Casino Watch

       The Mashantucket drum circle readies a performance at Grand Bar.

Foxwoods, amid of flurry of colorful moves, shows off a Grand Bar at a busy casino intersection

Foxwoods Resort Casino, under the direction of President and CEO Jason Guyot, marked a series of upgrades in its central Grand Pequot Tower gathering area with the grand opening of its gilded Grand Bar near Guy Fieri's, the newish Pokemoto Poke and Boba outlet and the Tanger Outlets sign.

In remarks to a gathering of tribal members, Foxwoods officials and design/construction folks, Guyot (below, foreground) called the bar "one of many exciting evolutions" in the recent Foxwoods story. In a chat before his speech, Guyot said, "And there's more to come."

Grand Bar is the latest addition to Foxwoods’ ongoing luxury developments which also include Club Newport, a high-limit gaming area, Pequot Woodlands Casino (a 50,000-square-foot gaming space) and Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen.

Foxwoods celebrated its 32nd anniversary earlier this year with several announcements, including renovations of rooms at the Fox Tower and debut of Grace by Nia, a supper club with live music.

The huge Mashantucket resort, which is already the site of a rising Great Wolf Lodge to open in 2025 and the recently opened Hell's Kitchen and Wahlburgers eateries, also announced plans for a Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream outlet from Food Networks star chef Zac Young at that point.

In the spring, Grace by Nia, described as a soulful live music lounge, opened its second location in New England downstairs from the Grand Bar at the Grand Pequot Tower, adjacent to High Rollers. Before that, Golden Dragon restaurant had moved from that general area to a new location nearby.

On Friday, design chief Robert Macaruso of ZDS Architecture & Interiors pointed out the gold leaf, cascading colmns, custom made carpet, special lighting and other luxury touches in the Grand Bar project (some features overseen by his daughter, designer Olivia Macaruso, also at the event). ZDS has also done other projects for Foxwoods, including nearby upscale bar/gaming areas. (Grand Bar has gaming terminals on a portion of the bar counter only, so there are seats without such diversions, too.)

Many of the upgrades at Foxwoods seem not only gaming-based but boldly aimed at an upscale, moneyed crowd -- the pricey Hell's Kitchen, the tall and high-wattage slot machines with single bets ranging from $8.80 to several times that, and nearby sports betting location. The moves seem to be a nod to an economy that is anything but struggling and to the image of Foxwoods as an ever-evolving mega-resort with sky-high ambitions.

While the soul of the sprawling resort is in the adjacent Mashantucket Pequot Museum, the glitzy party face is in its latest extreme makeovers.

At the very least, it's an eyeful that can impress even the most-traveled visitor or New England regular -- gambler or not. The most amazing part is the will to refashion and gamble by the Mashantucket Tribal Council and financial backers of this highly leveraged resort. You have to admire the dramatic, Land of Oz flourishes that are at once awe-inspiring and a bit shocking in the long-labeled home of steady habits.

You may make a stop at the Grand Bar in the future for a comfy cocktail or mocktail. Or you will just raise an eyebrow and gape on your stroll toward another attraction in this eastern Connecticut behemoth that outshines any other destination in Hartford, Providence or Boston.

   Lighting fixtures chosen by design firm ZDS Architecture & Interiors.

   A bartender fashions an espresso cocktail for the grand opening celebration at Grand Bar.