Coeur d’Alene Casino offers culinary, culture and activities

The bright lime green and hot pink colors of the costumes worn by the Indigenous dancers were a wonderful contrast to the high blue sky on a picture-perfect night at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. The dancers gyrated to the primal beat provided by local percussionists from their drum circle on the lawn during the casino’s “Authentic Cultural Dinner.”

Anecdotes were delivered while guests dined on delicious local cuisine featuring venison stew and huckleberry salmon. The entrees were accompanied by St. Mary’s rice pilaf and Indian fry bread, a Native American treat served with huckleberry jam and local honey just before sunset.

It’s not quite business as usual for the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, but the area destination is providing guests with an escape. The High Mountain Buffet is history, but restaurants such as Chinook Steak, Pasta and Spirits, which offers fine dining options, are busy. And enhancements are on the horizon.

James Beard-nominated chef and entrepreneur Adam Hegsted is revamping the Chinook menu. The former executive chef at the CdA Casino, who is the owner of Eat Good Group and chef/owner of Incrediburger and Eggs, among others, is putting the finishing touches on changes at the Chinook.

“We can’t express how excited we are at what Adam is working on (at the Chinook),” said Chuck Spahn, director of food and beverage at Coeur d’Alene Casino. “We’re trying to take what we have here to the next level.”

The Hegsted menu is slated for September.

While waiting for Hegsted, the Chinook proves to be an excellent dining option. The tribal wild caught salmon, chicken marsala and sauteed halibut are excellent choices. If you’re in the mood for beef, you can’t go wrong with the 14-ounce ribeye or the 12-ounce New York strip.

The can’t-miss is the Burgundy pork chop, a 14-ounce bone-in pork chop brined in red wine with rosemary and garlic. Chutney and smoky mashed potatoes are the accompaniments. One notable appetizer is the thick-sliced, beer-battered onion rings served with fire-roasted pepper jelly.

For lunch, try the Red Tail Bar and Grill and go for the reuben or shrimp tacos. For snacks, there’s the Huckleberry Deli with comforting items such as the loaded nachos and cheesesticks.

Is there a better way to burn off calories than with a round of golf? The Circling Raven Golf Club is a beauty surrounded by 620 acres of wetlands, woodlands and Palouse grasses.

Spa Ssakwa’q’n, which is a half-hour drive from the property, offers an array of services. Traditional full body massages, warmed smooth stones and couples massages are on the menu. Facials and body treatments, such as the relaxing mountain rain shower and manicures and pedicures, can be scheduled.

What separates the Coeur d’Alene Casino from much of its competition is its cultural events. It starts with the aforementioned cultural dinner. The cultural dinners are typically held Wednesday evenings. Recent events included a Cultural Bike and Boat tour and a kayaking and canoeing trip at Plummer Point and Plummer Marsh.

The Last Battle Tour, at 9 a.m. Aug. 29, is a look at the Steptoe Battle of 1858. The military action was a conflict between the U.S. government and the Coeur d’Alene, Palouse and Spokane tribes. The full-day tour, which concludes at 4 p.m., includes historians and tribal member guides and a visit to the Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage site.

And then there is gambling. During a recent visit, the halls were well-populated – folks love those penny slot machines – but there was still plenty of elbow room.

During this period of social distancing and mask-sporting folks, there are options and plenty of activities to engage in at the Coeur d’Alene Casino.