Pines steakhouse getting new home

For more than 13 years, the Pines Modern Steakhouse has been the fine dining option at San Manuel Casino in Highland. The space on the second floor of the casino was the goto place for dry-aged steak and lobster, cocktails, DJs and sometimes celebrities.

But the casino now has a new name, Yaamava' Resort & Casino, and the Pines will soon have a new home within it.

The original restaurant has temporarily closed so that the staff can train in the new, larger space. It will be more open than the original, according to David Kopasz, chief operations officer for hospitality.

“I don't know if I've ever been this excited about a restaurant,” he said in a phone interview. The new menu will also be expansive, Executive Chef Matthew Smith, said, with specialty steaks, cooked over mesquite on a wood fire grill, high-end caviar from Russia and baked Alaska prepared tableside.

The original space will be repurposed as a dining concept that has yet to be announced, according to Smith.

The changes are part of a $760-million expansion that completed its first phase over the summer, which included expanded gaming space, a new restaurant and multiple bars. Phase 2 will be the opening of a hotel, expected in December. Phase 3, the public opening of an entertainment venue, will happen in early 2022.

The current casino opened in 2005, and much of the expansion has been aimed at seamlessly integrating the hotel into the property.

The new Pines restaurant will be on the first floor, close to recently added retail shops, a high-stakes gaming room and a bar called Aces. The resort has teased the opening on social media, saying it will open later in October with new menu items, more seating and live music. An article in the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' fall issue of a glossy magazine called Hamiinat says the Pines will have a wood-burning oven.

The original Pines promoted its opening in May 2008 with a party following a celebrity poker tournament with actor Don Cheadle and poker champ Annie Duke.

Special events included a 2014 session where Steve Garvey, Steve Sax, Jerry Reuss and Jay Johnstone talked about professional baseball.

INFORMATION >> yaamava.com