ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Area casinos are making sure that your Christmas is one to remember.
Book Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, Bernalillo on Tripadvisor: See 930 traveller reviews, 42 candid photos, and great deals for Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, ranked #1 of 5 hotels in Bernalillo and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. SANTA ANA STAR CASINO: A good meal and fun await you this Christmas Day. Enjoy the Christmas Day Prime Rib Feast from noon-9 p.m. Wednesday at The Feast Buffet. It’s all you can eat and only $15.95.
From elaborate buffets and exquisite sit-down meals to prosperous promotions, many New Mexico casinos have you covered.
Sandia Resort & Casino is in the Christmas spirit with several Christmas trees decorating the walking area near Tlur Pa Lounge and areas outside its conference rooms.
SANDIA RESORT & CASINO: Leave the cooking and the dish-washing to Sandia on Christmas with three eating venue options and price levels.
Come hungry and create your own holiday meal with hundreds of savory offerings at the Thur Shan Buffet. The whole family can pick and choose what they want from numerous food stations that offer a variety of cuisines including South of the Border, Asian and Italian stations.
The carving station will offer slow-roasted prime rib au jus and sugar-glazed country ham. Other holiday favorites, including sliced turkey, pan-seared salmon and Yankee pot roast, will be part of the buffet offerings.
There also will be plenty of mac and cheese, chicken tenders, French fries and mini corn dogs for the kids. Finish it all off with holiday cakes, cookies, tarts, a chocolate fountain and soft-serve ice cream.
The buffet will be open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Christmas Day. The cost of the holiday buffet is $25.95 for adults and $12.95 for children ages 12 and younger.
Next door, step into the Council Room Restaurant for its special Christmas dinner created by Chef Steven Trujillo. The menu offers your choice of salad or red chile posole, your choice of filet mignon or pan-seared Atlantic salmon or bone-in ham steak. The cost of the meal is $36 and you can add jumbo beer-battered shrimp for $10 more. A chocolate silk cake will complete the Christmas dinner.
A great view of the city or the Sandia mountains awaits you at Sandia’s rooftop restaurant, Bien Shur. The fine-dining venue will offer its special Christmas menu from 1-8 p.m. Soups, salads and other starters including cream of cauliflower soup with chopped lobster, a jumbo lump crab cake and other delights will range in price from $8 to $15.
A choice of entrées, including red chile butter poached lobster tail, raspberry chipotle glazed elk rack, Chilean sea bass and other offerings, range from $25 to $60. Reservations are recommended. For a complete list of Sandia’s Christmas menus, visit sandiacasino.com/dining.
Work off the festive foods by playing your favorite slot machines on Christmas Day. Peak Rewards Club members will earn six times the points on all slot play beginning at midnight on Dec. 25 and running through 3:59 a.m. Dec. 26.
SANTA ANA STAR CASINO: Spend the morning with family and friends opening gifts, and then head over to Santa Ana Star Casino when it opens at noon on Christmas Day.
Star Rewards Club members will enjoy four times the points all day. There also will be hot-seat drawings from noon-7 p.m. Two players will be chosen each hour and win $100. The people sitting to the right and the left of each winner will get $50 each as part of the “Neighbor Hot Seat” promotion.
Take a break from the gaming floor and enjoy a Christmas meal at the Feast Buffet. The special buffet is $23.95 per person and will be open from noon-10 p.m. Christmas Day. Star Rewards Club members will receive $4 off their meal.
INN OF THE MOUNTAIN GODS: This beautiful New Mexico getaway is offering an appetizing spread of Christmas edibles at its fine-dining restaurant, Wendell’s, and its Gathering of Nations Buffet.
Wendell’s savory menu includes roasted prime rib au jus, traditional Beef Wellington with goose duxelle on perigourdine, sautéed bobwhite quail, brie creamed mashed potatoes, citrus sage and pumpkin corn bread stuffing and a seasonal dessert selection. The Christmas brunch is $46.99 for adults, $37.99 for seniors and $19.99 for children ages 11 and younger. The brunch is available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Christmas Day and reservations are recommended.
The Gathering of Nations Buffet will offer a variety of foods from around the world, which includes some American comfort foods at the Mama’s Kitchen station. The offerings include turkey, candied sweet potatoes, green chile giblet gravy and cornbread dressing. The Christmas buffet will be available from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Christmas Day for $39.95 for adults, $32.95 for seniors and $14.95 for children ages 11 and younger. For more information, visit innofthemountaingods.com.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Several area casinos will be offering Christmas Day promotions, dinners and buffets and other incentives to keep you jolly.
Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in Mescalero has some savory options on Christmas Day. Wendell’s Steak & Seafood will be offering a Christmas brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25. The special brunch menu features your choice of honey ginger-glazed Virginia baked ham, cinnamon maple-glazed sweet potato casserole or classic snow crab. The holiday brunch is $47.99 for adults, $38.99 for seniors and $20.99 for ages 11 and younger. Reservations are recommended.
If you can’t make it to the brunch or are looking for a wider array of selections, head to the Gathering of Nations buffet from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. It will have a Christmas Day buffet with a special international Christmas menu. Guests can choose from a variety of items, such as Japanese yakisoba chicken, kielbasa sausage, barbacoa de cachete or carved baked orange-glazed coffee pit ham. The buffet is $29.99 for adults, $24.99 for seniors and $16.99 for ages 11 and younger.
Out on the gambling floor, Inn of the Mountain Gods continues it “High 5’s for 55’s December Dough Slot Tournament” on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Seniors ages 55 and older can win up to $250 cash or $50 in Free Spirit play during the tournament, from 2 to 4 p.m. Also, “High 5’s for 55’s” players also receive five times the points on Monday, Dec. 26, as well as receive 50 percent off dining at the Gathering of Nations buffet, Big Game Sports Bar or Smokey B’s, which is at Inn of the Mountain Gods’ sister location, Casino Apache Travel Center.
For information on Inn of the Mountain Gods and Casino Apache, call 575-464-7059 or visit innofthemountaingods.com.
SANTA ANA STAR CASINO: Santa Ana Star Casino will host “Christmas Day at the Star” on Dec. 25. The casino will open at noon that day so team members can spend their holiday morning with their families and friends. But once those doors open at noon, it’s time for players to earn five times the points all day. Guests can also be part of hot seat drawings from noon to 7 p.m. One lucky patron will be chosen each hour during that time for a chance to win $100 in free play. People sitting on the left and to the right of each hot seat winner will receive a $50 gift card.
Let the Feast Buffet at Santa Ana Star Casino do the cooking on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and on Christmas Day. Enjoy roasted turkey, prime rib, brown sugar ham, seafood, crab legs and more from 4 to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The festive spread is $25.95 per adult. On Christmas Day, get your fill of roast turkey, prime rib, brown sugar ham, seafood and more. Also enjoy a glass of Champagne with this holiday buffet for $25.95 per adult.
For information on Santa Ana Star Casino promotions and events, call 867-0000 or visit santaanastar.com.
THE DOWNS RACETRACK & CASINO: The casino is open from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. today, from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, from noon to 2 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 26. Its fine-dining restaurant, The Crown Room, will be closed on Christmas Day, but the Downs Caf é will be offering a Christmas dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sunday for $12.95 per person. Guests get to visit the salad and soup bar and will have their choice of prime rib with horse radish cream sauce or carved turkey breast with giblet gravy served with mashed potatoes and vegetable medley. Finish it off with apple pie or pumpkin pie for dessert, and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for $1 more. For more information on The Downs, call 767-7171 or visit abqdowns.com.
SKY CITY CASINO HOTEL: Head west to Acoma for Sky City Casino Hotel’s Christmas Day buffets on Sunday at the Huwaka Restaurant. The brunch buffet will be offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $11.99 for adults and $5.49 for children. The dinner buffet will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. for $16.99 for adults and $8.49 for children. Make your reservations by calling 505-552-7852. For more information on Sky City, call 888-759-2489 or visit skycity.com.