The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is not just a hotel complex, but instead a vast entertainment center with a mall, shows, casinos and more.
Saturday
The casino does its best and succeeds at covering all angles of entertainment for the grown-up set. It has the casinos, the restaurants, the mall, games, etc. If you've noticed by now, we didn't hit the casino yet since I wanted to see how long we could hold off from that temptation and still not be bored.
We admit we woke up early to the lovely sound of drilling. We wanted to sleep in, but since the hotel had just opened recently, they were still doing construction on the floor above and working out some "kinks" in the system. Nobody warned us about the construction, so it was a bit of a shock to hear conversations between construction workers through my air vent.
Anyway, having been woken up early, we decided to check out some of the shops. Old Farmer's Almanac General Store, Yankee Candle, Odyssea, they have a dozen and one ways to go shopping. OK, actually over 40, but we didn't have a chance to check out that many in that time.
I normally hate writing about shopping since what is there to tell, but I must comment on the store Odyssea, which is obviously a nautical-based store. The amazing thing is the aquarium is all around it, making up the walls. It was the perfect distraction to shopping for me, so while Margherita was shopping away, I had the chance to explore the aquarium.
We decided to grab lunch and headed off to the Sunburst Buffet. Let me start this off by saying the Sunburst Buffet has the best damn salad bar in the world AND the best damn ice cream bar in the world. The salad bar stretches so long, it is no longer a safe dietary alternative as you can eat pounds of salad and still not repeat the same thing twice.
Yes, they had other things, but you can see we were taken aback by the Salad Bar. In addition, I mentioned the ice cream bar of dreams. Most buffets have vanilla and chocolate soft serve... Not the Sunburst. There had to be at least six flavors of gourmet ice cream to choose from. You can try other things, but why would you waste your finite amount of stomach room.
Well, after a few more hours of shopping, or avoiding it, we succumbed to the pressure of gambling. Not that it was a problem, but I wanted to see how long I could keep away from the desire, and hearing all the old ladies cheering and the coins flowing was too tempting.
We have a ridiculously simple system of watching each other use the machines in the hopes it would make us bored quicker and thereby not lose enough. This was rather successful, but then every time the woman next to us won, we decided to keep gambling.
Anyway, an hour or so passed, and we then went to Todd English's Tuscany. Todd English's Tuscany has one of the prettiest atmospheres for a restaurant I've ever seen. The river that comes down from the main lobby of the hotel leads right to the base of the restaurant. Then a waterfall comes down from the other direction flowing right over the entrance wall of the main restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, it resembles a cross between the basement of an old Tuscan vineyard and a cavern -- Well lit, and the constant sound of the water rushing behind us. The atmosphere again stands out as one of the strong points of the restaurant.
The fare is extremely fresh and inventive. For example, I had the gnocchi, which I loved and was clearly made fresh, and Margherita had a seafood dish that was practically swimming.
The highlight of a meal, though, is the atmosphere. You feel transported in what seems like a Disney set in Epcot and taken away to this Tuscan location.
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| Max Weinberg at the Wolf Den |
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After dinner, we walked back through the mall to the Wolfs Den. The Wolf's Den is a circular club, but looks more like a mini concert hall as once you're in it, you're surrounded. Around the Wolf's Den are the slot machines, which faintly ring in the background, but inside the club, you feel a bit like you're in a den of sorts. We saw the Max Weinberg 7 perform. The Den is a great venue for an act like Max Weinberg, who really can control the audience with their jazz and swing sounds. They are a great band, and it is a shame they do most of their playing when the commercials are playing for the Conan O'Brien Show.
Anyway, after the show, we walked back through the shopping section of the hotel, hit the elevators and went to sleep.
Overall, the Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel is a great getaway for the weekend and can certainly keep you occupied without ever leaving the grounds. You can gamble if you want, or not if you want. You can just eat at high quality restaurants, or even try the more affordable ones like Bubba's Grill (...maybe next time!) The hotel did just open, and of course, needs to work out a few kinks, but those kinks are just temporary. The entire complex, on the other hand, covers all the bases and isn't simply just any old casino, but a massive entertainment complex.
Read part 1
