Penny Parker: Lady Luck’s LeVesque all about fun, energy and ice cold beer

Lady Luck general manager Craig LeVesque is rolling out his vision for the rebranding of the Colorado Central Station casino in Black Hawk to the Lady Luck Casino.
“I want this place to be fun and full of energy,” he said during an interview before the official name and brand switch happened on June 29. “It’s the honky tonk where you can get an ice cold beer and good quality food. We’re creating a personality for this place.”
LeVesque, an affable young-ish guy, fairly bursts with enthusiasm when describing the “new” casino. “Employees will be dancing in the aisles during the weekends,” he said. “Customers are looking for more than just gaming. They want the most fun they can get for the dollar spent.”
The old Colorado Central Station (Isle of Capris Casinos, Inc. bought the place in 2002) suffered from lack of visibility as the town of Black Hawk expanded around it, LeVesque said.
“We’re going to add more lighting, and attach a train to the casino,” he said. “We need to stand out on the top of the mountain. We don’t have all the high fallutin’ amenities. You can come in jeans and have an ice cold beer.”
Did he just say, “ice cold beer” again? Spend 30 minutes with the jolly young elf and you’ll quickly discover his favorite phrase: ice cold beer.
“This is not going to be your grandma’s casino, but of course, grandma’s welcome.”

Good eats. Ever tried popcorn ice cream? Ever wanted to? Pastry chef Mike Casarez, who owns and operates Crook’s Palace in an 1868 building in Black Hawk with his chef/brother Matt Casarez, is obsessed with playing with ice cream flavors.
Care for a scoop of snozberry? It’s named after the flavor fruit only grown in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. For the faint of heart, there’s some conventional flavors like mint chip. Mike keeps three flavors on the menu at all times.
The brothers recently reopened Crook’s Palace in a building owned by the City of Black Hawk. The carved wooden bar is the original, which was shipped from St. Louis. The restaurant carries the distinction of being the only restaurant in Black Hawk without gaming. But what it lacks in gambling it makes up in fresh homemade food.
“We make our own bacon and bread – even hamburger buns,” Matt said. “We focus on our food and drinks with our list of microbrews centered around Colorado breweries.” Open for lunch and dinner daily.
Warning: Watch out for the fresh jalapeno poppers. My mouth is still on fire!

Dealin’ and décor. If you think Black Hawk’s Ameristar Casino is ga-ga gorgeous, you have Hyatt Hotels to thank. It looks as if Ralph Lauren lived here – if he could stand the 24-hour ringing of slot machines.
When the Hyatt built the 100,000-square-foot facility in 2001, the hotelier decorated the place in a mountain lodge theme with chisled log stair railings, pinecone carpeting and fake fur trees sprouting up throughout the joint.
When Hyatt pulled out, Mountain High took over. Ameristar bought the place in 2004 and started building the 536-room luxury hotel in 2006. The 33-story fully loaded hotel is set to open (fingers crossed for luck) on or around Oct. 8.

~ Penny Parker is a columnist for The Denver Post. She’s always on the prowl for tidbits and tips from Colorado’s gaming communities. Call her at 303-619-5209 or e-mail pparker@denvernewspaperagency.com.