Casino Restaurant a Winner

I recently enjoyed lunch at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino (www.mohawkcasino.com) restaurant in Hogansburg, NY. This casino is truly in the wilds of northern New York--the closest town of any size is Cornwall, ON across the St. Lawrence River.

The casino advertises its Harvest Buffet widely, and that probably is a good deal if you are really hungry--it goes for $12 at lunch, $18 at dinner during the week, a little more on weekends. However, I just wanted something light and was able to share with a friend a large bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich served with tasty French fries, a cup of homemade soup and two large soft drinks, all for $14 at Sticks, a smaller restaurant just inside the entrance. There is also a food court on the premises.

You can stay right next to the casino, either at a Comfort Inn (www.comfortinn.com) or at the Casino's own Indian-themed resort. There isn't a lot to see in the immediate area, but it is an opportunity to gain a little insight into Mohawk culture. The Akwesasne reserve is unusual in that it spans both an international (U.S.-Canada) and a provincial border (Ontario-Quebec.) I've long thought that it would be an excellent place to set a thriller, with lots of opportunities for smuggling and money laundering.

Casinos are rumoured not to be big engines of economic growth, but the Akwesasne area looked more prosperous than it did the last time I drove through several years ago.