Because it sits on an Indian Reservation, the theme is Native American and it shows. Native American pottery and artwork adorn the walls. Restaurant names like Blue Coyote Grill and the Eagles Buffet tempt with wonderful food with a Southwestern edge. The Eagles Buffet offers a dinner buffet 7 days a week and champagne Sunday brunch as well. My favorite dish on the brunch is the strawberry salad. It’s salad greens with fresh strawberries, cheese and a sweet vinaigrette dressing. The buffet is standard buffet fare such as carved prime rib, an omelet station, salad bar, peel and eat shrimp, oysters, eggs benedict, waffles, blintzes, breakfast meats, hot lunch items like fish and pork chops as well as a huge dessert area... and let’s not forget the all you can drink champagne and mimosas.

The Cholla Steakhouse is an upscale restaurant serving elegant entrees and diverse appetizers. It repeatedly wins the New Times "Best Of" category. Dishes like elk tenderloin, rack of lamb and duck confit, you would think you were in a whole other place. They even make their own mozzarella cheese. The best part is they’re open until 11pm during the week and midnite on Fridays and Saturdays.

The unique air conditioning system is what catches peoples’ eyes. The a/c vents are on the ground, built into the floor that blows cool air upwards and helps disperse cigarette smoke. Plus when you walk over it, it cools you off. Ladies be aware if you’re wearing a skirt, you may pull a ‘Marilyn Monroe’ if you’re not careful.

The restaurants are nonsmoking, but the casino floor allows smoking. There is a bar in the middle of the casino that has poker slots so you can sit and enjoy a cocktail or two and a 24hour café (Salt River Café) that serves burgers, sandwiches, a native American dishes. The Willows restaurant is also open 24hours a day for a sit down meal in a nonsmoking environment.

For entertainment, the Showstoppers Live show is a great way to see your favorite performers. Madonna, Tina Turner, Blues Brothers, Elvis and more. The show is every night except Mondays. You can go to the casino website for more info. BeatleMania also comes thru town once a month, if you’re a Beatles fan.

The only downside for me is the smell of cigarette smoke. I’m a casual smoker and it’s definitely not smoky inside the casino, but it’s the cigarette smoke smell that reeks all over you when you leave. YUCK!

Casino Arizona is a 10-minute drive from the clubs in Scottsdale so it’s easy to get to from anywhere in clubland.

www.casinoaz.com

It was a very quiet casino; the slots only pay out credit slips, not coins. That took away a bit of the atmosphere. All in all, if you like gambling, check it out, but if you want the excitement, well, that was lacking.