Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino adds another culinary treat to its stable of restaurants
On Thursday, the Tachi Yokut Tribe and Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino held a ribbon-cutting for its newest restaurant, The Market Place at Pork Chop Hill Buffet.
The Palace’s newest restaurant is located on the third floor of the Casino of the Moon and is open for lunch Monday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; brunch on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The buffet is closed daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all day on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Marketplace at Pork Chop Hill is just one of seven dining options at Tachi Palace, including the most recent edition, PHO-Nominal Eats, which opened its doors just this past August. Other restaurants and food outlets include The Coyote Grille, The Coffee Stop, RezDogs on the Go, Pizza Hut Express, and Red Tail Hawk Stop.
Executive Chef Cesar Venegas is one of the guiding forces behind the Palace’s newest dining experience. Venegas comes well educated in the fine art of culinary expression. He earned his chops in Las Vegas, where he helped to open the world-renowned Venetian Hotel and Casino. He also trained at the well-known Las Vegas restaurant Ferraro’s, where he began his culinary training.
Overall, the talented chef worked 12 years in Las Vegas.
Family finally brought him to the San Joaquin Valley and the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, and he’s been here now for 11 years. “I started here as a sous chef my first year,’ he told The Leader as he surveyed the expanse of the casino’s newest culinary addition. “And from there, I became the executive chef after I showed what I could do,” he remembered.
“What I do is that I get ideas from other properties or experiences I’ve had. I do presentations here for the food and beverage director and the general manager. I get their insights as to whether it’s good or not. And, then from there, if they like it, I create the menus, and then the sous chefs take over. That’s what I basically do all the time, create new dishes.”
And judging from the customers on opening day, Venegas and his sous chefs must be doing something right.
The buffet features touchless, made-to-order salads with protein choices based on the day’s theme, such as shrimp on seafood day. Customized Panini sandwiches are available, along with Pork Chop Hill favorites like fried chicken, BBQ ribs. Specialty days will include such fare as “South of the Border Mexican Food Night,” Seafood Fridays with crab legs, and of course, the popular brunch on Sundays.
“Our talented Chef Cesar is passionate about every item prepared for our guests, and this new dining experience truly showcases that,” said Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino Marketing Director Rojelio Morales. “This is an exciting time at Tachi Palace with the recent opening of PHO-Nominal Eats and property improvements, including the upcoming unveiling of a new high-limit room and renovated hotel rooms, among other surprises.”
The cost of dining at the new restaurant is reasonable. For example, at the buffet, an adult lunch is $14 while the cost of brunch and dinner starts at $19.99. Children’s costs are roughly half the cost. Dinner prices are a little higher on Fridays. Children under four eat free when accompanied by a paying adult. Seniors 55 and older can receive $2 off any meal. Active military and first responders (with proper ID) receive 10% off. Premiere Club Members receive discounts ranging from 5 - 40% depending on the level.
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino is home to 2,000 gaming machines, 24 table games, seven poker tables, 255 guest rooms, a spa, and 6,000 square feet of meeting space, employing more than 1,200 people. The property also features an 88,350 square foot entertainment center with movie theaters, a bowling alley, billiards room, arcade and concourse, bar and concessions.
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino is located at 17225 Jersey Ave, Lemoore, California. For more information, visit tachipalace.com.
