Area residents now have three new choices for fine dining and an
evening out on the town.

On Thursday, Seneca Gaming Corp. Public Relations Director
Philip Pantano said the long-anticipated restaurants, The Western
Door: A Seneca Steakhouse and Patria: Fine Dining Italian, and
24-hour caf_, The Seneca Caf_, are now open for business at the
Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, N.Y.

Meanwhile, the popular Thunder Mountain Buffet will be expanding
to accommodate another 60 to 100 people, Pantano said.

A lounge dubbed The Fire Lounge is also located between both new
restaurants, which are located on the second floor of the new
casino addition.

The new additions come days before the grand opening of the
Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel, which will officially open to the
public on March 30.

“The restaurants officially opened on Monday (March 19),”
Pantano said, adding it’s possible for visitors to the casino to
obtain a hotel room, but the hotel hasn’t officially opened
yet.

Last November, Seneca officials held a “soft opening” for the
facility’s new grand casino floor. That event was the first phase
of the opening of the new $160 million hotel and casino complex
located along Interstate 86.

In addition to the restaurants and caf_, the complex features an
11-story, 212-room resort hotel, a full-service spa and salon.

The new casino will measure more than 68,000-square-feet – an
increase of nearly 20,000-square-feet from the existing facility.
The entire project area – including the casino and hotel – will
measure more than 420,000-square-feet.

According to Pantano, the three new eateries will all be open
during the weekends. Officials said The Western Door will be open
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, while Patria will be open Monday,
Tuesday and Friday. The caf_ is open seven days a week, 24 hours a
day.

Pantano said the casino and hotel will employ nearly 1,400
people following the grand opening, many of which come from
Pennsylvania.