Valley View Casino - Madhouse

We went to Valley View Casino last night. It was beyond packed. You could not eat at the buffet at all unless you had a Silver Card. That produced a plethora of pissed off Red Card Patrons. The slot machines were 90 percent in use – which meant that your favorite machine was probably not available. Further, and regrettably, more people produced the inevitable more smoke. 

Since the buddy we accompanied to the casino was the proud owner of the coveted Silver Card, we were issued a pager for the buffet. After a two-hour fifteen minute wait, it alerted us that it was our turn to eat.

I was a bit disappointed. I am not sure if I was just a bit too hungry at 7:30 pm or the Valley View Casino Chefs were just overwhelmed . . . . the food was substandard. My tiny lobster tail appear a tad undercook and therefore presented as “slimy.” My salad was accompanied by a funny sour taste. The chocolate pudding had a slight hard film on the top - yucky.

Bottom line, I had an awesome time with my husband and friends. We played and laughed and enjoyed each other. However, I did learn some pros and cons.

Pros:

The fact that my favorite slot machines were in use forced me to try and appreciate new ones.

Paul and I spent $40 on our buffet ($20 each) and only lost $15 gambling and boy did we gamble. So it was a relatively affordable date night.

Cons:

We were told by staff that it is always a madhouse at Valley View at the end of the month, as patrons try to redeem their complimentary food and gift coupons before they expire. When you couple that with a holiday (Halloween) . . . . that madhouse morphs into an insane asylum.

My final note on Valley View – This casino is cutting way back on their “freebies.” Last night my friend’s wife lost her Silver Card privileges. Paul and I have not received a “free” buffet in months. We have been told that it is all based on your spending over the last six-month period. However, that does not make much sense to us since our play has been consistent over the years.

Another bottom line coming here: In the last few years, our casino group would visit Valley View at least once a month, some months twice. However, we decided last night that it is time to explore other casino options . . . as our loyalty to Valley View is becoming increasingly unrewarding.

My suggestion was Harrah’s Rincon . . . . Viejas was also discussed. The new month should bring a new Casino adventure.

Valley View Casino – VIP Wine and Food Event

Saturday, April 22 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. 

 

Yesterday, my husband Paul and I were honored to be included in the Valley View Casino VIP Wine and Food Event. This experience was ‘By Invitation Only.’ However, I won our participation through a contest presented by KFM-BFM .

Check–in at 5:00 p.m. went smoothly and quickly. We were given purple wristbands that allowed us entry into this very special wine and food gathering. During this exclusive VIP Event, we sampled numerous varieties of wine from BK Cellars Urban Winery while indulging in delicious ‘made-from-scratch’ food pairings.

 

Wine / Food Pairings

• Cabernet Sauvignon (South Coast) paired with chocolate fountain-dipped strawberries, petit fours and truffles.
• Grenache / Syrah / Mourvedre (El Pomar District) paired with cheese, crudite, dried fruit, nuts, olives, grapes, crostini/crackers and bread with spreads (Hummus, White Bean, Olive Tapenade).
• Le Melange Blanc (California) paired with chilled lobster, grapefruit, fennel, pickled red onion and arugula with citrus vinaigrette.
• Merlot (Temecula Valley) paired with lamb sliders
• Syrah (San Pasqual Valley) paired with braised beef short ribs and potato puree

BK Cellars is one of San Diego County’s newest urban wineries. They make wine in the historic Escondido Vineyard District. This urban winery is a functional winery making wine on-site from California grapes and serving their tantalizing white and red wines in a tasting lounge with a cosmopolitan flare.

Both the food and wine was available and free for the whole four hours. While the portions were small; you could have as much as you wanted. My wine of choice was the San Pasqual Valley Syrah. The Valley View Chefs did an excellent job with all the food; however the chocolate fountain-dipped strawberries definitely proved to be my downfall.

Live music was presented throughout the evening by a trio named 'Tres.'  I was amazed at how many of my favorites they covered. I loved their closing performance of 'I Don't Know Why' by Norah Jones.

Brett Winterble expertly served as the event master of ceremonies. He proficiently kept the appreciative attendees excited and engaged. A free bottle of BK Cellars Wine was given away every 15 minutes until the Grand Prize drawing at 8:30 p.m. The Grand Prize consisted of an all-inclusive Napa Valley Get-Away for two including airfare, couples massage, wine tasting, and a $1,000 spending cash.

Although we did not win anything at the wine tasting event itself, both Paul and I had abnormally good luck at the slots. We actually returned home with an extra One Hundred and Fifteen Dollars ($115) in our pockets.

The only con of this VIP affair was a lack of adequate seating. There were plenty of older patrons forced to stand for long periods. Nevertheless, both Paul and I thoroughly enjoyed making history by attending this first-ever Valley View Casino – VIP Wine and Food Event. If you ever receive an invite, I recommend that you go.

At Valley View for their first VIP wine 🍷 tasting event. Yes I am finally a VIP again!

A post shared by Missy Smith (@zwriter1) on Apr 22, 2017 at 8:40pm PDT

Valley View Casino - Jackpot

Oma and Opa took a quick break from the bustle of everyday life and headed to the casino last night.

Valley View Casino & Hotel, Southern California's premiere gaming destination, combines the thrill of 2000 of San Diego's only Certified Loose slots and your favorite table games with beautiful luxury hotel rooms, seven delicious restaurants and impeccable guest service. Take a step away from the ordinary and take in every detail we offer, from free live entertainment nightly, breathtaking views, expertly-prepared meals, remarkable amenities and so much more.

Well the slots paid off well for us last night. The photo above is of my biggest jackpot of the evening – Oma won $172.00 on a 50 cent bet!

Valley View Casino -  It was a fun evening that included a “free lobster buffet!”