'Lifestyle' change on front burner at Caesars

In the new Atlantic City, no longer is it sufficient to have merely a yen to roll some dice, eat some good grub and watch a name singer warble a dozen tunes. If Caesars vice president of marketing Erin Hansen has her way, visitors to Atlantic City will have a "lifestyle," too.
"Tony Bennett has played here a long time and he will continue to come, which is wonderful," said Hansen. "But we want to attract people who never came to Atlantic City, people who never thought to come to Caesars before. We're looking for new things all the time."

So Caesars created its Lifestyle Series, entertainment with a twist, especially during the warmer months. It begins on Sunday with a visit from Mario Batali, one of four TV chef types who will come to Caesars Circus Maximus Theater through October.

Batali will be in the refurbished 1,600-seat theater at 1 p.m. on Sunday, basically doing his TV gig. He will prepare several dishes on stage for the better part of an hour, taking questions from the audience, both about the food and his own nonfood life, as he rambles around the kitchen set.

"These people aren't just chefs any more," said Hansen. "They are celebrities, and people seem to be interested in what they have to say. They are good at telling stories, and whether it is about cooking techniques or their personal lives, it is something people want now."

While the Batali stage show is $25, there is also what Hansen called a "VIP Opportunity" to eat what Batali cooks. Caesars is closing its Mia restaurant at 4 p.m. for Batali to prepare and cook a four-course meal - or, more precisely, to cook a bit in the center of the restaurant while the Mia staff prepares the meal for about 100 ticket buyers. He will sign books and chat one-on-one during the dinner, which will cost $150 for one and $250 for a couple.

Caesars will have three other celebrity chefs doing similar shows and dinners over the next several months: Paula Deen on July 27, Tom Colicchio on Sept. 7 and Anthony Bourdain on Oct. 12. Buy tickets for the whole series and you'll get a discount - $80 for all four chefs.

In between all this food, the Lifestyle Series will also have somewhat homey chats with Carol Burnett and author Jackie Collins.

Burnett's "Laughter and Reflection" (9 p.m., June 21) will not be a traditional stand-up comedy show, said Hansen, "but an up close and personal." Burnett will show clips from her old TV shows and chat about them, answering audience questions as she goes, but mostly looking back on her career and the friends she has met along the way.

"Dine and Dish," the Collins show (noon, June 14), will be a lunch with Collins, as she talks to about 200 people in a Caesars ballroom about the writing process. Collins will stop and chat with every table, autographing books and giving writing tips.

"With the success of the shops at the Piers and restaurants like Mia, the profile of the Caesars customer has broadened," said Hansen. "We're looking to provide them different things to keep them coming." *

Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Ave., "Up Close and Personal Caesars Chef Series," $25 (all four, $80), VIP Interactive Experience, $150 a person, $250 a couple, 1-800-736-1420 or ticketmaster.com, for groups of 10 or more, call 609-340-2802, www.harrahs.com.

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