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| - I attended the "Controlled Demonstration" opening last night, and I have to say I was impressed. I'm not really a casino-goer, but I am a big supporter of the city of Cleveland and it's great to see everything getting built up lately. With two whole floors of gaming and an upper level for poker and the Diamond Club Lounge, the old Higbee building is much more spacious than it may appear from the outside. The most popular games were craps, blackjack and roulette, but others were available for play as well. For the slot lovers, there are 2,100 of varying types scattered throughout the two main floors - some classic and some progressive. If poker is your thing, there are poker video slots, tables and the high-stakes games, in a fancy room of their own. Finally, for those extreme big spenders, there is the Diamond Club Lounge on the top floor, only open to Total Rewards members who've earned between 11,000 and 100,000 credits a year (100,000 credits made up from only video poker would equate to $1M).
Even though only some of the tables were open and not all of the slots were working, we still had a good time. Most of the dealers were professional, fun and knowledgeable, while the rest of the staff was very friendly and helpful. Multiple employees asked if we had questions or needed direction, and someone was always readily available if we needed an explanation of a slot or how to order a drink from your game.
If you're looking for a drink, there are multiple ways to get one! There is only one bar on each of the main levels, each tucked away into the side. Drink prices were very reasonable, although I doubt they'll stay this way. You can also order from floating servers, or even use the feature on each slot machine to request the drink of your choice (the servers actually prefer this, as they know exactly where to find you). Unfortunately, Ohio law prohibits providing complimentary drinks, so that may just be enough to help keep prices low.
As far as food is concerned, there is an all-you-can-eat buffet on the bottom level (coming right in from Tower City) priced around $25, or a food court two levels above. The décor was nothing too fancy (just a food court), but the selection was great. The three restaurants included Corky & Lenny's (deli), Rosie & Rocco's ("fast Italian" by Rocco Whalen, owner of Fahrenheit in Tremont) and B-Spot Burgers (Cleveland's own Iron Chef, Michael Symon). I enjoyed a delicious marinated tomato salad from Rosie & Rocco's, and noticed they had a wide array of ready-made upscale pizzas available for purchase. The food court may be a great place to stop in for a quick bite, even if you don't gamble!
Overall, good first run and a nice time had by all. Besides gambling, I imagine the casino will be a good place for the masses to mingle, drink and eat. Me, I'll be people watching and enjoying the sights :-)
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