Cooler Brows, Lighter Wallets

The home AC is on the blink, and we were desperate to escape the 100-degree temperatures. On Saturday we rode in our comparatively efficient air-conditioned car to the Graton Casino in Rohnert Park, 50 miles north of San Francisco.The drive took two hours due to the holiday traffic, but no matter, we were comfortable.

Stepping out of the car, we were hit with a blast of heat and hurried into the casino.

Pushing on the pleasure machines

Five hours later, I was down $100, not a bad result when a casino with a regional monopoly pays off blackjacks at 6-5 instead of the standard 3-2.

One overpriced dinner in Larkspur, a much less congested trip south over the Golden Gate, and we were home by 9 p.m.

Disappointing Day-Trip

$12 bowl of noodles from the Boathouse.

For the third year running (see 2013 and 2014) our relative has visited Marin County during the holidays, and for the third year in a row we took her to the Graton Casino in Rohnert Park.

I looked forward to the 160-mile round trip. A nice, albeit overpriced, lunch at the casino's M.Y. Noodles restaurant, a couple of hours at the tables, and the remaining time sipping coffee and using the WiFi connection at the Marketplace food court.

Except...M.Y. Noodles closed last weekend. The disappointment was compounded when I ordered a bowl of noodle soup at the food court. The bowl cost $12 and only had a few bits of crab and no vegetables. Pathetic, but that's what happens when the casino knows that it's inconvenient to go for food elsewhere.

Graton also takes advantage of its local-monopoly position on the gaming floor. Slots were tight (no loud cheering, signaling large jackpots) and blackjacks pay 6-5, not the standard 3-2.

Our relative, though she said that she enjoyed herself, will be visiting San Jose in the first half of 2016. We'll try a casino in Central California the next time.

The Day After

Plump, tasty, and tender

Our visiting relative has both a bigger budget and love for the slots than we do. Being gracious hosts, we complied with her wish to return to Graton.

The casino was more crowded than it had been on New Year's Eve. I killed time at the bar in Martin Yan's M.Y. Noodles. The drinks and food were generally overpriced (menu here), but one tasty bargain was the chicken feet at $5.

Chicken feet (they're cleaned thoroughly and the toenails are removed) are marinated, fried, and steamed over many hours. M.Y. Noodles gets the texture right---very tender but not overcooked to the extent that the feet fall apart. The dish compared favorably with the best dim sum palaces in SF and the Peninsula.

Chicken feet dim sum in Rohnert Park? Knock me over with a feather.

New Year Lesson

Haggard diarist is coming to resemble the Buddhas of Graton

A visiting relative eagerly acceded to a gambling outing at the Graton casino, a two-hour drive north. We hadn't gamed since last April, and our war-chest was restocked.

Your humble observer doesn't particularly enjoy playing at Graton; the casino takes advantage of its local gaming monopoly by nearly usurious odds---for example, a blackjack pays 6-5 rather than the standard 3-2.

But the food's good and the free WiFi allows me to sit for hours after I lose my stake. Keep your expectations low, and you'll be much happier, a lesson I intend to carry with me into the New Year.

That's Progress

Statuettes at M.Y. China

The previous days' rains had scrubbed the landscape, and it was a perfect morning for a drive. A family member wanted to revisit the Graton casino in Sonoma County, less than a two-hour drive from the Peninsula. Traffic was heavy through the City, but once past the Golden Gate Bridge it was smooth sailing to Rohnert Park.

At the casino we sat down to lunch at M.Y. China ("M.Y." stands for Martin Yan, the celebrity Chinese chef.) M.Y. China's decor and menu offerings are a cut above the average Chinese restaurant, as are the prices.

I lingered on the M.Y. dim sum collection ($19). The quantities were not extravagant, but the seasonings and freshness of the ingredients were excellent. The dim sum collection was the perfect lunch to nibble on while companions tried their luck at slots and blackjack.(Graton's free Wi-Fi makes it easy for casual or non-gamblers to pass the time.)

30 years ago I would have spent every available second at the tables. Now a couple of hours was more than enough, and I left Graton that evening with the same amount that I started with. That would have been a better-than-average result 30 years ago, so I suppose that's progress.

Graton Resort and Casino, Rohnert Park

(Photo from California Home Design)

Everyone in the car enjoyed their first visit to the new Graton casino, and not just because three out of four brought home heavier wallets than they started out with.

Several family members are highly allergic to cigarette smoke; hay fever and asthma attacks are triggered after several hours of exposure. While Graton does permit the vice, the carpets, tablecloths, and chairs are not (yet) steeped in tobacco residue. Unlike expeditions to other nearby casinos, this trip was blessedly allergy-free.

Dining options were decent though not spectacular. The food court "marketplace" offered inexpensive choices, and four restaurants served more upscale but not outrageously priced fare. Graton doesn't bother with a buffet, probably a good thing since I would have been tempted to try it.

By far the most attractive feature is its location. Just off of Highway 101, Graton is 45 miles north of San Francisco. It took us 90 minutes to get there in normal traffic from the Peninsula and is 30 to 60 minutes closer than the nearest alternative. Closer, cleaner, and a touch classier than its competition, Graton will get the lion's share of our gaming time (but hopefully not our money) in the coming year. © 2013 Stephen Yuen