Latest news with #StephanieIzard
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Hollywood Casino Joliet set to open earlier than expected
A new Chicago-area casino is getting ready to open this summer – months ahead of schedule. Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. 'The countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,' Jay Snowden, Penn Entertainment's CEO and president, said in a news release. 'The move from our existing riverboat significantly improves our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market, and both our existing customers and new guests will be able to enjoy premier gaming, dining, and entertainment at this exceptionally accessible new location.' Construction is nearing completion on the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The facility will feature expanded gaming, with 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. The casino, which broke ground in December 2023, was initially projected to open at the end of this year. Penn is also building a new land-based entertainment complex for Hollywood Casino Aurora, which is slated to open next year. The $360 million facility is going up near I-88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall and will include 1,200 gaming positions, a 220-room hotel, a retail sportsbook, a spa, an outdoor entertainment area, a 12,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. Both casinos will offer new Italian restaurants in partnership with Giada De Laurentiis, and food halls featuring the first suburban locations for Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Lucky Goat, a new burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard. The restaurants are expected to open in time to feed the first gamblers at Hollywood Casino Joliet in August, pending approval by the Illinois Gaming Board, a Penn spokesperson said. Launched in the 1990s when the state legalized riverboat casinos, both Joliet and Aurora are still operating as permanently moored barges on the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, respectively. The state's sweeping 2019 gambling expansion bill, which added everything from six new casinos to sports betting, allowed all casinos to be built on or moved to dry land. Rivers Des Plaines became the first to convert to a land-based casino, paying a $250,000 Gaming Board fee in 2020 to expand beyond an underground pool on which it was built. The state's newer casinos, including Bally's Chicago, Wind Creek Chicago Southland and Hard Rock Rockford, are all land-based. Rivers Casino Des Plaines was once again the state's top casino in April with $43.9 million in adjusted gross receipts, followed by newcomer Wind Creek, which hit a new high with $17.1 million in revenue, according to Gaming Board data. Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, launched in its permanent 70,000-square-foot casino in south suburban East Hazel Crest in November. Last month, it opened a 255-room hotel. In May 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally's was selected to build the Chicago casino at the site of the former Tribune printing plant in River West, a $1.7 billion proposal that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions. The casino is expected to open in September 2026. Work was temporarily halted May 1 after the Gaming Board discovered the construction project was using an unauthorized subcontracted waste hauler previously alleged to have had ties to organized crime. The agency gave Bally's Chicago the green light to resume construction May 15 with a new vendor vetting and disclosure process in place. Bally's, which has been operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple since September 2023, was ranked fifth among the state's 16 full casinos with $11 million in adjusted gross receipts last month, according to data from the Gaming Board. Hollywood Casino Aurora ranked eighth in revenue during April at $8.3 million and Hollywood Casino Joliet was 10th at $7.1 million, according to Gaming Board data. rchannick@
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New Hollywood Casino Joliet set to open earlier than expected
A new Chicago-area casino is getting ready to open this summer – months ahead of schedule. Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility on Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. 'The countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,' Jay Snowden, Penn Entertainment's CEO and president, said in a news release. 'The move from our existing riverboat significantly improves our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market, and both our existing customers and new guests will be able to enjoy premier gaming, dining, and entertainment at this exceptionally accessible new location.' Construction is nearing completion on the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The facility will feature expanded gaming, with 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. The casino, which broke ground in December 2023, was initially projected to open at the end of this year. Penn is also building a new land-based entertainment complex for Hollywood Casino Aurora, which is slated to open next year. The $360 million facility is going up near I-88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall and will include 1,200 gaming positions, a 220-room hotel, a retail sportsbook, a spa, an outdoor entertainment area, a 12,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. Both casinos will offer new Italian restaurants in partnership with Giada De Laurentiis, and food halls featuring the first suburban locations for Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Lucky Goat, a new burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard. The restaurants are expected to open in time to feed the first gamblers at Hollywood Casino Joliet in August, pending approval by the Illinois Gaming Board, a Penn spokesperson said. Launched in the 1990s when the state legalized riverboat casinos, both Joliet and Aurora are still operating as permanently moored barges on the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, respectively. The state's sweeping 2019 gambling expansion bill, which added everything from six new casinos to sports betting, allowed all casinos to be built on or moved to dry land. Rivers Des Plaines became the first to convert to a land-based casino, paying a $250,000 Gaming Board fee in 2020 to expand beyond an underground pool on which it was built. The state's newer casinos, including Bally's Chicago, Wind Creek Chicago Southland and Hard Rock Rockford, are all land-based. Rivers Casino Des Plaines was once again the state's top casino in April with $43.9 million in adjusted gross receipts, followed by newcomer Wind Creek, which hit a new high with $17.1 million in revenue, according to Gaming Board data. Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, launched in its permanent 70,000-square-foot casino in south suburban East Hazel Crest in November. Last month, it opened a 255-room hotel. In May 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally's was selected to build the Chicago casino at the site of the former Tribune printing plant in River West, a $1.7 billion proposal that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions. The casino is expected to open in September 2026. Work was temporarily shut down May 1 after the Gaming Board discovered the construction project was using an unauthorized subcontracted waste hauler previously alleged to have had ties to organized crime. The agency gave Bally's Chicago the green light to resume construction May 15 with a new vendor vetting and disclosure process in place. Bally's, which has been operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple since September 2023, was ranked fifth among the state's 16 full casinos with $11 million in adjusted gross receipts last month, according to data from the Gaming Board. Hollywood Casino Aurora ranked eighth in revenue during April at $8.3 million and Hollywood Casino Joliet was 10th at $7.1 million, according to Gaming Board data. rchannick@
Eater
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Where Your Favorite Chefs and Food Experts Eat When They're Off the Clock
Since the Eater app launched last October, it's been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, consistently helping users find their next great meal. Now, the app has a shiny new feature: list sharing! In this latest update, users can create their own list of Eater-approved restaurants around the world, whether it's favorite date night spots in Brooklyn, wine bars in the Bay Area, or Korean BBQ in Seoul. To kick things off, we reached out to some friends of Eater to create their own lists in the app: Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner, Le Bernadin: Go-To Power Lunches Stephanie Izard, executive chef/partner, Girl & the Goat: Hometown Chicago Spots Danny Garcia, executive chef, Time and Time: Easy Eats Hillary Sterling, executive chef, Ci Siamo: Favorite Takeout Sue Chan, founder, Care of Chan: New York Favorites Alicia Kennedy, writer and author, No Meat Required : Favorite Martinis : Favorite Martinis Patricia Howard, co-owner, Lord's: Monday Date Night Spots Ed Szymanski, co-owner, Lord's: Spots to Drink Wine Yara Herrera, executive chef/owner, Hellbender: NY Favorites Dan Pelosi, author, Let's Eat and Let's Party : Italian Go-Tos and : Italian Go-Tos Bill Esparza, journalist and Eater contributor: Top Five LA Tacos Lindsey Tramuta, author, The Eater Guide to Paris : Pastry Hot List : Pastry Hot List James Park, author, Chili Crisp : Go-To Korean in NYC : Go-To Korean in NYC Rebecca Thimmesch, writer, Chic! newsletter, Places to Share Juicy Gossip in London Join the fun and download the Eater app, create lists, and share your own highly opinionated lists with anyone who needs a recommendation. Plus, search for restaurants by neighborhood, dish, or cuisine type and book reservations through Capital One Dining, SevenRooms, and other reservation platforms. Related Download the Eater App
Time Out
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Stephanie Izard of Girl & The Goat to open two new restaurants inside of Chicagoland casinos
She's the co-owner and executive chef behind three of the most-loved restaurants in all of Chicagoland— Girl and the Goat, Little Goat Diner and Duck Duck Goat —and, now, Stephanie Izard is expanding her Windy City empire with two new dining they're in a surprising place. For her latest restaurant project, the James Beard Award-winning toque and television personality—who made TV history as the first female chef to win Bravo's Top Chef— is partnering with Hollywood Casino to unveil a new burger concept at two of the casino's suburban locations. In keeping with Izard's livestock theme, the new concept will be dubbed Lucky Goat and will sling specialty burgers, French fries, milkshakes and more. It remains to be seen if Izard's popular patties like the Chili Crunch Burger from Little Goat Diner will make their way into the Lucky Goat menu or if the spread will be made up of entirely new offerings. Needless to say, we're game for either option. Lucky Goat will be found at Hollywood's Joliet and Aurora casinos as part of the locations' new Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, a food hall concept that will spotlight Chicago-based eateries and vendors. The celebrity chef's new venture will be joined by Rick and Ashley Ortiz's Antique Taco, a neighborhood Mexican spot with locations in Wicker Park and Bridgeport and a menu full of handmade tacos, salads, salsas and more; as well as Dana Salls-Cree's Pretty Cool Ice Cream, known for its unique scoops, bars, cookie sandwiches and more, with storefronts in Logan Square and Lincoln Park. Five50 Pizza will also debut on site, offering the masses New York- and Neapolitan-inspired pies. The Boulevard food halls will be designed and operated by McClain Camarota Hospitality, which was founded by Shawn McClain. As area foodies might remember, McClain is the Chicago restaurateur behind eateries including Spring, Green Zebra and Custom House. 'We're proud to feature local area chefs and restaurants at the new Hollywood Casino Joliet,' said Ruben Warren, Vice President and General Manager of Hollywood Casino Joliet, per Patch Chicago. 'Boulevard Food & Drink Hall will offer premium dining options, and we can't wait to introduce our guests to this new social space later this year.'
Chicago Tribune
01-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Afternoon Briefing: Advocates press funding for college test prep support program
Good afternoon, Chicago. Supporters of a state program providing free test preparation to students at public universities and some community colleges said the effort has saved students over $8 million in just two months, but needs $10 million in state funding to remain in operation. Illinois launched the program in late February, becoming the first state to offer free comprehensive test preparation for college students and already serving more than 200,000 students statewide. The program, a collaboration between the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the educational service company Kaplan, allows students free access to more than 40 prep courses including graduate-level admissions exams such as the LSAT for law school, as well as courses in data analytics, cybersecurity and real estate. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. May Day rally underway in Union Park with march planned to Grant Park later in the day Hundreds of marchers and demonstrators gathered at Union Park in the West Loop Thursday morning for a rally on May Day, a celebration commemorating the labor movement. Read more here. What to know about May Day, including its Chicago origins and how it has grown over the years Bilingual science teacher at East Leyden High School named Illinois Teacher of the Year Hollywood Casino food courts in Joliet, Aurora to get Stephanie Izard's Goat, Antique Taco The new land-based Hollywood casinos coming to Joliet and Aurora are betting that the way to a gambler's heart is through their stomach. Read more here. More top business stories: Hailey Van Lith credits LSU for strengthening her resilience ahead of Baton Rouge return with the Chicago Sky The guard will play her first preseason minutes with the Chicago Sky tomorrow in an exhibition game against Brazil in a familiar setting — the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where she spent the toughest year of her collegiate career with LSU. Read more here. Chicago baseball report: Division play heats up for 18-13 Cubs and 7-23 White Sox Man who fell from 21-foot Clemente Wall at PNC Park during Cubs-Pirates game in critical condition 2025 Tony Award nominations: Steppenwolf's 'Purpose' and 'Death Becomes Her' both score big Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company woke up this morning to boffo Tony Award news as plaudits landed on its world premiere production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drama, 'Purpose,' a bold play very loosely based on the family of political activist Jesse Jackson Jr. and now playing on Broadway. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: From Tokyo to Turin to LA, President Donald Trump's policies loom over May Day marches Across continents, tens of thousands turned out for today's rallies marking International Workers' Day, many citing President Donald Trump's agenda — from aggressive tariffs spurring fears of global economic turmoil to immigration crackdowns — as a central concern. Read more here.
