It’s almost like a show within the restaurant, where there’s music and you just kind of lose yourself. Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun, says, “You go in there and you’re immersed. One word that comes up when most people discuss TAO is “experience” - as in, it’s not just a place to eat, it’s an experience. This is TAO, which opened in late March at Mohegan Sun, becoming the sixth site of this patron (and celebrity) magnet. You walk through tables filled with customers nibbling on artfully arranged food - sushi or noodles, satay or wontons. You stroll into the dining room, where light is dramatically low, and the music is an upbeat mix of older R&B and funk. You see, straight ahead of you, the 16-foot-tall statue of Quan Yin, the Buddhist goddess revered by the Chinese, with her multitudinous arms extending around her. As you step up and over a little bridge, you are surrounded by walls with water running down them. If you have dinner reservations, you are greeted at the reception desk and then led through a bar/lounge, where stylish lights hang above low-slung couches. You leave the bright lights and hustle-bustle of the Sun behind as you step from the Sky Tower hotel lobby into TAO. Walking into the new TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge in Mohegan Sun is like entering a different, very cool realm. A main feature of the décor is a 16-foot-tall statue of Quan Yin, the Buddhist goddess revered by the Chinese, which overlooks a live koi pond.Ĭhef Ralph Scamardella, a Tao Group Hospitality partner, will oversee a menu that includes such signature Tao dishes as the Satay of Chilean Sea Bass, Lobster Wontons, Peking Duck, Crispy Snapper in “Sand,” and Tuna Sashimi Pringle.Įvery night, at least initially, a DJ will contribute to the atmosphere Tao seeks to create, McManus said, adding, “The idea is to transport you to the world of Tao.TAO restaurant at Mohegan Sun: hip design, delectable food, tough-to-get reservations The 10,000-square-foot restaurant, which has seating for 300 people, comprises 3,800 square feet of main dining and circulation space, a 1,600-square-foot lounge and two 700-square-foot semiprivate dining rooms. When Tao started booking reservations three weeks before its scheduled opening, it took 1,300 of them in the first 48 hours, he said. “We’re spacing things out at first, then we’ll slowly ramp up,” McManus said. In recent days, Tao has served Mohegan tribal members and invited guests in dry runs.Īnticipating operating at 50% capacity during its first few weeks, Tao has hired 75 employees and hopes to add about 50 more when fully open. This is a game-changer.”īrendan McManus, director of operations for Tao Group Hospitality, which operates restaurants and nightlife venues under a number of brand names, said the pandemic presented some challenges, including the need to prepare restaurant staff via virtual training sessions. “We’re trying to create reasons to come to the property,” Hamilton said of Tao’s being added to Mohegan Sun’s culinary mix. This is Tao’s sixth incarnation, the others being in downtown and midtown Manhattan locations and in Chicago and Los Angeles and at The Venetian resort casino in Las Vegas. “With the state’s restaurant restrictions lifting, we think this will help speed our recovery.” “Construction slowed and materials were scarce - at one point, glass was hard to find - but we never stopped, and I think we’re opening at the perfect time,” said Jeff Hamilton, Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager. Mohegan - While COVID-19 caused restaurants at Mohegan Sun and everywhere else to shut down and then gradually reopen over the past year, it did not significantly alter the casino’s plans for Tao, the Asian-themed restaurant set to open Tuesday just off the Sky Tower’s hotel lobby.Īll through the pandemic, work continued on the new bistro/lounge that’s been tucked into space formerly occupied by Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain. TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge, a new Asian-themed restaurant at Mohegan Sun.
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