TRAVEL

Located in the Dehesa Valley, Sycuan Casino Resort is a wonder to behold for so many reasons. For me, one of the most compelling aspects is the honorable and resilient history of how one particular Indian tribe brought a magnificent resort to fruition, after going through centuries of adversity. To fully appreciate the energy of this resort casino when you visit, I wanted to include their backstory.

The Sycuan Band is a Kumeyaay Nation tribe, one of the four ethnic groups indigenous to San Diego County dating back over 12,000 years. Currently, there are 18 Indian tribes in San Diego, more than any other county in the United States. The 130 Sycuan tribal members proudly pass down many time-honored traditions and customs to keep their heritage alive. They are an independent, sovereign nation with their own democratically elected government, the Tribal Council, but they also adhere to all state and federal laws.

For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay lived peacefully and prospered in San Diego’s temperate climate. Although much of their land was stolen and their population reduced 90% by smallpox, the Kumeyaay were among the most resistant of all California Indians to subjugation. It wasn’t until 1875, after over 100 years of unspeakable treatment of Native Americans, that President Ulysses S. Grant took the first step towards an Indian Peace Policy. He passed an Executive Order that set aside specific lands in San Diego County for the exclusive use by the Kumeyaay.

The current 640 acre, one-square mile Sycuan Reservation was included in this order. The land given to Sycuan was remote, harsh and poor for farming. But the Sycuan people, through force of will, maintained their time-honored traditions and survived. In 1891, the U.S. finally recognized the sovereign status of California Indian tribes by passing the “Act for the Relief of the Mission Indians.” As a result, Sycuan had diversified as a business enterprise. To date, the casino has been the Band’s most noteworthy economic success of their many endeavors. Sycuan Casino was opened in 1983 by the Sycuan Tribe as an Indian bingo hall. Business was profitable and the bingo hall was expanded in 1990 to a 1,500-seat bingo parlor in a 68,000-square-foot building. It included 35 poker tables and 20 seats for off-track betting.

OVER THREE DECADES LATER, THEY HAVE GROWN INTO ONE OF SAN DIEGO’S PREMIER DESTINATIONS OFFERING SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE 21 OR OLDER.

They recently completed a $260 million expansion project featuring a 12-story luxury hotel with more than 300 guest rooms and 57 suites. The casino floor now includes 2,200 diverse slot machines and 50 classic table games like poker, blackjack, craps and roulette.

During our recent visit, we stayed in one of the balcony suites. Although the room layout was a little different, the bathroom was nice and roomy with a deep soaker tub (available upon request), as most of the rooms have showers. The views were spectacular. Our room’s scenery included the swimming pool and the mountains facing west, so we enjoyed the sunsets during our stay.

We found the staff to be well trained and extra friendly, which set the tone nicely during our stay. The casino floors were expansive with slot machines everywhere. I found their slot machines to be looser than other California casinos, as I actually played on the same $80 voucher for six hours. My partner won a $1,000+ dollar jackpot for the first time in the few years that he has been playing slots. There were lots of jackpot winners announced throughout the day and various promotions. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

WITH OVER 15 BARS AND RESTAURANTS RANGING FROM CASUAL TO UPSCALE, DINING AT SYCUAN CASINO RESORT IS AN EXPERIENCE IN ITSELF.

We ate at four of the restaurants and other than an above-average wait time for the food to arrive at the table, every meal we had was excellent. It is also to be noted that some of the eateries are only open Thursday through Sunday.

On our first evening, a Wednesday, we ate at Viewpoint Neighborhood Kitchen, which had well-appointed decor, a stellar view of the mountains, and approachable cuisine served morning, noon and night. For an appetizer, we indulged in crispy and tasty calamari, with fried jalapeno, fennel accompanied with Meyer lemon aioli and cocktail sauce. For entrees, I couldn’t resist the Prawns & Pasta dish, fettuccine slathered in tomato pesto cream adorned with

asparagus and fried capers, and topped with Parmesan. My partner had the honey glazed Wild Isles Salmon atop fennel salad, seared mushrooms and a delightful vegetable risotto. He very much enjoyed his dish. We were too full to order dessert, but the Limoncello Cheesecake and house-made sorbets and ice creams were tempting.

After enjoying a hot bubble bath and a good night’s sleep, we decided to forego breakfast on Thursday and check out Double Down Grill for our next meal just shy of noon. The prices were affordable, which made me curious about the quality of the food being up to par. Well, guess what? It was absolutely delicious! My $12 cheeseburger was by far one of the best I have had in recent memory and my partner had the $9 Fish & Chips and was pleasantly surprised as well. They have sandwiches and such available for take-out only, so we went back to our balcony and enjoyed the view while we ate.

As the evening rolled in, we dressed up for a fine-dining experience at Bull and Bourbon. It was an absolutely gorgeous upscale dining room with an amazing array of scotch and whiskey. The menu is specifically designed with steaks prepared on a custom wood-burning grill to be paired with hand-selected bourbon from the vast bourbon menu for flavor combinations that complement each other exquisitely.

To start, we indulged in the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, grilled lemon, gribiche sauce and arugula salad. They were nice and crispy, and the filling was packed with tender, flavorful crab meat. There were signs all over the casino promoting the Wednesday Surf & Turf $32 special, and the lobster tail and petite filet mignon were as delicious as I hoped they would be. My partner had the Bourbon Lobster Pasta consisting of a half Maine lobster, Applewood-smoked bacon tossed in a lobster cream sauce and sprinkled with chives. The presentation was as lovely as the combination of flavors. One other alluring promo they offer is the Date Night $55 three-course pre-fixe menu available on Sundays. This deal includes two Caesar salads, your choice of a 16-ounce New York strip steak in the shape of a heart or vegetarian Pappardelle, ending in a classic crème brulée.

After another exciting night of gambling, we sadly knew that we would be checking out the next day at 11 a.m. but wanted to visit the Pink Buddha on our way out. The menu highlighted an eclectic array of Asian-inspired dishes from a multitude of regions. My partner chose the Thai region with a classic Pad Thai that was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of heat. One of my favorite Asian dishes originates in Hong Kong and that is the Honey Walnut Shrimp, which has nice-sized tender shrimp with an authentic honey sauce with a side of steamed white rice. Other options include Custom Pho Soup, dishes in which Spam is the star, Dim Sum, Bahn Mi sandwiches and Korean fare — all at reasonable prices.

Other restaurants to explore on our next visit include Rank & File, Elicit Restaurant & Lounge, Hangry’s, Lucha Libre and the Red Tail Bar & Grill, which is located at the golf course.

SYCUAN HAS ALSO CREATED AN OASIS WITH TWO POOLS, A LAZY RIVER, A SWIM-UP BAR, LARGE JACUZZI AND CABANAS.

For those in need of Zen time, try the full-service spa and salon that offers a wide array of wellness treatments ranging from facials to massages, plus sauna and steam rooms, and a complete hair salon. A fully equipped fitness center is always open.

Other amenities include an 80,000-square-foot customizable meeting and event space. Their featured live entertainment is always a world-class guest experience, from A-list concerts and comedy shows to sports viewing parties and San Diego’s only country pool party.

Sycuan Casino Resort is located at 5469 Casino Way in El Cajon. sycuan.com or 619.445.6002