Jackpot! Magazine

Be prepared to feast as casinos celebrate Thanksgiving with meals

GULF COAST — Thanksgiving is a holiday known for many things, and let’s face it, one of those things is eating. Although turkey, stuffing and cranberries will always be the center of Thanksgiving dinner, there is no reason pork loin, carved prime rib, shrimp scampi and Jonah snow crab cannot part of the meal.
Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 25, and casinos along the Gulf Coast are celebrating in a gastronomical way. There are fine-dining restaurant specials, like at Palace Casino Resort’s Mignon’s, where reservations are required, and less formal eateries, such as Island View Casino Resort’s C&G Grille, where diners can come when they want. And then there are the buffets. So many buffets serving so many delicious items — good thing you can use as many plates (and forks) as you want. On Thanksgiving, most of the buffets are combining their lunch and dinner selections into one daylong feast.
There will be turkey (roasted, Cajun fried, smoked and free range), and there will be also be potatoes (mashed, sweet, whipped and even potato soup) and dressing (sage, cornbread, seafood and sausagestuffed).
Don’t forget about the casseroles (green bean, squash and sweet potato), the vegetables (Brussels sprouts, green beans, buttered corn, sautéed cabbage and turnip greens), the additional entrees (roast beef, fried chicken, fried shrimp, grilled almon, prime rib of beef and chicken Marsala) and the desserts (pecan pie, pumpkin pie, fruit cobbler, crème brulee, blueberry pie and cherry cheesecake). And all of that is just the tip of the Thanksgiving Day offers.
To find out what your favorite casino is serving on Thanksgiving Thursday, keep reading. But be warned, hunger is sure to present itself. And, oh yeah, elastic-waist pants are suggested.

Beau Rivage
Thanksgiving dining at Beau Rivage includes specials in BR Prime, Memphis Q, Terrace Café and Coast.
Celebrate the start of the holiday season at BR Prime with a $45 three-course meal available only on Thanksgiving Day. Appetizer choices include wild mushroom soup, foie gras emulsion and butternut squash ravioli and aged ricotta cheese with sage brown butter. The main entrée is pan-roasted, trufflestuffed Tanglewood Farms natural turkey, caramelized root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, sage dressing, sweet potato gratin, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. Enjoy a maple syrup crème brulee with fresh berries and pecan tuille for dessert.
Memphis Q Barbeque & Smokehouse features a $32 Thanksgiving Day special. Select creamy oyster chowder or hearts of romaine with candied pecans, caramelized shallots, cherry tomatoes with blue cheese dressing to start the meal. The main dish is smoked turkey with chorizo and cornbread dressing, candied yams, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. Dessert includes a choice of pumpkin cheesecake or sweet potato crème brulee.
The Terrace Café offers roasted turkey, andouille sausage cornbread dressing, rutabagas, garlic mashed potatoes, squash casserole, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole, giblet gravy and cranberry sauce for $20.
And, Coast will offer Cajun-injected deep-fried turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots, giblet gravy and cranberry sauce all for $20. Pumpkin and apple pie are available ala carte.

Boomtown Casino
Let Boomtown Casino handle all the cooking on Thanksgiving. The Boomtown Buffet will feature favorites and more from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. for $19.99. Spend Thanksgiving dining on smoked turkey, Cajun deep-fried turkey, carved prime rib and bourbon-glazed ham, along with all the holiday fixin’s. Plus, there will be plenty of seafood, including Jonah crab claws, gulf shrimp, seafood gumbo, salmon Wellington and seafood dressing. End the meal with homemade pecan, pumpkin or sweet potato pie, plus pumpkin cheesecake, hot cobblers, bread pudding and whiskey sauce and a variety of sugar free and no-sugar desserts.

Grand Biloxi Casino
Grand Biloxi Casino, Hotel & Spa will feature a special Thanksgiving Day Buffet on from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $21.99 all day. The menu features plenty of seafood, including Dungeness crab, fried shrimp, shrimp etoufee, stuffed flounder, seafood gumbo, stuffed crab, house-fried catfish, Cajun baked catfish and crab cakes. Plus, feast on the Grand’s jumbo peeland-
eat shrimp. On the carving station, diners will find smoked turkey, smoked top round and smoked ham. Other favorites include red beans and rice, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, stewed okra, house smoked ribs with beer-battered onion rings, green bean casserole, sweet corn and fresh Vardamon sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows. Plus, the complete Asian buffet will be offered throughout the day. Pumpkin pie, cherry cheesecake, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, lemon meringue pie are just a few of the delectable desserts offered. Also enjoy soft-serve ice cream, assorted cakes and cookies.

Hard Rock Biloxi
At Hard Rock Biloxi, the Rock-n-Roll Traditions buffet will be served from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. for $19.99 per adult and $12.99 per children. At the carving station, feast on Cajun fried turkey breast, bourbon-glazed ham and slow-roasted prime rib of beef. Holiday favorites include smoked turkey breast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, brown sugar yams, cornbread dressing and honey-glazed carrots. The buffet will also feature rib-eye steaks, herb crusted pork loin, herb-roasted chicken, turnip greens and corn pudding. There will also be plenty of seafood offerings, including stuffed flounder with crawfish cream sauce, shrimp and crawfish pasta Alfredo, crab cakes, grilled salmon, seafood au gratin, shrimp and scallop Asian stir fry and breaded shrimp. Crab legs, Cajun boiled shrimp, Asian-style green mussels and shrimp and crab pesto pasta salad will be found at the deluxe cold bar. Plus, the buffet will serve up Hard Rock’s 2010 award-winning seafood gumbo, creamy corn chowder and lobster bisque. With that those dishes, be sure to save room for some Southern Sweets, like sweet potato pie, traditional pumpkin pie and pecan pie, along with bread pudding with whisky sauce and fruit cobblers.
Take a trip to the deluxe chocolate bar, too.

IP Casino Biloxi
Enjoy Thanksgiving at IP Casino, Resort & Spa, where three restaurants will have special meals.
At thirty-two, a AAA Four Diamond awarded restaurant, the full menu will be offered along with specially designed Thanksgiving selections from 5 to 10 p.m. The menu includes salad choices, with an entrée choice of citrus-marinated roasted turkey, turkey stuffing soufflé, haricot vert with rosemary demi glace or an 8-ounce filet stuffed with veal mousse, brandy truffle demi-glace, duchess potato and smoked-bacon grilled mixed vegetables.
Carnaval de Brasil features the full Churrascaria menu plus a few special items from 11 a. m. to 7 p.m. The menu includes turkey roulade; almondencrusted Chilean sea bass with citrus honey beurre blanc; bacon-wrapped filet mignon; bacon-wrapped chicken leg; pork ribs; picanha; lamb leg; roasted pineapple; sweet potato casserole with marshmallow
brûlée; and Brussels sprouts with bacon, shallots and white wine butter. The price is $39.95 for adults, $15 for teens 13 to 16 years old and $8.95 for children 4 to 12 years old.
The Back Bay Buffet will serve a brunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for $22 for adults, $6 for children ages 4 to 12 years old and free for those younger than 4. Along with a selection of assorted salads and soups, there will be a number of items at the carving station including tur-duc-hen, roast prime rib of beef with au jus and cider-glazed ham. Roasted turkey, tenderloin of pork with sherry cream, braised veal blanquette, chicken Marsala, snow crab legs, oysters Rockefeller, oysters Bienville and shrimp etouffee will also be offered. Finish off the Thanksgiving feast with something sweet, including pumpkin, sweet potato and pecan pies and pralines.

Palace Casino Resort
Mignon’s inside the Palace Casino Resort is having a Thanksgiving special served from noon until 6 p.m.
The four-course gourmet holiday meal is $25 per person. Start the meal with roasted leek and potato soup garnished with sour crème and chives, or choose French onion soup as your starter. Two salad choices are offered, including a Waldorf salad on butter leaf lettuce and a mixed seasonal green salad with cranberry pear dressing.
Sliced free-range turkey breast served with traditional stuffing, cranberry sauce and choice of vegetable (buttered corn, asparagus or broccolini) is the featured entrée. And for dessert, indulge in pumpkin pie, blueberry tart or pecan pie. Limited reservations available, so call (228) 432-8888 for a gourmet holiday meal.
Also at the Palace Casino, the buffet will be offering all the Thanksgiving favorites including roasted turkey and cornbread dressing. The buffet is served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for $19.99 per person. Take a break and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at Treasure Bay. infinity buffet will serve up an array of seasonal delights for both lunch and dinner. Served from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., this holiday treat is available for the special price of $19.99. Entrees will include carved turkey and ham, brisket, glazed chicken wings, red beans and rice and fried chicken. A hot and cold seafood bar will feature boiled and fried shrimp, calamari, fried fish and Dungeness crab. Side items include soup and salad, green bean casserole, bok choy, sautéed mushrooms, roasted garlic, turnip greens, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, corn-on-the-cob, sweet potatoes and sautéed cabbage. Be sure to save room for dessert. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, bread pudding and fruit cobbler will be added to the extensive menu of cakes, puddings and hand-dipped ice cream. There is also a selection of sugar-free desserts available.

Island View Casino Resort
At Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport, the award-winning buffet will offer a seemingly endless selection of all-American Thanksgiving favorites and traditional dishes with a twist. There will be roasted turkey with cornbread dressing and giblet gravy, tritip roast of beef, jumbo boiled shrimp, steamed snow crabs with drawn butter, Dijon-crusted pork loin with apples and a merlot reduction, hot yeast rolls, cornbread and buttermilk biscuits, along with a variety of salads and favorite menu selections. To end the festive feast on a sweet note, The Buffet will offer pumpkin pie with spiced whipped cream, bananas Foster, New Orleans-style bread pudding with whisky sauce and a variety of other desserts. The Buffet will serve this Thanksgiving special from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for $18.69.
C&G Grille is offering Thanksgiving fare with an Italian flair at the Gulfport casino. The holiday meal will feature roasted-pumpkin bisque, slow-roasted turkey, sweet potato eggplant gravy, Maytag blue sweet potato gratin, cornbread dressing, petite whole green beans with bacon, roasted-pecan and cranberry relish and praline cheesecake. C&G guests will also be
treated to a trip to the gourmet Italian pantry bar and a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. This dinner is available from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for $14.95.
And Carter Green Steak House will celebrate Thanksgiving Day with a special three-course pre fixe menu. The meal begins with a roasted-pumpkin and cranberry salad, topped with a cabernet vinaigrette, goat cheese and praline pecans; entrée selections include a roasted, apple-brined turkey roulade or braised short ribs, both served with cornbread-andsage- sausage dressing, whipped potatoes, southern green beans and pan gravy. And the dessert course features individual handcrafted pecan pies with Maker’s Mark chocolate ice cream. The dinner is available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. for $21.95.