Dream Dance Steakhouse Returns To Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

After a three-year hiatus, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is gearing up to welcome guests back to one of its signature restaurants, Dream Dance Steakhouse.

The upscale eatery, which has been closed since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, is set to reopen Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Dream Dance Steakhouse is located on the ground floor of the casino, 1721 W. Canal St.

The restaurant plans to pick up where it left off, offering high-quality steaks, seafood and pasta, as well as more than 400 global wine selections including 20 available by the glass.

Heading up the kitchen is chef Ben Jones, who brings two decades of experience to the role. The executive chef has held high-ranking positions at a variety of restaurants throughout the country, most recently at Sage Lodge in Pray, MT. In 2016, he was honored as a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City. He also founded a private chef and catering company, Open Hearth, in 2020.

In addition to his role at the steakhouse, Jones will serve more broadly as executive chef for the property.

Rohit Nambiar will handle front-of-house operations. The 25-year hospitality veteran most recently served as director of operations at Prairie Grass Café and Wine Club in Northbrook, IL. He has also received his certification as a Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

An online menu for the restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes at the crossroads of upscale and comfort food. Prime steak tartare coexists with Wisconsin cheese curd poutine, while buttermilk fried chicken tenders are listed alongside a $250 cut of Wagyu striploin. Middle-of-the-road dishes include baked eggplant parm ($24), bone-in chicken breast ($32) and a modest, 10-ounce prime flatiron steak ($45).

A variety of classic steakhouse sides, appetizers, seafood plates, soup and salad are also available.

Starting Jan. 18, Dream Dance Steakhouse will serve dinner on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The restaurant’s bar will open at 4 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. It will offer a light, pre-dinner menu until the kitchen opens for dinner service at 5 p.m.

The restaurant has lived through several different reimaginations during its more than 20-year tenure at the casino. The original concept, Dream Dance, was opened in 2000 and operated by The Bartolotta Restaurants.

In 2008, the restaurant relocated to the casino’s first floor during a $240 million expansion of the complex. The following year, its title was tweaked to Dream Dance Steak. From there, the restaurant changed its course from a fine-dining establishment to an upscale steakhouse.

In 2019, the steakhouse unveiled its $1.8 million modern makeover. Changes included a redesigned dining area, expanded bar and a wine archway connecting the bar and dining areas.

Dream Dance Steakhouse is one of the final restaurants to reopen at the casino, following the pandemic-era shutdown. It joins RuYi, an Asian cuisine restaurant and Canal Street Cafe, which both reopened for dine-in service in August 2021. The hotel and casino also house Bar 360, The Curve and a Stone Creek Coffee cafe.

The reopening comes amid a $100 million overhaul to Potawatomi’s casino floor. The changes include adding 1,800 more slot machines, a high-limit gambling room, a Starbucks cafe, Rock & Brews restaurant from KISS band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and three new “quick service” food options.