Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri opening new restaurant at Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant

BJ Kirkpatrick News
Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri opening new restaurant at Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant

Durant is headed to Flavortown as Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar is scheduled to open in July 2020 in Choctaw Casino Resort – Durant. The restaurant will be the first and only Kitchen + Bar in Oklahoma; with the nearest locations in Las Vegas, Nev. and Branson, Mo.

“We’re always looking for unique and new experiences to offer our guests,” states Bryan Prettyman, director of marketing. “Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant has been providing guests with fun and excitement for decades and Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar will be a perfect addition.”  

Open daily, the 277-seat restaurant, with approximately 11,000 square-feet and located at the south end of the casino. It boasts a large outdoor patio and dining area with a panoramic view of The Oasis pool.

A Job Fair for the new restaurant will be held on May 28th and May 29th from 9 am – 6 pm at the Choctaw Casino Event Center, 3702 Choctaw Rd, Durant, Okla.  Applicants can also apply online at careers.choctawnation.com. 

“I’ve shot Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Oklahoma and all over Texas and let me tell you, this part of the country knows good food, said Guy Fieri.  “And in Durant in particular, you’ve got some good folks looking for real deal, scratch made food, great cocktails and a big-time party…and the Choctaw Casino & Resort brings the heat!”

Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar will offer guests a taste of Fieri’s signature cuisine. Featuring bold flavors and unique twists on traditional dishes the restaurant food menu includes a variety of burgers, wings, tacos, small bites and shareable food items. Signature dishes include the famous Trash Can Nachos, American Royal Ribs, award-winning Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger and so much more!

Guy Fieri

About Guy Fieri

Chef, restaurateur, New York Times Best Selling author and Emmy Award-winning TV host, Guy Fieri, is one of the world’s most recognizable and influential culinary stars.  In 2019, Guy received a star on the celebrated Hollywood Walk Fame, a rare feat for a chef.

Guy began his love affair with food at the age of ten, selling soft pretzels from a three-wheeled bicycle cart he built with his father called “The Awesome Pretzel Cart.”  After selling pretzels and washing dishes for six years, Guy earned enough money to pursue his dream of studying abroad in Chantilly, France, where he gained a profound appreciation for international cuisines and further strengthened his passion for food.  He returned to the US and graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a degree in Hospitality Management.  Upon his graduation, Guy jumped headfirst into the restaurant business, ultimately opening his own casual dining concepts in Northern California.

In 2006, Guy won Food Network’s popular television competition show, “Next Food Network Star” and was awarded his own series, the Emmy nominated “Guy’s Big Bite.”  Since that time, Guy has created a thriving culinary empire as host of top-rated TV shows including the iconic, Emmy-nominated “Diners, Drive Ins & Dives,” “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Guy’s Ranch Kitchen.”

Additionally, Guy and his team at Knuckle Sandwich, LLC, have opened 75 restaurants around the world.  On land and at sea, from the Las Vegas Strip to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, from South Africa to Colombia and from Costa Rica to Dubai, Guy’s culinary creations are enjoyed globally, every day.

About Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant  

Located an hour north of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex lies a AAA Four Diamond resort and entertainment destination, in southeastern Oklahoma. Choctaw Casino & Resort–Durant is a three-level convention/entertainment venue which offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and seating for more than 3,000 people. The resort’s amenities include the Oasis Pool – featuring four tropical pools with private cabanas – as well as the region’s premier entertainment complex, The District, where visitors can enjoy Tailgater’s Lounge, 20 bowling lanes, a 40-game arcade, and a state-of-the-art movie theater. The casino offers more than 4,100 slot machines, 60 table games, and a private poker lounge featuring 30 poker tables. In the spring of 2021, a major expansion effort will add the Sky Tower: 19 stories high featuring 1,000 new luxury hotel rooms, along with 3,400 additional slot machines and 34 tables in the new poker room, along with 40 table games, two new restaurants and movie theaters, and a three-acre swimming pool – making Choctaw Casino & Resort–Durant one of the largest gaming resorts in the world. For more information, visit choctawcasinos.com

Choctaw Casino & Resort Virtual “Topping-Out” Ceremony

BJ Kirkpatrick Entertainment, News
Choctaw Casino & Resort Virtual “Topping-Out” Ceremony

Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant celebrated a “topping-out” ceremony today that represents a milestone in construction for the new Sky Tower and expansion project at its new resort property in Durant, Okla.

Construction of the expansion project is moving rapidly, with millions of dollars already invested in site preparation, concrete and steelwork.

“This is more than a building, it’s a commitment to a brighter future for the Choctaw people and the surrounding communities that we celebrated today,” states Chief Gary Batton. “We’re all incredibly proud of the work that has been done by the construction team and excited to continue creating jobs in our communities.”

Amid COVID-19 and social-distancing requirements, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma hosted a virtual topping-out event. The virtual celebration included congratulatory videos from partners including, the developer TynanGroup LLC, lead design-build team Tutor Perini Building and JCJ Architecture.

Set to open in the spring of 2021, the 19-story  Choctaw Casino tower will feature 1,000 more luxury hotels rooms, an expanded gaming floor and new amenities such as a new pool, parking garage, retail space and entertainment and dining options. Once completed, more than 1,000 new, permanent jobs will be created.

Photo by: Christian Toews
Chief Gary Batton, Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr., James Dry, Choctaw Nation Council Member, Janie Dillard, Senior Executive Officer, and  Choctaw Casino leadership celebrate the topping out ceremony.

The last steel beam which reads, “Psalm 122:7 May there be peace within the walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses” was placed atop the future Sky Tower at Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant.

Photo renderings of the complete gaming facility are available by request.

About Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant   

Located an hour north of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex lies a AAA Four Diamond resort and entertainment destination, in southeastern Oklahoma. Choctaw Casino & Resort–Durant is a three-level convention/entertainment venue which offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and seating for more than 3,000 people. The resort’s amenities include the Oasis Pool – featuring four tropical pools with private cabanas – as well as the region’s premier entertainment complex, The District, where visitors can enjoy Tailgater’s Lounge, 20 bowling lanes, a 40-game arcade, and a state-of-the-art movie theater. The casino offers more than 4,100 slot machines, 60 table games, and a private poker lounge featuring 30 poker tables. In the spring of 2021, a major expansion effort will add the Sky Tower: 19 stories high featuring 1,000 new luxury hotel rooms, along with 3,400 additional slot machines and 34 tables in the new poker room, along with 40 table games, two new restaurants and movie theaters, and a three-acre swimming pool – making Choctaw Casino & Resort–Durant one of the largest gaming resorts in the world. For more information, visit choctawcasinos.com.  

TPWD changes fishing regulations for Lake Texoma

BJ Kirkpatrick Lake Texoma news, News
TPWD changes fishing regulations for Lake Texoma

TPWD changes to fishing regulations for Lake Texoma sets standardized harvest regulation for bule, channel, and flathead catfish. These regulations inclde the Texas and Oklahoma waters of Lake Texoma and on the Red River below Lake Texoma.  

In Lake Texoma, the regulations remove the 12-inch minimum length limit for blue and channel catfish, and for flathead catfish and removes the 18-inch minimum length limit. In the Texas waters of the Red River below Lake Texoma (from Denison Dam downstream to Shawnee Creek), in addition to the removal of the minimum length limits for catfish, reduces the daily bag limit for blue and channel catfish from 25 to 15 fish

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted multiple changes to the freshwater fishing regulations for the upcoming 2020-2021 season at the meeting held virtually May 21. Modifications include length limits and harvest regulations at some waterbodies for largemouth bass; blue, channel, and flathead catfish; and black and white crappie. The expiration date of August 31, 2020 was removed for the five-fish daily bag limit for alligator gar at Falcon International Reservoir.

The changes that were implemented for the 2020-21 license year are listed below. In addition, the details of these new regulations will be incorporated into the 2020-21 edition of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Outdoor Annual:

  • Moss Lake (Cooke County) – Modify the 14-inch minimum length limit for largemouth bass to a 16-inch maximum length limit.
  • Brushy Creek Lake and Brushy Creek (Williamson County) – Modify harvest regulations for Brushy Creek Lake by changing from an 18-inch minimum length to the statewide 14-inch limit for largemouth bass. On the section of Brushy Creek downstream from the lake to the Williamson/Milam County line, reduce blue and channel catfish daily bag limit from 25 to 5 fish and remove the 12-inch minimum length limit. Gear restrictions also adopted limit anglers to pole-and-line angling only and two poles.
  • Lake Nasworthy (Tom Green County) – Modify harvest regulations for black and white crappie by removing the current 10-inch minimum length limit. The daily bag limit for crappie will remain at 25 fish.
  • Falcon International Reservoir (Starr and Zapata Counties) — The five-fish daily bag limit for alligator gar will remain in effect.

The changes to the 2020-21 Statewide Recreational and Commercial Fishing regulations take effect on Sept. 1, 2020. All fishing regulations can be found in the Outdoor Annual on the TPWD website.

The online version of the TPWD Outdoor Annual will not reflect any new changes until mid-August. More information regarding these amendments for the 2020-21 season can be viewed on the TPWD website.