Just over a month ago, a Pacific Northwest culinary celebrity set up shop at Macau Casino in Lakewood. Chef King Heun Wai, who has won local and national awards, and who has repeatedly been distinguished as one of America's top 100 Chinese Chefs, and who has earned House of Hong in Seattle's Chinatown a place on King 5's Best of Western Washington list of the top five Chinese restaurants, now brings his talent and more than 30 years of experience to Lakewood's Macau Casino as executive chef.

Macau Casino Marketing Manager David Feldhammer stresses that intense focus is placed on authenticity in the kitchen. The Chinese menu has 87 different items. "Our clientele is probably over 60 percent Asian," Feldhammer says. "This isn't Americanized Chinese food, they wouldn't put up with it."

Feldhammer says quality and fresh ingredients are used at Macau Casino. Live lobster and crab are supplied by Seattle's Lucky Seafood.

Since opening in 2007, the menu at Macau has been expanded beyond common Chinese dishes. Chef King will continue to expand the menu, please palates and entice visitors to the eye-catching building replete with dragons and Chinese architecture. While making customer favorites like Mongolian beef and pan-fried squid, Chef King holds himself and his staff to a high standard. King will add Japanese and Thai dishes in the near future.

An American menu is also available for those just dying to try a clubhouse sandwich or two-egg breakfast.

[Macau Casino, 9811 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.983.1777]