William B’s in Michigan City’s Blue Chip Casino was closed for several months for remodeling and a new menu.

First things first: I am not a gambler. Nor am I a smoker. I am a fish-eating vegetarian. I like good food, and after a great meal at the steakhouse at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo a few years ago (seafood tower! Creamed spinach!), I’ve been curious about the steakhouse in Blue Chip.

I was even more curious after William B’s Steakhouse quietly reopened in May after a six-month renovation and revamp of its menu.

The first thing anyone asked me when I told them I had been to William B’s was, “Do they allow smoking?”

The answer is no. The restaurant is 100-percent non-smoking. And what’s more, William B’s bar, which used to be in the main lobby connected to the gambling floor, is now behind a solid wall and door. In fact, one only has to be in the lobby to the casino (which does allow smoking) for a few steps before entering the restaurant.

In other words, contact with any smoke is minimal, and no cigarette smoke was detectable inside the restaurant.

There was, however, smoke coming out of the special Manhattan Mr. Diva ordered. Too bad it took a full 40 minutes for it, and our other drinks, to arrive.

Aside from the delay in getting our drinks (a delay that came without acknowledgement by our server or her trainee), service and food were generally good. Wines are priced reasonably (my glass of French rosé was just $9).

Our dining companions reported that even before the renovation and menu revamp, William B’s was a solid restaurant. The chef and most of the staff has remained the same, reports Chris Pellerin, Blue Chip’s head of food and beverage. The classics are still here: lobster bisque, wedge salad, oysters Rockefeller, shrimp cocktail.

“If we put it on a plate, we’ve eaten it,” Pellerin says, speaking about testing and tasting all the dishes. “Ninety-nine percent of everything is made in house. Nothing is frozen; everything is fresh.”

Several more value-oriented items were added to the menu such as a burger, pasta bolognese and steak frite, Pellerin says.

We liked our appetizers best: Some of the tastiest crab cakes ($26) I’ve ever had, with a mousse-like interior and nicely browned crust and accompanied by a shaved pickled fennel salad; grilled octopus ($24) with two terrific housemade sauces: romesco and chimichirri; and steak tartar with flash-frozen egg yolk. Diva is not a meat eater, so I relied on my dining companions to tell me that they thought the tartar was quite good.

Two Italian seafood dishes we sampled—mushroom gnocchi with shrimp ($45) and seafood linguini ($46)—relied on an abundance of butter for most of the flavor, more than I’d like, but not uncommon for restaurant food. The seafood was plentiful, however.

Mr. Diva had the Iberico pork chops ($48), and he reported that the meat was of excellent quality and I could see it was a large portion. He thought they were a bit overcooked, apparently not uncommon with restaurant chops. The wild rice that accompanied the chops was tasteless. Big fat spears of asparagus were perfectly cooked, and befitting the decadent experience, drowning in butter.

We were all impressed by the blood orange and basil sorbet served between courses.

What we failed to eat was a steak. Mr. Diva promises we’ll go back soon and he’ll try it. I’ll report back.

(Disclaimer! Diva is not a restaurant reviewer. I present facts about restaurants—menus, prices, chef background, etc., and let the reader decide. I don’t identify myself as a blogger until after I’ve eaten somewhere, and don’t accept freebies.)

The room is pretty enough, and there’s plenty of interesting art grouped on the walls. It’s a more modern look, replacing the old-school, white-tablecloth decor going on before. A private room behind a translucent doors seats 14.

The renovation and new menu were designed to attract more non-gambling customers to the steakhouse, Pellerin says.

On tap for the future: A fall menu with seasonably appropriate dishes, and Pellerin also hopes to host wine pairing dinners.

I’m not sure I could ever really love the atmosphere in a windowless restaurant. The whole tableside prep thing is a little lost on me, but diners seem to like it (the wagyu comes out with a hot stone so that diners can flip it and cook to their liking; the loaded baked potato is served up tableside too).

For sure, it’s nice to have another fine dining option in Michigan City, and I look forward to checking out happy hour—lobster corn dog—yes please!

William B’s Steakhouse is open Wednesdays thru Sundays.