Asia, Azteca, Comedy and a Bears Victory spell “Fun In Waukegan”

***** What a night! It was our second visit to the American Place Casino in Fountain Square ( Waukegan/ the old Lakehurst Mall) and their Asian/Azteca dining room. We met Frank and Cary there. It was their first visit and they were pretty excited to see what this new venue had to offer. Of course, they had to walk through the casino to find us, and Jane and I were already talking with some of the wonderful staff. The menu is not one that I would call “fusion” of two cultures ( YET), but after meeting chef Meghan, we were advised that she is working at doing this very soon. For the moment,, they have two sides to their menu- Azteca and Asia, each having a “street food” section as well as entrees. Our server, Anais, who truly knows the menu was quite helpful in helping us explore the flavors that are offered in this beautiful dining room.

Cary and I ordered our Tito’s on the rocks while Frank and Jane enjoyed one of the specialty cocktails as we began our adventure. We began our evening with Chinese Edamame, which were grilled a bit and had a wonderful ting of garlic. We also enjoyed Crab Rangoon and crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls from that side of the menu, and of course, the Fried Rice Combo (chicken, beef, pork and shrimp) this was heaven! The Mongolian Beef (sliced skirt steak) was to die for!

Of course, we did Azteca as well Elotes ( dynamite roasted sweet corn dish), some wonderful house made Guacamole with delicious home made chips ( Jane’s favorite), the Flautas Con Pollo (pulled roast chicken rolled tacos) and Snapper Aguachili was a flavor to savor for sure. Last, but certainly not least , the Birria Beef Tacos (braised beef on a perfect taco with sauces and flavors to satisfy each of us in a different way). I am pretty sure that in addition to these and the many other items on their menu, Chef  Meghan will bring some of these flavors together into a unique and special treat that American Place’s Asia-Azteca Chinese-Mexican Cuisine will become known for. Since we were on our way to the comedy show, we just tried two of their desserts: Dulce de Leche Churros ( amazing) and of course their Mexican Chocolate Cake with Khaliah cream ( it erupts in your mouth)!

The dining hours for this one:

Sunday-Thursday 4 p.m.- 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 4 p.m.- 11 p.m.  It is suggested that reservations be made. Visit www.americanplace.com

call 773-477-9515

By the way, the casino is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Table game hours 8 a.m. until 4 a.m.

Must be 21 with a photo ID to enter.

They are located at 4011 Fountain Square Place ( just South of route 120 ( Belvedere Road) and West of Waukegan Road (route 43).

The comedy Club is called Laughs at the Lighthouse and we were able  to see Steve Hytner ( most of us know him from Seinfeld as Kenny Bania) do his show. The lead comedian was not on tonight, but part of that could have been the excitement going on in the building regarding a special event- The Bears versus Green Bay Packers in a playoff game on the way to the Super Bowl(?). During his set, the Packers were killing our Bears ( Waukegan is an area that appeals to both Wisconsin and Illinois fans, so the mix was unreal). Hytner took the stage and the mood of the audience changed. I think most of us were there for him. I loved his character on Seinfeld and he did finish his set by doing some stories about the show and his character as well as a special tribute to Jerry Stiller. I had the opportunity to work with Stiller ( and Ann Meara) back in my days at The Happy Medium for a show called “Medium Rare”, so I truly felt what Steve felt about this amazing comic ( and person).

The showroom is comfortable and its only problem is sound carries from the casino so big winners take over and last night every time there was a score we knew it. After the show, we ventured out to the Casino to leave some money behind, but were also in a position to watch the end of the game where our Chicago Bears once again pulled off the Miracle on Lake Shore Drive. WOW! They did it again, and for us, the evening was one we will never forget. Great food and service, a wonderful hours plus of comedy, an amazing comeback win for the Bears and some wonderful memories. My thanks to American Place Casino and their PR Manager, Brooke Wallace for making our Saturday night extra special. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger  “I’ll Be Back!

Again- American Place Casino- Waukegan. A place where fun awaits you!