By the Tribune Features Staff

Casino Cuisine

At Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, high rollers dine in style at The Willows; if you got lost at the slots, head for the Creekside Buffet

September 7, 2005

By The Tribune features staff

What is it about gambling and food? Las Vegas is famous for its mammoth buffets and lately, gourmet restaurants. Chumash Casino Resort puts on an impressive spread of its own in three spots — the Chumash Cafe, the Creekside Buffet and the candlelit Willows Restaurant with its plush chairs, elegant linens and wine served in actual Riedel glasses.

On a recent visit, the always hungry Matt and Pat headed for the all-you-can-eat buffet. Linen napkins on their laps, Lisa and Rochelle settled in for a leisurely meal at the serene, relaxing Willows. Here’s their report:

To start: With such a hefty menu before us, we decided to split an appetizer. Lisa picked the Brie Encroute ($13), a large round of brie baked inside puff pastry. It arrived attractively surrounded with dried fruit — apricots, plums and figs — plus unsalted almonds and two long, thin breadsticks. The brie wasn’t as creamy as Lisa likes, and the pastry seemed a bit oily, but the figs and other fruits cooked into the brie were a nice touch.

Down to business: Between the steak, seafood, chicken and pasta entrees, we faced tough choices. The Roasted Young Chicken ($18), with a white truffle croquette (patty) and spinach sounded lovely, as did the Scottish Salmon ($20) with buttermilk potato puree.

Once Lisa spotted the Diver Scallops with wild mushroom risotto ($26), her mind was made up. She thought the generous serving of risotto and five perfectly cooked scallops was delicious. The risotto was particularly good, with rich, complex flavors from the mushrooms. Surrounding all of it was a red wine jus that delivered wonderful concentrated flavor to each bite.

Rochelle ordered the Top Sirloin with Truffle Sauce ($19), medium rare, and it arrived perfectly cooked and accompanied by artfully arranged asparagus and a small baked potato. The sauce was flavorful, adding sharp, tangy flavor to the steak. The sides were a surprise — give that the menu listed side dishes, we assumed none were included with entrees.

Thinking we needed to add vegetables to our meals, we ordered the Sautéed Spinach and Grilled Lemon, plus a dish of the Gratin of White Cheddar Scallop Potatoes ($7 each). The generous pile of tender, steaming spinach easily served us both and we liked its fresh flavor. The potatoes smelled fantastic and the creamy herbs--and-cheese blend was delicious. Several of the potato slices weren’t quite cooked, however, making them a bit hard instead of tender. Still, we ate the whole thing, waistlines be darned.

Sweet stuff: Lisa tried the Crème Brulee, which came with two ripe raspberries on top of the caramelized sugar crust. The custard itself had good, creamy texture but the flavor seemed heavy — not quite as mouth-melting as some versions of this dessert standard. Rochelle was delighted with the Strawberry Shortcake, fresh berries on a biscuit-style cake with a big dollop of heavy whipped cream.

Service: Waiters hovered politely, and dishes were whisked away the minute we finished. Our server was knowledgeable about the Casino’s extensive wine list, heavy on Santa Ynez selections.

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Meanwhile, after running out of luck on the slots, Matt and Pat tried their hand at a room with much better odds — the Creekside Buffet.

The price depends on the night’s specialty. Since this was Western Barbecue night — the cheapest — the tab was $10 each. Other nights feature Mexican, seafood and Asian themes. Though the buffet wasn’t jam-packed with offerings, there was certainly enough variety to pig out.

Plate one: With his first plate, Pat piled up the staples — sirloin steak, potatoes with gravy and fried chicken. The well-done sirloin steak featured nicely cut, trim pieces of meat. The meat was cold, but its strong charbroiled flavor made Pat think leftovers from a good cookout. The chicken and potatoes was like a good KFC meal — lots of white meat, thick and creamy potatoes and rich gravy.

Matt’s meat of choice was hand-carved tri-tip, which was moist, tasty, far better than you’d expect at a buffet. He was disappointed with both the bland Caesar salad and iceberg lettuce salad — they were a few of the meager offerings at the salad bar.

Plate two: Pat went for the pork chops and more potatoes, because he liked the first round so much. The pork chops were a little less exciting. Thin, a little pink and somewhat bland, they were covered with a tart barbecue sauce that made you long for a better, sweeter variety.

Matt stacked his plate with more tri-tip (it was that good) along with some forgettable fried scallops and smoked salmon, another unlikely food item at a buffet.

Dessert time: Some of the dessert options, including cream puffs and various cookies, were generic, out-of-the-box offerings. But the cake and pie slices exceeded expectations. Especially notable was Pat’s chocolate cake, which came with a subtle dose of nuts in the frosting and a sweet layer of cherry sauce in the middle. The cake itself was moist and rich.

The hot cherry cobbler and bread pudding were Matt’s highlights — they tasted homemade, and it was hard to not eat as much as possible.

The final word: Overall, we were impressed with the buffet, and for $10, it’s worth it for the tri-tip and desserts alone. And if you win big in the casino, The Willows is the place to celebrate. If you go …

The Willows

3400 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez

800-248-6274

The scene: Upscale white linen

The cuisine: Mixed American and international specialties

Plan to spend: $30-$50 per person

Hours: 5-10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Creekside Buffet

Address and phone above

The scene: Casual all-you-can-eat

The cuisine: Changes nightly, with an emphasis on stick-to-the-ribs fare

Plan to spend: $10-$20 per person

Hours: Open daily for lunch and dinner

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