Food Market offers an exciting culinary journey through six distinct dining experiences including hand-tossed wood oven pizza, classic New York-style deli specialties, an American burger bar, Asian fare and scrumptious New England favorites from the Durgin Park Oyster & Chowder Bar.
Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods reported to the state Division of Special Revenue a net slot win of $63.6 million, a $6.1 million decrease from June 2007.
The casino’s owners, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, also reported a $15.9 million contribution to the State of CT for June, 2008, increasing to $2.684 billion the amount given to the State since January 1993, when slot machines were introduced at Foxwoods.
“The gaming industry is in the most challenging time in its history. This past month saw an industry-wide downturn in revenues fueled by record breaking gas prices and unstable economic indicators.” said Barry Cregan, interim president, Foxwoods Resort Casino. “The month of June provided a “soft opening” period for the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Due to the service centric culture that is a signature aspect of the property, we implemented a brand marketing campaign by design and were strategic in our marketing offerings to allow the new employees and property to establish a strong service experience. We are focused on long term strategies that will serve us well over time, in addition to short term initiatives that will respond to the current market trends that appear to be affecting our current customer base.”
The report noted that the hold percentage, the amount kept by the casino, was 8.54 percent, meaning that 91.46 percent of all the money that went into the machines was given back to players. The hold percentage was 8.56 percent in June 2007. The slot handle in June 2008 was reported to be $745 million compared to $815 million in June 2007.
The June slot win report noted that the casino’s win per unit per day was $260.41 compared to $321.49 in June 2007. In addition, 8,147 slot machines were in play during the month at Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods, 911 more than the 7,236 available in June, 2007.
Foxwoods supports responsible gaming, and plays a leadership role in the CT Council of Problem Gambling, of which it was a founding entity. For more information, call 1.800.FOXWOODS or visit www.foxwoods.com.
The only thing hotter than this 4th of July was Michael Bolton’s Show in the luxurious MGM Grand Theater on the 5th! The New Haven born superstar has a long list of artists he’s performed with including Luciano Pavarrotti and Ray Charles; written songs with Bob Dylan, penned hits for Barbra Streisand and KISS; played guitar with B.B. King and was sampled on a track by Kayne West and Jay-Z.
Opening with “Love Is A Wonderful Thing”, Michael struts across the stage dressed in blue jeans and a black velvet jacket over a white blousy shirt. The audience gives Michael an enthusiastic warm welcome and the woman sitting next to me is practically jumping out of her seat, clapping and screaming.
Later on, she shares a secret with me, “I went to kindergarten with HIM,” and offers me this New Haven Kindergarten Class photograph, pointing to Michael Bolton, a cutie-patutie even back then in 1959. At the end of the show, I find out that always on point, people-pleaser, John Bodnar, security manager special events, Foxwoods, is going to try to get her backstage for a meet and greet with Michael. COOL.
Michael tells the audience how happy he is to be in the new MGM Grand and comments, “The rooms are beautiful!”
Before beginning the next song, “To Love Somebody”, the legendary singer and songwriter, says, “I want you to sing to us tonight.”
A fan replies, “Okay, Michael.”
Michael answers, “You can yell out, too.” The audience breaks out in laughter. This sets the stage for an intimate evening with a superstar.
After the second song, a fan yells out, “Where’s Nicolette?”
“She’s working,” answers Michael.
He then introduces “Timeless Classics” and refers to his work and time spent with other stars like Ray Charles and Luciano. “These are some of the greatest moments of my life.”
At the top of Michael’s list of dream projects was an album of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. Of course, he made his dream come true and “Bolton Swings Sinatra” is part of the collection he calls “Vintage hits recorded by other artists.”
Michael changes into a vintage Sinatra-era suit in tune with his next song, “Fly Me To The Moon”; followed by “Summer Wind”; “Day and Night”; “That’s Life” and of course, “New York New York”.
Extremely fan-friendly, Michael invites fans to the front of the stage. We wondered for a bit, is he serious? Yup. Members of the audience began joining him in front of the stage. Shaking hands with fans and even kissing some, Michael gladly posed for cell phone photographs. The friendliness was over-the-top! The new MGM Theatre was rockin’ with delight.
In a spectacular opening show, May 23-25, world-renown singer Gloria Estefan gave her fans what they came to see – an electrifying performance at the new 4,000-seat MGM Grand Theater.
From the moment Gloria appeared onstage in a black lace gown with a red flower in her hair, her strong clear voice and heart-warming personality won over the adoring audience.
The sold-out shows deserved a venue as beautiful and audience-friendly as the MGM Grand Theater at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The sight lines are great from every seat, and even the balcony seats are closer to the stage than in other theaters.
This was a rare US appearance – her only one this year. Gloria spends her time appearing in Latin America and will leave soon for Europe.
The show consists of some of Gloria’s hits, including “Conga.” She sings many of her songs in Spanish, and “for the benefit of the Anglos in the audience,” an English translation was projected upon the three colossal screens in the theater.
A highlight of the 90-minute show was Gloria’s “Where The Boys Are” homage to legendary singer Connie Francis. Gloria is working on a screenplay in which she’ll portray the sometimes tragic life of the Italian-American pop singer.
Gloria was born in Cuba, but has lived in Miami since she was a baby. Her music is true to its roots.
An exciting salsa show-band, a group of talented back-up singers and a troupe of Latin dancers added to the rhythmic pulse of the action onstage. Gloria gets her energy from daily Pilates and resistance training combined with a healthy diet.
Before a costume change, Gloria Estefan introduced her musically gifted and charming 13-year-old daughter, Emily, who played the drums and did a guitar duo that deservingly brought down the house.
The finale found the audience rushing in great numbers to the stage, dancing in the aisles, and giving a standing ovation to one of America’s and the world’s most popular performers. Viva la Diva, Gloria!
“I have absolutely no idea where the hell I am,” quipped Jerry Seinfeld during his opening monologue on May 30th at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods. “I see plenty of woods, but no foxes… do you see any foxes?”
Beginning with that observation, Jerry riffed on a multitude of everyday subjects, beginning with the idea that “everyone’s life sucks, although mine probably sucks less than yours,” followed by references to his elderly mother’s “custom-made cataract car windshield” to “Florida’s minimum security prisons – otherwise known as gated over-55 communities,” to the fact that “nobody wants to be invited to your wedding.”
The show, scheduled to begin at 9 p. m., was delayed until 9:20 while more than half of the audience sauntered in during those 20 minutes. The 4,000-seat theater seemed almost filled to capacity when the “opening act” was introduced.
The stage contained only a microphone, a chair and a spotlight. By the time the seats were filled, Jerry came running onto the stage to thunderous applause, cheers and whistles. HE is what the fans came to see!
Jerry is a very physical entertainer, and his presence literally filled the stage. He used it successfully as a prop to add punch to his hilarious stories. And his brilliantly quirky observations of the human experience made it seem that a whole cast of characters were onstage with him. We could actually “see” an entire family avoiding answering a ringing telephone, or a bride adding hundreds of yards to her train because she needed to prove it was her day!
At one point, a heckler shouted something from the rear of the theater. Without missing a beat, Jerry shouted back, “What’s that? I can’t hear you, sir. The theater is so inconsiderate! They didn’t provide microphones for EVERYONE! I’m the only one who got a microphone!” The heckler meekly shut up while the audience cheered Jerry on.
During the 90-minute laugh fest, Seinfeld lived up to his reputation as one of America’s best comedic actors, and the loyal Seinfeld audience agreed that life, after all, doesn’t really suck. But it sure is funny – when Jerry’s around.
