Jump to content

Atlantic City, NJ


hm212

Recommended Posts

We'll be in Atlantic City on a Saturday night in late October. I'm not even going to bother trying to get in to Chef Vola's, but is there anything else nearby that's decent? We're looking for an early dinner, and want to stay in that immediate area (fight night at Boardwalk Hall, and we won't have a car). Doesn't have to be a destination restaurant, just something that's not tragic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd call Vola's. Typically they answer the phone from around 4:00 to 5:30 and then occasionally after. I still love the place-in fact we go next Tuesday. Sometimes we book long in advance, sometimes on a couple of days notice. The 4:00 call is actually a good idea because if they have an empty table until 7 or so and you can get there quickly, you're in. I've actually heard people do this while sitting in their dining room. We've also met a number of people over time that were there for their first time. They just called a few days in advance and got in for 5:30 or 6 reservation. Alternative to an early reservation is later, 9 or 10.

It's worth the incredible effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few thoughts on Atlantic City from this weekend (I was there with a group of seven guys):

Revel - We took a chance, despite lots of news articles and no people that we knew who had stayed here. And customer service, on the phone, was not good. Long waits on the phone to actually speak to someone, and bad service when speaking to people a couple of times (such as when trying to make a reservation for dinner). Once we arrived, however, we had no complaints. The casino is huge, looks great, and service was fantastic at every level. Really enjoyed our experience there, Our rooms were much larger than I was expecting. Great experience.

Amada - We ate here on our first night, in part because we wanted a place in our hotel, and in part because I really enjoyed the branch in Philadelphia. This one wasn't as good as Philly, but it was really good.  We ordered a bunch of stuff from all over the menu, and everything was great. The restaurant space is huge (which is a theme with Revel), and as a result seems relatively empty even where there are a lot of people there.

Bobby Flay Steak - We needed to have one steakhouse dinner, so we ended up going here, in part so that we could visit the Borgata. Borgata itself reminds me a lot of Bellagio in Vegas.  Our dinner was great. I have a small quibble with our pre-dinner cocktails just because they shook my Manhattan. after that, however, everything was fantastic. We absolutely demolished the seafood tower to start, and our steaks were cooked perfectly and delicious.  Service was great. If you're looking for a steakhouse dinner I would go here.

Mussel Bar - They have a very good happy hour (can't remember the times, but it was definitely on at about 3 pm on Saturday). Cheap(er) Belgian drafts, half price mussels, dollar oysters and a few other things.  My heirloom tomato flatbread was good, although nothing special.

White House Subs - I ordered a half White House Special today for lunch. I ate it, and as a result I'm not eating dinner tonight. It was delicious, and I regret nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bobby Flay Steak - We needed to have one steakhouse dinner, so we ended up going here, in part so that we could visit the Borgata. Borgata itself reminds me a lot of Bellagio in Vegas.  Our dinner was great. I have a small quibble with our pre-dinner cocktails just because they shook my Manhattan. after that, however, everything was fantastic. We absolutely demolished the seafood tower to start, and our steaks were cooked perfectly and delicious.  Service was great. If you're looking for a steakhouse dinner I would go here. 

I had dinner here once (several years ago), and it was also great. Right in the middle of the action, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I seldom seek out steakhouses, but I had no complaints about this spot at all. Service was wonderful, you're just off the casino floor in a space that felt hopping, but wasn't deafeningly loud.

Actually, one complaint, there was a constant line for the bathroom in the restroom, which meant that you essentially had to head into the casino itself. But that's a small quibble.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stayed at The Claridge so you don't have to.  We were given a room with a connecting door, which was probably the root of all evil and the cause of my truncated sleep.  At 2 a.m., the neighbors returned.  I think they were just talking at regular volume, but that's enough to wake me up and keep me awake for 1 hr (even though I put in earplugs and tapped on the connecting door).

Anyhow, had brunch at The Continental, a Starr joint in the Caesar's Palace Playground, which is mostly closed.  The Cuban sandwich wasn't very authentic or good but the chicken and waffle was serviceable.

Dinner was at Dock's Oyster House.  The steamed clams, in red sauce and white were both good.  The grilled oysters in champagne leek sauce was also very good.  We also had a seafood medley app, with oysters rockefeller and clams casino.  I don't like bell peppers, especially on clams casino - the oysters were good.  The fried seafood platter (Dock's seafood fry) of fried crab cake, fried fish, and fried shrimp was not good at all - bland breading, overcooked seafood - needed a heavy dose of cocktail sauce or tartare sauce for flavor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...