Hollywood Casino Toledo’s Final Cut Steak & Seafood recently proved it really is a cut above the rest as it was awarded a four-star rating by Forbes Travel Guide — the only restaurant in Ohio, Michigan or Indiana to receive that distinction.

Four-star restaurants ”impress with attentive service and exceptional facilities,” according to startle.com, the new online home of the iconic travel guide. Formerly known as the Mobil Travel Guide, Forbes Travel Guide went online via Startle in 2011, marking the last year of publication for the traditional printed guide

This year’s guide lists only 133 restaurants four-star restaurants and only 28 five-star ratings in the country.

“These are exciting restaurants with often well-known chefs who feature creative, complex foods and emphasize various culinary techniques and a focus on seasonality,” the website stated. “A highly trained dining room staff provides refined personal service.”

Earning a Forbes four-star rating has been an often-stated goal of Director of Food and Beverage Marc Guastella since the casino opened less than a year ago on May 29.

Final Cut debuted a new menu in January, featuring American Wagyu beef, cob and lobster dishes as well as appetizers like housemade tater tots and roasted bacon.

The Palace Restaurant in Cincinnati received a recommended rating, meaning it ranked just below four stars. The MGM Grand Detroit hotel and its Immerse Spa both also received four stars, the only four-star hotel and spa in the region.

For more information and a full list of winners, visit startle.com/about/awardwinners.

Tags: Final Cut Steak & Seafood, Forbes Travel Guide, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Marc Guastella

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2013 at 4:15 am and is filed under Food, Hollywood Casino Toledo — Year One.
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Hollywood Casino Toledo Executive Chef Brian Hein will soon debut “the next evolution” of Final Cut Steak & Seafood’s menu, adding a new variety of premium steak as well as cod and lobster dishes, appetizers and more.

Hollywood Casino Toledo Executive Chef Brian Hein and his team have developed several new menu items for Final Cut Steak & Seafood. Toledo Free Press Photo by Joseph Herr.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Hollywood Casino Toledo Director of Food and Beverage Marc Guastella of the new menu. “When we opened I think our product was outstanding, but this is really going to take it to the next level.”

The most significant change is the addition of American Wagyu steak, Hein said.

“It’s what I like to refer to as beef butter. It melts in your mouth,” Hein said. “Its rating (on a scale of 0 to 10) is 10-plus. That’s as high as you can get. It really represents [a tiny percentage] of the cattle in America. Obviously it’s not a steak you’re going to eat every other night, but to experience it is certainly a treat. If you have the opportunity and you’re a beef fan, I would strongly recommend coming in. It’s quite spectacular.”

American Wagyu is known for its high marbling content, which makes it extremely tender, rich and flavorful, Guastella said.

“We’re excited. This makes us very unique.  There’s really not many restaurants that offer that grade of meat,” Guastella said. “You can cut through it with a butter knife. It’s that tender and the flavor is outrageous. It’s just phenomenal steak.”

Final Cut will now offer three tiers of steak: Midwestern corn-fed steer, USDA Prime and American Wagyu.

“We’ve got three levels, which is very unique because a lot of steakhouses have at most two levels of beef,” Guastella said. “To have three levels is incredible and really gives guests at all price points the option to enjoy it.”

American Wagyu will be offered as a 12-ounce Kansas City Strip for $96, a 10-ounce Top Cap Ribeye for $89 or a 5-ounce Top Cap Ribeye for $45.

The meat will come from Idaho-based Snake River Farms, which supplies beef to many well-known  high-end eateries, including California’s The French Laundry and “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto’s eateries.

Another new entrée at Final Cut is the Georges Bank Cod, cooked with Asian noodles in a tagine, an earthenware pot with a cone-shaped lid commonly used in Mediterranean cooking.

“This is a bit unusual because we’re preparing this cod dish in a tagine with Asian fusion in a steakhouse, so we pretty much travel the whole world right there in that one dish,” Hein said, laughing. “The last step is to interject a little bit of applewood smoke into the tagine. Then at the table, you pull off the top and the smoke perfumes right in front of you and just jump starts your senses.”

Cioppino — a seafood stew featuring shrimp, scallops, mussels and crab in a tomato-based broth — is another new entrée.

“The cioppino we actually ran as a special and it was so successful we decided to put that on the menu,” Guastella said. “Especially in the wintertime, there’s nothing better.”

A lamb shank, featuring cipollini onions, wild mushrooms and port wine, is also a classic winter dish, Guastella said.

“The meat just falls off the bone,” he said. “It’s a very rich braised item, perfect for cold weather.”

A Maine Lobster entrée, featuring a one-and-a-half-pound lobster filled with Thermidor stuffing, is also new.

Perhaps the most surprising new appetizer is tater tots.

“We like to have a little fun with our appetizer section,” Hein said. “We pulled out of some of the traditionalist thinking and one of the items we’re putting on there is homemade tater tots. This is an adult version obviously, but we make them from scratch and we present them with homemade jalapeño jam, a mornay sauce and pork crackling from Tank’s Meats in Elmore.”

Another new appetizer is roasted bacon, artisan-cured by Tank’s Meats and featuring a maple glaze, arugula pesto and Russian dressing.

“The Russian dressing is a little bit different,” Hein said. “We put it on an anti-griddle, which is extremely cold, and it actually freezes. That’s how we put it on the plate. Then over the course of eating it, it begins to thaw and gives just a little bit of texture on the plate.”

Other new appetizers include carpaccio, a yellowtail snapper in a grape and leek emulsion, and a lobster chowder, which will replace the lobster bisque.

Sorbet, used to cleanse the palate between courses, is also new.

“We’ll be playing around with flavors, but the ones we have now are pomegranate lime, green tea ginger and lemongrass honey,” Guastella said.

Guastella and Hein said they pride themselves on offering something for everyone.

“We feel like guests are going to be very pleased not only at the quality of the product, but also at the eclectic nature of the menu,” Guastella said. “Our menu is packed. We have very affordable options, but also high-end exclusive options. I doubt there’ll be any option for a guest to say there’s nothing on there that they like.”

For more information, visit hollywoodcasinotoledo.com.

Tags: American Wagyu, Brian Hein, Final Cut, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Marc Guastella

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 6:18 pm and is filed under Community, Food, Hollywood Casino Toledo — Year One, Restaurants.
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Hollywood Casino Toledo General Manager Richard St. Jean has plenty to be cheerful about as the casino, which opened May 29, marks seven months in business.

Hollywood Casino Toledo General Manager Richard St. Jean reports success during the casino's first seven months. Toledo Free Press File Photo by Joseph Herr.

Business is brisk while concerns about increased crime, traffic jams and gambling addictions have subsided.

“Early on, we did our best to assure local residents, businesses and government that a lot of what you hear [about casinos] isn’t necessarily true and won’t materialize,” St. Jean said. “[Rossford has had] virtually no incidences associated with those fears, aside from increased traffic on the Toledo side obviously coming up and down 75. And we’ve heard the same thing from [Toledo Police] Chief [Derrick] Diggs and [Toledo]Mayor [Mike] Bell, so all of our efforts to educate and inform everyone early on have now been validated by what they are actually seeing on a day-to-day basis. We’re very pleased they feel more comfortable with this neighbor in their backyard.”

Penn National Gaming, which operates the casino, is happy with the property’s performance, particularly the volumes, St. Jean said.

“Table games, poker and food and beverage in particular have far exceeded our expectations and slots is actually right around where we expected it would be,” St. Jean said.

Gamblers wagered a total of $126.7 million at Toledo’s casino in November, including $113.2 million on slot machines and $13.9 million on table games. Total wagers were down about 9 percent from the $138.8 million wagered in October, which was also down about 9 percent from the $153.1 million wagered in September, according to monthly reports from the Ohio Casino Control Commission. Taxable revenue in November was $13.6 million, down from $14.8 million in October, $15.9 million in September, $17.4 million in August, $19.1 million in July and $20.4 million in June, the casino’s first full month of operation.

“This dip in business month over month as we settle into the fourth quarter of 2012 was absolutely expected and we expect to ramp up as we head into 2013,” St. Jean said. “We looked at what we’ve seen at other grand openings, particularly in the Detroit market, and we’re really following those trends very, very closely.”

St. Jean said he is proud Toledo’s casino fulfilled its pledge to hire 90 percent of its workforce locally and to promote from within. So far, 55 team members have been promoted once, six have been promoted twice and two have been promoted three times.

The casino is exploring adding more entertainment options beyond gaming, such as a riverfront concert series, car show or food and wine festival.

“There’s still somewhat of a perception I hear that you must be a gamer to come to the casino, which is far from the truth,” St. Jean said.

Director of Food and Beverage Marc Guastella said expectations were high for the casino’s four eateries, but he feels all have delivered.

Guastella hopes Final Cut Steak & Seafood will earn a Forbes four-star rating when the next report is released in spring 2013.

“Four stars is very achievable for us and I’m confident we can achieve that,” Guastella said.

Brenda Schwind, vice president of the Rossford Business Association (RBA), said the casino is a “great partner.”

“Everybody I’ve talked to, even people who were really leery of the casino coming in, are impressed with the facility and I’ve heard nothing but good comments,” said Schwind, of Directions Credit Union. “I think people have been very surprised. They’ve proven to be a very good neighbor.”

Rossford Mayor Neil A. MacKinnon III agreed.

“I’ve been in business quite a while now and I know these guys are sincere and they are for real,” MacKinnon said during a recent Rossford City Council meeting. “I consider them friends and I consider them part of the fabric of the community. Their participation in the RBA has been phenomenal.”

Mayor Bell also feels the casino is a positive asset, said Public Information Officer Jen Sorgenfrei.

“The revenues are definitely aiding the city budget and they’ve been a good corporate citizen, contributing to local philanthropy and supporting community organizations,” Sorgenfrei said. “They are still finding their equilibrium, but remain a positive asset to the region.”

There hasn’t been a major influx of crime like many feared, agreed Rossford Police Chief Glenn Goss Sr. and Sgt. Joe Heffernan, who is public information officer for the Toledo Police Department.

“Whenever you have more people, you’re going to have more issues, but we haven’t had any major incidents that you can point your finger at and say, ‘That’s the casino’s fault,’” Goss said. “It’s still new. We’re still monitoring. We’ll have to wait and see. There could be good and bad down the road, but as far as law enforcement, it hasn’t really affected Rossford directly, which we’re thankful for.”

Penn National recently presented a $200,000 grant to Rossford’s police and fire departments. The company also donated more than $12,000 to help Rossford Police create a K-9 unit.

“I keep hearing people call them good neighbors, like a cliché, but truly they are,” Goss said. “I think we’re really fortunate to have the casino here.”

Bill McFarland, interim superintendent of Rossford Schools, said the district has had no issues with crime or traffic, as some parents feared.

“We really have seen no effect. We hardly know it’s there to be honest with you,” McFarland said.

“The hysteria and paranoia I think has long been forgotten. I think it’s functioning really well and I don’t think it’s having any negative effect on our community at all.”

Larry Eilert, owner of Larry’s Auto Center in Rossford, said he’s pleased with an uptick in business the casino has created.

“I’ve gotten more customers from there, especially the employee side of it,” Eilert said. “There is more traffic — but it’s a good traffic, not a bad traffic.”

Holley Bockelman, who owns Bock’s Place in Rossford with her father Bill Bockelman, said the casino hasn’t helped business as much as they were hoping, but it hasn’t hurt either.

“Really nothing has changed,” Bockelman said. “We thought it would be better. But the people who do come here are faithful. We get some of the casino workers later at night. Very, very seldom the out-of-towners. The locals will sometimes meet here and then go down there for a little gambling, some cocktails, watch a concert and then come back here. So that’s fun.”

Rossford City Councilman Larry Oberdorf Sr. said the casino has proved detractors wrong.

“A lot of people had apprehensions about Penn coming into this community and I think Penn has answered with good qualification all of those apprehensions,” Oberdorf said during a recent Rossford City Council meeting. “We haven’t had the traffic problems we had assumed or any of the other illicit things some people thought would happen. It’s really a professional organization. I’m extremely happy to have them in our locale.”

For more information, visit www.hollywoodcasinotoledo.com.

Tags: Brenda Schwind, Glenn Goss Sr., Hollywood Casino Toledo, Jen Sorgenfrei, Joe Heffernan, Larry Oberdorf Sr., Marc Guastella, Neil A. MacKinnon, Penn National Gaming, Richard St. Jean

This entry was posted on Friday, December 28th, 2012 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Casinos, Featured, Hollywood Casino Toledo — Year One, Toledo Business Link.
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Marc Guastella has managed restaurants at some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, including the Mandarin Oriental in London, The Peninsula in Chicago and the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Most recently he was director of operations for celebrity chef Michael Mina’s high-end restaurant empire.

Now the 32-year-old South African is bringing his skill and passion for fine-dining service to Hollywood Casino Toledo, where he will manage dining operations as director of food and beverage.

“I was contacted for the opportunity and when I came out here and met with the executive team and all the people who were on board at the time, it just looked like an incredible opportunity,” Guastella said. “The company’s vision, where it’s going, its expansion, just the quality of product is something really special. I thought it would be great to be a part of.”

Guastella and his family — wife Kathryn, son Michael, 3, and daughter Bailey, 1 — moved to Maumee from Las Vegas in December.

“It’s really nice. It’s a great place to raise kids and it looks like there will be great opportunities to do things in the summertime, which we’re kind of experiencing now,” Guastella said. “My wife is originally from the Midwest, Grand Rapids, Mich., so she’s really happy.”

Passion and drive

Casino General Manager Richard St. Jean said he was pleased to recruit a food and beverage director of Guastella’s caliber.

“Marc’s passion and drive for the restaurant and hospitality industry has led him on an international career working alongside some of the world’s most knowledgeable and celebrated chefs,” St. Jean wrote in an email to Toledo Free Press. “I expect that his experience in presentation and service will exceed our guests expectations as he introduces his standards of quality and detail to our guests.”

Guastella was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up in Cape Town. He started his restaurant career shortly after high school, working as a server at The Cape Grace, one of South Africa’s leading hotels. He later moved to London and then the United States, quickly rising through the restaurant management ranks to general manager.

Marc Guastella

In 2010, he joined the corporate team at Mina Group, where he oversaw all the Mina restaurants and reported directly to Mina. At the time, there were six restaurants, including BOURBON STEAK and SALTWATER at the MGM Grand Detroit. By the time he left, there were about 20 eateries. Guastella was also part of the group that came to Detroit in 2007 to help open the two MGM Grand restaurants.

Guastella said he loved working with Mina Group, but decided to pursue the Toledo job because of his wife and children.

“I was on the road a lot and this just gives an opportunity with my two little ones to kind of settle down in that respect,” Guastella said. “There’s absolutely no animosity there. I have the utmost respect for Michael, his company and his success. It’s a great organization.

“Michael’s a phenomenal person. He’s just unbelievably passionate about what he does. He cares deeply about everybody that works in his organization and fosters their development. He’s an incredible person, an incredible culinarian and an unbelievable restaurateur, hence his success.”

Guastella said the most important lesson he took from Mina Group is its emphasis on unforgettable service.

“There’s a lot of good restaurants, but there’s very few great restaurants,” Guastella said. “It’s an organization that fosters that unbelievable attention to detail and that’s what’s made him a success.”

Four dining options

Hollywood Casino Toledo, slated to open in May, will offer four dining options: Final Cut Steak and Seafood, the Skybox Sports Bar, Epic Buffet and Take 2 Grill.

“This restaurant [Final Cut] is really going to stand head and shoulders above the competition, and the same thing for the sports bar, the buffet and the grill too,” Guastella said. “We really want every single niche we have to stand apart and for people to want to come back.”

Guastella has ambitious goals for the venue, particularly Final Cut, which he hopes can earn a Forbes four-star rating. The designation is rare; there are no Forbes four-star restaurants in Ohio and only one in Michigan — BOURBON STEAK at MGM Grand Detroit.

“The goal is to be the benchmark of service, not only in Toledo but in Ohio and really just be the finest restaurant out there,” Guastella said. “We want to be known as a destination. I want going for a great steak to be synonymous with coming to Final Cut, to get into people’s minds that there’s no alternative, for them to say, ‘This is where we go when it’s a special occasion,’ because the service is going to be amazing, the food is going to be amazing and the experience overall is going to be unforgettable.”

Final Cut, which will feature prime beef and seafood dishes, will be luxurious, but not pretentious, Guastella said.

“It will be an atmosphere where you are completely taken care of from the time you arrive until the time you leave,” Guastella said. “Just an overall luxurious experience from start to finish, but at the same time not at all stuffy. A lot of the time, restaurants that are high-end have a very stuffy label to them. We want guests to feel at ease and just enjoy their experience; we don’t want to intimidate them at all. Partnering great food and great atmosphere is a winning formula.”

One of Guastella’s favorite parts of his job is seeing customers satisfied.

“When somebody comes to a restaurant like this for a special occasion, the satisfaction you get for just blowing them away, where they leave and say, ‘You know what? That was the best dining experience of my life,’ is incredible,” Guastella said. “There’s not many jobs on a day-to-day basis where you can say you can achieve that and really impact somebody’s life positively every day.”

Tags: Epic Buffet, Final Cut Steak and Seafood, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Marc Guastella, Michael Mina, Richard St. Jean, Take 2 Grill, the Skybox Sports Bar

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2012 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Casinos, Community, Featured.
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