Bippy and I did an overnight at Seneca Niagara casino last week.

The ultra short version: Fabulous meal, lousy gambling, and lovely room.
And great service. And some surprises on Friday!

The "somewhat" longer version.

Back in January Bippy took some photos of Seneca Niagara's Executive Chef, Chef Norman Nichols, during a public food demonstration. In June, we made an appointment to say hello to Chef Norm, and presented him with a framed photo. He invited us to enjoy a meal that evening, but we weren't able to take advantage of his offer that evening. So Chef Norm made arrangements to have a certificate waiting for us, and asked David to call the Chef and have him make the reservations for us.

So last Thursday night we dined at the Western Door Steakhouse. It was an amazing experience. I'm sure we had the staff wondering who we were - we had 2 servers (Steve and Stephen) and the food and beverage manager looking after us; and Chef Norm stopped by several times. We were seated at the "chef's table" - the restaurant has an open demonstration kitchen, and one table is situated in a nook that overlooks the casino out of panoramic windows and the kitchen in the other direction.

The food - outstanding. RUkidding I think has written that it;s the best meal he's ever had, and I can understand why. Just the breads - zucchini topknot rolls, jalapeno corn muffins, and roasted onion focaccia, served with plain butter, smoked cheddar butter and pesto butter.

We shared a baby lettuce and grilled apple salad, dressed with walnut oil, and garnished with sundried cherries - intense, sweet morsels. Lots of other good things in the salad.

David ordered veal Oscar. Thin, crispy, tender veal- topped with generous amount of lump crabmeat, thin roasted asparagus and béarnaise sauce. I stole several bites - outstanding. I went for the classic New York strip, with béarnaise on the side. I have not had a strip steak very often, so I don't have much experience with this cut. But this was everything I'd want in a steak. Flavorful, pretty tender for a dense cut of meat - the béarnaise was not necessary (tho it was good!) the meat itself was so tasty.

We ordered side dishes of creamed spinach and a carmelized onion trio. You really need more than 2 people to share the side dishes. It was too much food - which did not stop us from eating every bite of our main dishes.

And ordering dessert! David opted for a simple dish of vanilla ice cream. It was served in a martini glass, and accompanied by a tier of little saucers of ice cream toppings - nuts, whipped cream, sauces, fudge. I went for the "chocolate layers" dessert - 3 dessertsin one. A chocolate ganache flourless cake in a pool of caramel, a slice of walnut brownie with toasted marshmallow on top, and what looked like a lollipop perched in a cloud of whipped cream. It was a decadent chocolate truffle on a stick.

Oh, my.

It was so much fun, and we felt like movie stars. Or at least, valued members of Talk Vegas (who told Chef Norm?)

I am blessed with a husband who knows how to make friends.

The best part of the gambling was the frequent cocktail service. Otherwise it was pretty much money in, money not out. Did get almost a decent amount of play. Videopoker was not pretty - I think I hit quad 10's in BP and that was about it. Oh, a wild royal too.

Fortunately the rooms there are very pretty, as was the view of the sunset over Ontario, Canada.

The next morning I called the desk and requested a late checkout, and William kindly obliged. When we checked our at about 1 pm, a statuesque blond was working behind the counter - lacy shawl, tight dress, high heels. And a casino photo ID that said "William."

Oh yea - it was October 31st! David suggested to him he was probably going to get pinched, and William replied it had already happened, several times.

Perhaps my first clue about the holiday should have been during my morning swim, when the lifeguard showed up dressed as a shark.

It seems they had an employee costume contest. Dealers were permitted to participate as long as they did not wear sleeves that hid their hands, and did not wear a mask.

The most appropriate costume we saw was a blackjack dealer dressed as Dracula. They certainly do suck your blood there!

So - if any of you make it up to Niagara, I highly recommend the Western Door steakhouse. And I have had good luck in the casino in the past, so I hope this casino visit was not a sign of the economic times.

Actually our friends have eaten there often and say it is their favorite steakhouse and that includes Las Vegas. Glad it was a nice anniversary dinner and to bad about the gambling. Did you try the Hee haw machines? Did you get your Thanksgiving turkey coupon yet? We got one in the mail but won't be there to redeem it.

Oh - yes, I did try the Hee Haw machines. They were about the only machines with any action, but ultimately gave it all back. They sure are loud!

I have never gotten the turkey offer from Seneca. I get tons of free rooms and i get the ham in the spring, but have not gotten the turkey. Who knows why?

NO TURKEY FOR YOU!!! COME BACK,ONE YEAR Thats the best soup nazi impression I got.

Your dinner sounds fantastic, Kes!! What a great evening..........

By the way, did you guys know that the Soup Nazi is now working as the meat carver at the L.V. Hilton buffet????????? He hates me, and I didn't even say anything!

Thanks for the great restaurant review, sounds wonderful! It was a shame the gambling gods weren't so friendly!
Hmmm, Sharon has a few days of vacation left over this year, and we never have been to the falls together?

Yup, no turkey for me I guess. Sounded like a good impression to me!

I'm just glad I get the room offers - my girlfriend doesn't get ANYthing from Seneca, and her play is not too far off from mine.

Lee and Sharon - c'mon up!

But if you want to see the Falls, bring warm clothing. They can be spectacular in the winter time, but pretty windy and cold.

Kes - Sounds like you had a great time! Although I've been back and forth to Buffalo a lot lately (dealing with parent issues), I still haven't made it up to the Seneca Niagara. I keep saying I need to take a few hours to do it but I haven't. I'm going to have to check that restaurant out on my next trip. Thanks for posting!

I remember Terry and I going to Niagara falls for a new years night and parked near the falls. When we came back to the car it was all covered with about a good inch of hard ice. Seems the mist would settle on the car and freeze. We had to get a tow back home and left it in the garage and it finally melted away. The Casino wasn't there at that time but now I would just park in the garage at the casino. It was a nice way to spend new years though.