Philly beef and cheese sandwich at Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino

777 Winners Circle, 279-5514, www.terriblesstjofrontier.com

"The Philly beef and cheese sandwich is wonderful ... the bun was toasted, the meat was lean, thinly sliced and juicy, the onions were still crunchy but done (I had ordered it without the green peppers and it was prepared as ordered, imagine that), and cheese was melty good over everything. In addition to the sandwich, there were homemade fresh potato chips that were hot and crispy, not greasy at all. They always serve generous portions of really well-done food when you order from the menu, and I'm never disappointed.

- Barbara Reeves, St. Joseph

Even if you don't gamble, you might want to check out the Bouganvilla Restaurant at Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino. For one, the spacious dining area overlooks the Missouri River with little else but nature in view, where you can sit at tables surrounded by a full wall mural of the early frontier and an abundance of flowers and plants in a virtual courtyard setting.

They offer about every variety of food you might want (Italian, Chinese, American, Mexican, barbecue) at larger quantities and lower prices than the norm. In addition, they have a loaded dessert island, plus special food nights (seafood Monday, grill night Tuesday, ribeye steak Wednesday, BBQ on Thursday). Plus they have a breakfast buffet with everything from made-to-order omelets to French toast. It's all served off of a five-station buffet for one price (from $6.99 for breakfast to $11.99 to $15.99 for dinner) that includes your drinks.

There's so much variety that it's not uncommon for some customers to eat there 14 times a week, says executive chef Tom Mangus. Of course, the idea is to entice you to spend the day gambling, but there certainly is no requirement to do so. If that's not enough, they also have a full bar that offers free appetizers on Sundays and Mondays during football games, karaoke on Thursdays and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. for breakfast; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch; and 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner with hours until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.