Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jenny Chen
The aroma of xiao long bao (steamed buns stuffed with minced pork), Chinese roast duck wafts from the open kitchen. The lighting is muted and reflects off of the red and gold decor and you can hear the sounds of table games from across the way. Dining at Maryland Live!’s newest Asian themed restaurant, Luk Fu, is truly an upscale experience. Boasting dishes from all over Asia including pad thai, beef pho, kimchi fried rice, and a variety of delectable dim sum, Luk Fu is the center piece of an area of the casino that has been carefully designed to appeal to the Asian American casino visitor.
“We designed Luk Fu to be in middle of a gambling experience that speaks to the Asian visitor. There’s a very unique culture,” said Rob Norton, President and General Manager of Maryland Live! Norton said that Luk Fu opened because their original Asian themed restaurant, Noodles, was so popular it was over capacity. The head chef for Luk Fu is Joseph Ku, a Cantonese chef who has worked in casinos all over the country.
Maryland Live! is not the only casino in the area trying to appeal to the Asian American audience: 12.5 miles away Horseshoe Casinos in Baltimore just announced the opening of Ruby 8 Noodle and Sushi bar. Ruby 8 also offers dishes from the entire Asian continent, including beef chow fun, roasted duck, lobster with scallions and spicy pork, and fresh sushi. Ruby 8 also features a noodle bar that will serve a variety of soups made fresh daily featuring homemade broth and fresh grilled meats. Ruby 8 will be operated by restauranteurs Chil and Joyce Chong and will feature chef Kai Lam.
Earlier this year, Norton told the Baltimore Sun that “Awareness of the Asian customer base in the casino is not just a Maryland Live phenomenon, it’s an industry-wide standard.” To that end, Maryland Live! has been reaching out to the Asian market aggressively by expanding table games that are popular with the Asian gambler including baccarat, Sic Bo, Pai Gow and Pai Gow poker and hiring hosts that are fluent in various Asian languages.
David Chen writes in a New York Times article, “Casinos and Buses Cater to Asian Roots” that gambling is deeply rooted in Asian culture. “Asian-Americans, carrying on a tradition from their homelands, embrace games of chance and skill like mah-jong, both to make a bit of money and to be sociable; Las Vegas has long counted on a strong Asian clientele,” Chen writes.
With the population of Asian Americans in Maryland growing 6% from 2012 to 2013 and growing faster each year, both Maryland Live! and Horseshoe Casino may be cashing in in the near future with their increased focus on the Asian American population.
