The participation in Connecticut Restaurant Week of three intriguing eateries at Foxwoods Resort & Casino sent me off to the eastern corner of the state. I’d heard great things about Shrine—a 225-seat pan-Asian restaurant located in the MGM Grand—so I was eager to try it.
My friend and I found the restaurant easily enough,
enjoying a warm welcome from the hostesses,
one of whom led us to our reserved table overlooking a huge space below.
Our place settings were stylish
and came with Connecticut Restaurant Week menus.
Our waitress, Amanda, took great care of us throughout our meal.
We noticed that she was more conservatively dressed than some of the servers who headed downstairs with food,
which piqued our curiosity. Amanda explained to us that the lower level was devoted to a lounge and nightclub, which she said really comes alive later in the evening. We peered over the railing, and it became clear that I needed to explore the downstairs later.
But while we waited for our first food to arrive, I toured the upstairs, finding the Asian-themed dining areas both comfortable and atmospheric.
The bar was extremely busy.
It was fun watching delicious-looking food leaving the kitchen.
So much attention had been paid to the restaurant’s design that even the restrooms proved extremely attractive. I particularly liked the stylish shared sinks positioned between the men’s and ladies’ rooms.
It was in the men’s room that I spotted signs posted for specials that will assure we make a return trip, including a $20 all-you-can-eat sushi special that runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
and $7 eats on I Love Tuesdays, which start at 7 p.m.
Then Amanda tracked me down and informed me that our first food had arrived, so I returned to our table. It became clear that executive chef Kevin Long is doing a great job in the kitchen. We loved our appetizer
of shrimp shumai served with sweet and spicy mustard
and an edamame salad.
But our Japanese pork katsu entrée might have been even better.
We were astonished by the generosity of the portion of crispy fried natural pork when we realized that big crunchy pieces lay not only on top of the water cress salad but underneath it as well.
The tonkatsu dipping sauce and teriyaki noodles were perfect accompaniment.
After dinner, I headed downstairs to photograph the lounge and nightclub,
imagining the stylish surroundings as they filled with more revelers later in the evening.
While downstairs, I made some friends, including these two charming servers,
and sharing a scorpion bowl,
these two lovely young ladies.
It took a major effort to remember that I had abandoned my poor friend upstairs. When I returned, we resolved to come back another time to try the other specials and to stay later in the evening and watch the transformation of the lounge and night club.
Shrine, Foxwoods Resort & Casino, 240 MGM Grand Drive, Mashantucket, 860-312-8888
shrinemgmfoxwoods.com