ILLUSIONS - Thunder Valley Casino Resort's, three million dollar, newly refurbished ultra lounge. (Las Vegas caliber swankiness... 'And it shows.)
Since moving back from the OC mid-last year, I've been hearing chatter of the area's casinos either from friends, TV or radio commercials but had yet to visit one.
I'm not much of a "planner," the extent of most plans just focuses around me not being dead @ the end of the day... 'Generally. On my drive out to Auburn earlier that afternoon, I could not help but notice all the Thunder Valley billboards peppered along the freeway. So, it was an option... 'And here I was, my first casino visit since my "Back to the Bay" move.
It was around 8pm as I was making my return drive from Auburn, I thought I'd do a pop-in @ the Thunder Valley Casino since I happened to be in the area. It was a Tuesday evening, the front parking lot was about half-full which was perfect for me as I'm personally not a fan of large crowds in general. 'Nothing says "Casino," like herds of chain smoking, booze guzzling senior citizens. - You have arrived.
After a brief tour of the casino floor and cutting through the Thunder Bar, I ended up here @ Illusions.
ILLUSIONS
Hours: 10AM - 2AM daily
$10 Cover Fridays & Saturdays (8pm to 1am)
Live DJ Friday & Saturday (9pm to 1am)
Non-smoking facility
Illusions made its opening debut on New Year's Eve, selling out to a huge holiday crowd. 'Speaking with a few of the team members, many were very happy with their first night's turnout.
The ultra lounge also has a strict dress code which is understandable after investing three million dollars to class the casino up in a attempt to elevate it to the next level. After all, it's aiming to establish itself as high-end posh, not bus depot fabulous.
My first thought when I saw the name, Illusiuons, "A magic venue?... 'Cool." I wasn't sure if it was open to the public or a private area but another patron walked in ahead of me, so I simply strolled in right behind him. The first thing I noticed was the drastic decrease in noise from the outside casino floor. I walked in, looked around, and was immediately drawn to the center of the room by the guh'roovie light fixture suspended from the ceiling. I was reminded of the Harry Potter films, in which the Great Hall is filled with floating candles. (Yes, I'm a big nerd/geek, kinda comes with the whole "Artist Package." 'And yes again, I do go to the San Diego Comicon as well.)
After a few minutes, I was approached by Dani, the host/waitress asking if she could help me w/anything. I told her that this was my first visit to the casino and just happened to walk into Illusions out of curiosity... 'The next thing I know, Dani's leading me up the winding staircase to the upper mezzanine where she gave me a brief tour/history on the newly opened lounge. (Which as of then, had opened its doors about a week ago on 12/31/14.)
The decor/layout is very posh, from the design & layout, variable lighting system, to its rich texture and warm color palette. I can imagine how crazy-packed this place can be on the weekends. On Friday & Saturday evenings, there is a live DJ and dancing. (9pm to 1am) However, with that said, there is no officially designated "Dance floor," BUT that's merely a building code, technicality more than anything else. As nice and spacious as Illusions is, I could see elbow room being a challenge especially on the weekends.
TIP: If you come on a busy Friday/Saturday evening, I suggest staking out a claim at one of the tables since that's going to be prime real estate as the venue fills up throughout the night. Illusions seems to be set up for a larger "standing crowd," so setting up base camp for your entourage early would be a smart plan.
I took a seat @ the bar where bartenders, Mike & Brian, helped me navigate the drink menu. Apparently the hot trend today is smoke infused cocktails... So, let's try that!
Round 1(Mike) - "Flowers on Fire" ($16)
Okay; "different"; VERY smoky; good flavor
Round 2 (Brian) - "Tea Garden Cooler" ($12)
Good; refreshing; light; good flavor
The drink prices are relatively standard for similar venues but IMO, a bit on the weak side, lots of ice. Both drinks were poured with a light hand, not as strong as I had anticipated especially given their respective prices. (Shrugs) "Eh..."
Dani, Brian, & Mike - Mahalo nui for the aloha!
Photo - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/illusions-lincoln?select=hk6to1wLtbhrQ8e_b1wZ4Q#IIz4jjze2hMS1Je0OT1MIA
It was an early Tuesday evening, not too crowded, light crowd, it was perfect. If I happen to be out in the area again, I could see stopping in here for a visit. Personally, I wouldn't drive out here just to gamble but a good steak, a couple of drinks... 'Very doable.
BONUS: Bartender Brian's Cinnamon Bacon - Coat both sides of thick bacon w/cinnamon; bake @ 325F for 25 min; drip pan recommended (Thanks Brian!)
- Big Aloha!
Food (Drinks): 3-
Ambiance: 4
Service: 5
Value: 3 read more