5 /5 Lee Darby: First, I have to say that as someone uninterested in gambling, this review may be suspect - like a vegetarians views on a steakhouse.
After passing by many times on I-8 and stopping for gas a couple of times, we visited the Golden Acorn to try their advertised "$14.99 Prime Rib" on our way to San Diego.
Entering through the casino, I found the gambling area to be unusually pleasant, with a high ceiling, widely spaced machines, and a sound level that didnt assault the ears.
The prime rib dinner was great, coming with a choice of soup or salad, vegetables, and potato.
This special requires you to have the casino player card, but this is free and just requires showing ID with name, address, and phone number.
The most impressive thing to me was how absolutely nice everyone we interacted with was. Our waiter, after explaining about the player card, walked us out of the restaurant to point out the cashier position. The cashier was lovely and quickly created our two player cards, informing us that as new members, we get $10 in free play credit. After dinner, a casino floor person showed us how to use a machine with our free money without making us feel as stupid as we are when it comes to gaming. Everybody was helpful and patient, making us feel very welcome in this alien (to us) environment. The whole atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, in sharp contrast to the casinos Ive walked through on the Las Vegas strip. Some people must prefer the high intensity style, but Im not one of them.
In addition to the great meal and the surprisingly pleasant casino, the "travel center" has good prices for fuel, with separate areas for cars and trucks.
My wife won $2 on a slot machine, capping off a really great visit.
