The following are just some of the restaurants that have opened - or reopened - their dining rooms, patios, and takeout windows. The season portends plenty of surprising, exciting, and delicious debuts all over the city. Go on the right night and you may see a local travel celebrity.Despite a pleasant stretch of unseasonably warm temperatures, it is indeed fall in Chicago. For people wanting to visit from downtown, Rivers offers a shuttle that runs 24/7 between the casino and the Rosemont CTA Blue Line stop. Overall, Rivers Des Plaines is a modern, clean casino well located for those near Chicago’s northwest suburbs. The drinks were fine, but not quite the quality I’d expect if promoting “acclaimed mixologists”.

The center bar, Lotus, bills itself as a “sophisticated cocktail lounge”. Don’t let the name fool you, Hugo’s, which is a part of Gibson’s Restaurant Group, is more upscale than other frog themed dining destinations. Rivers has a good dining mix which includes fast casual options, a standard buffet, and steakhouse, Hugo’s Frog. The restaurant options will serve day trippers well. Blackjack, which pays 3:2, had minimums of $15 or $25 on the main floor. I heard reports of abnormally high table limits, but I didn’t see anything unexpected. It’s a standard assortment, but baccarat seems to be the most popular and most accessible for low rollers–I saw plenty of $10 minimum baccarat on my Saturday night visit. Baccarat galoreĪccording to their own literature, the casino offers over 50 table games. There are no good VP pay tables at the quarter level, but I’ll take what I can get from a casino so close to home.

Thought, there is a nice variety of slots and video poker. There’s not much maneuverability, especially on a busy weekend night. The casino’s footprint is modest, wrapping the elevated, spacious center bar. It won’t raise any eyebrows, but Rivers does the job if you’re looking to get a few wagers down between conference sessions or before your flight out of town. For the record, you pronounce the ‘s’ in “Des Plaines” but not in “Illinois”. Rivers Casino Des Plaines is the closest Illinois casino to downtown Chicago. The best options, especially with Indiana expediting legal sports betting, are just over the eastern border of Illinois.

There are a smattering of serviceable, albeit unexciting, casinos in the Chicagoland area. Chicago has a ways to go be considered a great gambling destination.

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