Piazza Lounge serves as Tuscany’s entertainment cornerstone

Friday, Jan. 17, 2003 | 11:17 a.m.

If the new 60,000-square-foot Tuscany casino is half as popular as the Piazza Lounge at the same location, it is destined to be the hottest spot in town.

The hotel's new casino on West Flamingo Road, between Koval Lane and Paradise Road, is scheduled for a soft opening tonight at 10. The expansion comes more than a year after the property's 716-suite hotel debuted. A grand opening will be held in a month or longer.

Inside the hotel is the Palazzo Ristorante and the popular lounge, where it is wall-to-wall patrons on Friday and Saturday nights.

Wednesdays and Thursdays aren't bad either.

Chuy & Company perform in the lounge and are scheduled to be the house entertainment for the foreseeable future.

In anticipation of overflow crowds, lounge owner Shaun Tracy is expanding the room -- moving one existing wall out to the patio.

"The new section will be enclosed, but have the feel of outdoor seating," said Tracy, who also owns the Italian restaurant.

Jeff Hein, Tuscany spokesman, said the casino will feature the 24-hour Marilyn's Coffee Shop (named for the wife of owner Charles Heers) and a food court, which won't be open for another month or so.

There will be two bars in the casino, one a sports bar and one in a lounge that will seat 75-to-100 people.

Hein said a 26,000-square-foot convention area on the second floor could serve double duties -- as a meeting facility and as a large entertainment venue.

There will be no buffet in the casino.

The Palazzo, which features Tuscan and regional Italian specialties for lunch and dinner, will remain the venue's primary source of fine dining. Lunch and dinner are served at the restaurant.