There are more changes afoot for the areas where San Diegans love to play around when they’re not home. Here are some of the developments in Southern California and Las Vegas.
Agua Caliente launches two major expansions
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is solidifying its status as an economic powerhouse in the Palm Springs area. On Nov. 4, the tribe broke ground on its third casino in the Coachella Valley and is also building a $250 million, 10,000-seat sports and entertainment arena.
The Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City will its sister casinos in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage when it opens on East Palm Canyon and Date Palm Drive, right off Highway 111. Meanwhile, the downtown Palm Springs arena project has already landed a National Hockey League farm team d with Seattle.
The 13.6 acre Cathedral City casino site — a parcel of sand sitting about halfway between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage that Cathedral City mayor Mark Carnevale called “an eyesore” — will be developed as a mixed-use project. Of the total planned 125,000 square feet, 65,000 of it will be dedicated to the casino, with the remainder designated for retail, restaurants and tribal government offices.
The modest-sized casino will feature a 40,000-square-foot gaming floor with 500 slot machines and eight table games, while 5,000 square feet will be dedicated to restaurants and 2,500 to retail. About 1,000 parking spaces will be built.
“We are excited to begin construction on this large-scale investment in Cathedral City,” tribal chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said in a statement. “This project will create (550-plus) jobs, revitalize an undeveloped downtown property and Cathedral City’s economic development efforts.” As part of its land deal, the tribe also contributed $5.5 million to relocate and build a new Cathedral City fire station, Grubbe said.
The Palm Springs arena is a t project between the tribe and Los Angeles-based Oak View Group, which develops sports venues. The new Seattle hockey expansion franchise is expected to have its American Hockey League farm team play at the arena beginning in October 2021. With a capacity of 10,000 seats, the arena has the potential to attract major entertainment acts to the desert. The Show concert venue at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage seats 2,000.
Morongo Casino Resort & Spa opens three new eateries
The renovation and 65,000-square-foot expansion of Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon is expected to be completed by mid-2020, but several of its new amenities have already been unveiled.
Three new dining concepts have recently opened: Mozen Asian Kitchen, Good Times Cafe and Pink Coffee. Mozen Asian Kitchen is an upscale pan-Asian restaurant that serves dishes from China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The 24-hour Good Times Cafe is called a brewhouse bistro that features craft beer on 16 taps, cocktails and a menu that includes pancakes to prime rib, brick-oven Neapolitan pizza to burgers. Pink Coffee is an Instagram-chic coffee and patisserie shop, offering homemade gelato, fresh-baked bread and pastries.
Morongo is expanding its casino floor by 30 percent, adding 800 slots, for a total of 4,000, and table games. The project includes a full casino décor revamp, a new 754-space valet parking structure, new bar and lounge areas, and a renovation of the original Casino Morongo (which had been used for bingo). The expansion will result in the creation of 425 new jobs, bringing Morongo’s payroll to about 3,000 employees.
With its striking 27-floor tower — topped by the elegant 26th-floor Drum Room lounge and opulent, high-end 27th-floor Cielo restaurant — Morongo Casino Resort & Spa is the the tallest building from the Los Angeles County line to the Arizona border, a spokesman said. The tower’s 15th anniversary is being celebrated this month.
Las Vegas readies for blockbuster restaurants from superstar chefs
We didn’t think Sin City could get any more sinfully delicious: Mega celebrity chefs Thomas Keller and Enrique Olvera are both planning to open new restaurants at Wynn Las Vegas.
For Keller, of French Laundry and Per Se fame, his golf-course-adjacent restaurant is particularly fitting. The most Michelin-decorated chef in the United States is known to be an avid golfer.
The Wynn restaurant isn’t his first Las Vegas eatery — he already has Bouchon Bistro at The Venetian as well as several Bouchon Bakery outposts there.
Olvera, the acclaimed chef of Mexico City’s Pujol who took New York City by storm with his restaurants Cosme and Atla, will again partner with his Manhattan teammates chef Daniela Soto-Innes and Santiago Perez, an investment banker, to debut his modern Mexican eatery at the Wynn.
Both blockbuster projects are planned for 2020. Opening dates haven’t been announced.
More Vegas dining news
International Smoke: Celebrity chef Michael Mina and his partner Ayesha Curry will debut the fifth location of their smoketastic global barbecue restaurant at the MGM Grand this month. The culinary power duo’s fourth International Smoke opened in Carmel Valley in July.
The Mayfair Supper Club: The Bellagio will open this elegant eatery, overlooking the resort’s famed fountains, over New Year’s weekend. The menu will feature contemporary American cuisine, and the supper club will have live entertainment, in addition to those awe-inspiring dancing fountains.
Majordomo Meat & Fish: Momofuku and “Ugly Delicious” star chef David Chang opens his second Las Vegas restaurant on Dec. 14 at the Venetian. Expect gourmet White Castle-esque sliders, smoked prime rib, Asian trolley cart service and Chang’s signature Korean barbecue. A Vegas outpost of Momofuku debuted at The Cosmopolitan in 2017.
Diablo’s Cantina: Also opening this month is the second Las Vegas outpost of Diablo’s Cantina at The Mirage Hotel & Casino. Like its sister restaurant at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, Diablo’s serves festive Mexican fare and cocktails. The Mirage location will have a guacamole bar.
Vagabond: This new casual dining and entertainment spot is now open at Excalibur Hotel & Casino. Featuring American pub fare, a wide array of beers and cocktails, Vagabond sports live entertainment, arcade games, Foosball, multiple screens to watch the game, and more.
Tao Asian Bistro: The Venetian’s giant-sized Asian restaurant has launched an intimate, monthly, eight-seat, multi-course omakase (chef’s mercy) dinner for $130 per person. Eater Las Vegas recently reported that Tao Asian Bistro is “the highest grossing independent restaurant in the United States,” earning a whopping $43.5 million in estimated annual sales.
Tim Ho Wan: The Hong Kong-based, Michelin-starred dim sum chain has opened at The Palms. Las Vegas-specific dishes include shrimp toast truffle foie gras and a wagyu beef rice roll. With more than 50 locations worldwide, it’s the first outpost to have a “cocktail and spirits menu featuring Japanese whiskys (and) lesser-known traditional Chinese liquors such as baijiu,” according to Eater Las Vegas.
The Front Yard: This two-story, lushly landscaped, indoor/outdoor brewpub has opened at Ellis Island Casino and Brewery. Beer, cocktails, bar games and a bird’s-eye view of The Strip are on tap. The space can be rented out for private events.
Mama Rabbit: The stunningly vibrant mezcal and tequila bar from L.A.’s Bricia Lopez has opened at the Park MGM. The Oaxacan-inspired hotspot features a limited menu of Mexican bar bites, agave cocktails, mezcal and tequila flights live music, DJs, and even slot machines that are part of a colorful wall art installation.