Casino beat

Mystic Market & other Foxwoods buzz

Foxwoods Resort Casino isn't exactly operating at peak capacity these days, still under the effects of a softer leisure and travel market due to the pandemic. There are several features and locations that have either closed or are operating only on weekends. (The Thrill Tower ride seems to be gone from its four-year location next to the Fox Tower.) But the impressive and vast, if overbuilt, resort still offers a fun time if you're looking to walk a few miles and spend some money. And the holiday decorations are up, along with a new eatery/retail location on the Great Cedar Concourse.

Mystic Market Kitchen & Eatery offers tasty prepared foods and gourmet items in a convenient location on the concourse, and while there's little or no apparent seating inside, there are plenty of places to sit in nearby public areas of the resort. You know the store chain can produce great food if you've been to any of the other locations in Mystic, Old Saybrook and Westport. Hours at Foxwoods are Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 7.

Foxwoods is also launching its version of holiday fun with the long-running "Legends in Concert" show returning Nov. 26 and running through Jan. 2. It's generally a fun show and pretty affordable, too, at $17.50-$45.

One of Foxwoods' top restaurants, Cedars Steak & Oysters (above), is newly decorated for the Christmas season, with ceiling decorations, Nutcracker sentries and lighted arch. 

Says a Foxwoods marketing rep in an email: " They have decked out the whole restaurant with an over-the-top, Christmas wonderland-themed dining experience complete with a jaw-dropping display of 10,000+ ornaments from floor to ceiling. They also have special holiday menu items like filet mignon with mushroom duxelle wrapped in puff pastry followed by a rich peppermint candy cane chocolate mousse for dessert. They are open Thursday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m."

There are massive Christmas trees in other areas of the casino, of course, and even an outdoor element that we have loved from years past -- the skating rink behind the Fox Tower. Workers on Friday were preparing it for a cold-season run of skating times (with nearby lighted igloos and other touches).

The other big opening recently at Foxwoods was the  DraftKings Sportsbook area, after the launch of online sports betting and iGaming in Connecticut. You can dine or play at the new two-story, 12,000-plus-square-foot integrated retail sportsbook. It's a sight, for sure, but (personally) we'll pass on this new and overhyped addition to the gambling environment.

In another post on this blog, we reviewed Mohegan Sun's fine dining addition this year -- the Connecticut location of luxe chain Tao. At Foxwoods, that role is reliably filled by Red Lantern, the Big Night Entertainment Group's Asian fusion restaurant on the second floor of the Fox Tower above BNEG's Shrine nightclub. Like Tao, the casino-location prices are a bit high but the quality is generally very good. And there are weekly specials that allow you to attain value for your buck. With the schedule shedding Monday through Wednesday hours due to the aforementioned effects of the pandemic and economic slowdown, the place is open and busy Thursday (except Thanksgiving) through Sunday, with an all-you-can-eat sushi special on Thursdays for $30 a person and a Sunday special of a custom sushi boat (which can feed two) for $48 and half-price bottles of wine or saki. 

For a brisk walk outdoors at Foxwoods, head to the Lantern Hill hike that starts in the rear lot of the (closed) Two Trees Inn. Can be slick so bring hiking poles for the steeper areas over leaves and roots. Or take the lower path to the pond.

-- Joe Amarante