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Atlantic City, NJ


hm212

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I will be in Atlantic City in a few weeks and am looking for a nice restaurant with ambience (let's think romance). I have not been to AC in many years - Please help send me in thr right directions. Please no more than an hour drive if not in AC proper.

Type of food doesn't matter, price doesn't matter but really want to avoid having dinner in front of a slot machine

(This happened to me in Las Vegas two years ago was having a good overpriced tasting meal in Bradley Ogden's at Ceasers and kept hearing ding ding ding ding all night, the food was good just not memorable since two years later couldn't tell you one dish!).

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while I haven't been to Atlantic City since I was a wee lad, I was in Las Vegas last year and ate at one of Micheal Mina's restaurants and it was really good...It seems like his Las Vegas/Atlantic City restaurants feature his tried and true standards, lobster pot pie, great tuna tartar etc. He has one of his restaurants in the Borgata (also referenced in the Bruni piece linked above)...but be warned it is pretty damn expensive!

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Last time there (2 years ago?), I took a group to Ruth's Chris Steak House. Yea, I know, could have eaten at one of those in any major city. But I was looking for steak everyone would recognize and enjoy; something safe. Romantic? Maybe not, though it was dimly lit. Plus they took reservations on Opentable. It is in a part of AC that has been fixed up recently, and a safe walk to the casinos (but not in a casino) and our hotel by the convention center.

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Probably one of the better ethnic restaurants in the area, imo, is Golden Pyramid Restaurant. It's Egyptian / Middle Eastern, and might only be open for dinner (and maybe only open certain days of the week). You wouldn't think it so, because it's situated in a tiny tiny hole-in-the-wall building next to a gas station on Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing (probably only 15 min drive from Atlantic City), very close to the Hamilton Mall.

It's run by two Egyptian brothers (although, I believe when when I used to live down there, one of the brothers died and the restaurant shut down for several weeks? I could be wrong) and the food is excellent. Although the surrounding area doesn't necessarily evoke passion and romanticism, what I do like is that it was BYO. Even better, there is a Canal's liquor store right across the street (you don't have to cross Blackhorse Pike!) where you can pick up some wine. Plus, because it's quite small, it makes for a cozy interior.

If this place is still around, I would suggest checking it out, and maybe even calling first to make sure they are going to be open, and if they are still, indeed, a BYO.

Golden Pyramid

4176 Black Horse Pike

Mays Landing, NJ

(609) 569-9996

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Hopefully this isn't too late for you. But I ate at Cuba Libre and it was very good and reasonably priced. I went with a couple of very picky eaters and they enjoyed it too. I can't remember what we had because it was a couple of years ago when I ate there. Defintely not in the casino but not that far away either. When I went there it was near Christmas time so it was not very crowded and it was quiet.

Here is a link to the website

http://www.cubalibrerestaurant.com/ac_index.php

There is also a place at the end of the strip (right hand side of the strip as you face the ocean). It is not on the ocean side of the strip and it might even be one block off the strip. It is a combination italian restaurant/deli/italian grocery store. Not high end but very good and reasonably priced. It has parking there too. Sorry I can't remeber the name of the place, but it wouldn't be hard to find.

Lastly, the Steel Pier has been enclosed and is full of shopping and restaurants.

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In Vegas the lobster pot pie at Aqua was $52.00 a la carte and not worth it. Very, very good, but not $52.00 good. (Tweaked, did you pick up that check? I liked it a lot...until I saw the price!) The tuna tartare WAS absolutely outstanding, however, and worth whatever they wanted to charge. In fact that dish alone would make the visit worthwhile! The downside of the Borgata is that it is off of the Boardwalk-not that anyone who stays at a hotel on the Boardwalk even bothers to walk out onto it!

________________________

Frank Bruni: "But none of Atlantic City’s newcomers pleased me as much as one of its old-timers, thrown into the mix for comparison’s sake.

This 85-year-old restaurant, Chef Vola’s, is in the basement of a house on a poorly marked one-way street in the shadow of the Tropicana. It has no liquor license and no sign out front. Directory assistance doesn’t have the number; the proudly wacky owners rarely pick up the phone, anyway. You have to work hard and even plead a little bit to get in, and that’s one reason it feels like such a treat.

There are other reasons, too, like the house-made veal sausages, served with glistening green peppers, red peppers and onions. And the grilled red snapper, bathed in a “pesto Champagne Cognac cream sauce,” which tasted dreamier and much less overwhelming than you’d think. And the peculiar charisma of Louise Esposito, one of the owners, who greeted us just past 10 p.m. by announcing that she was out of clean napkins and on the precipice of “a panic attack.” Both statements were false alarms."

Bruni goes into more detail later in the report:

"It was at the bar at Seablue that three companions and I heard about Chef Vola’s. A guy named Arthur told us that he was a regular there and that he had a reservation for the following night. He also told us we’d never get in. We told him we’d wave to him from our table.

We got the number through Google; this is no age for secrets. It took seven calls to reach a human being, and though we dropped the name of one member of our group, a well-known columnist for The New York Times, our impression was that the distracted person on the other end of the line gave us a reservation for a different reason: we were willing to dine at 10 p.m.

When we arrived all the vinyl-draped tables, under a low ceiling decorated with strings of tiny white lights, were filled. The faint strains of opera could be heard over the speakers. Images of Frank Sinatra were everywhere.

A server gave us clunky laminated menus, which charted red-sauce Italian territory, then quickly took them back, reciting his favorite dishes instead.

We had buffalo milk mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto; a stingingly spicy penne arrabbiata; angel hair with white clam sauce; veal with mozzarella; veal with prosciutto and provolone. Not everything was great, but almost everything was at least good, and it felt honest and timeless.

We waved to Arthur. He shook his head. He came over with a bottle of white wine and poured us glasses. He shook his head again.

We learned that at the beginning of each year most of the regulars send faxes with all their desired reservation times to a private line at the restaurant. We finished our meal with two remarkable desserts: a ricotta cake flavored with rum and butterscotch, and a cream pie flavored with limoncello and, as it happens, the zest and juice from lemons.

I always knew Atlantic City had plenty of those."

For myself there is no other restaurant, possibly excepting the White House which is, in truth not a restaurant, that I would rather have dinner at on my next visit.

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My wife and I had dinner at Chef Vola's last night, Wednesday evening. Simply, along with our August dinner at Maestro before it closed and our last dinner at the Lab ("duck stew"), this was the equal of any dining experience we have had anywhere in the past several years. There is as much character in this tiny, cluttered but simply personal and romantic basement dining room as any we have found anywhere. Frankly, in its own way, this rivalled our dinner in the 2000 year old Michelin starred Roman furnace in Italy, La Fornace di Barbiblu. Chef Vola's, an 86+ year old Atlantic City institution that does not have a listed phone number or sign and is found in the basement of a white frame boarding house on a dead end street is, for myself, worth the 400 mile roundtrip drive from Reston. If you can get a reservation.

....this is the problem. It IS almost impossible to get into. Remarkably, after our experience, I would say for good reason!

And, I would suggest that Michael and Louise Esposito, the twenty five year + owners, could be as passionate as any restauranteurs I have ever met...and with a kitchen smaller than any broom closet I have ever seen!

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I just made a reservation for my wife and I to have dinner at Chef Vola's on Valentine's Day. I feel privileged. There is NO other restaurant on the face of the earth that I would rather be at for this day but Chef Vola's. For anyone reading this I am suggesting that Valentine's Day is still available. At Chef Vola's.

Well worth the 400 mile roundtrip drive to Atlantic City.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/473826 which is my post/review/essay on another website's specific board. For anyone reading this please give it special consideration. Chef Vola's is, indeed, an extraordinary experience and a real labor of love for the couple who own it.

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while I haven't been to Atlantic City since I was a wee lad, I was in Las Vegas last year and ate at one of Micheal Mina's restaurants and it was really good...It seems like his Las Vegas/Atlantic City restaurants feature his tried and true standards, lobster pot pie, great tuna tartar etc. He has one of his restaurants in the Borgata (also referenced in the Bruni piece linked above)...but be warned it is pretty damn expensive!

SeaBlue (the Mina restaurant in the Borgata) is really expensive - most entrees are in the $40s, and some crack $50. I was steered away from it, and toward the bar area at Wolfgang Puck American Grille, where I dined happily, cackling to myself at the anguish of the loud, boisterous New York Giants fans when Green Bay recovered a fumble.

Classic Caesar Salad ($13) with Anchovies and Tomato-Basil Bruschetta was a large pile of large romaine leaves, stacked up and topped with three anchovies, and served with an overcooked bruschetta on the side.

Pan-Seared Calves Liver ($22) with smoked bacon, soft polenta, and onion rings made me realize, sadly, that it's very difficult to find well-prepared liver and onions in Washington, DC. This was a great dish, a huge portion, perfectly cooked and garnished with onion rings horse-shoed onto a sprig of rosemary, all sitting on top of a heap of polenta ringed with a red-wine semi-reduction.

Portions here are enormous, the atmosphere is close enough to the casino where it bustles, but sequestered enough so that it feels like its own space, and the bread basket was full of good focaccia and sourdough for the all-important sauce dunk.

More importantly, I won.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Hopefully this isn't too late for you. But I ate at Cuba Libre and it was very good and reasonably priced.

Right next door to Cuba Libre (in the Tropicana) is Red Square, a restaurant owned by the China Grill group.

Now that I've dined at Red Square, I can honestly say the following:

1) It is the single worst meal I've ever had for the price.

2) I had the single worst $20 entree I've ever eaten (Chicken Kiev, $24)

3) I had the single worst $30 entree I've ever eaten (Beef Stroganoff, $32)

Three out of four people at our table were present for the Sushi Kappo Kawasaki fucking.

4) All three of us agreed that this was the worst QPR meal any of us have had since then, although this time around it was entirely due to the quality of the food.

5) One of those three said, "I can say with great confidence that this will be the worst meal I have in 2008."

6) The fourth person agreed that it was a lifetime worst-ever meal for the price point.

If I had a free meal at Red Square or TGIFridays, I would take the meal at TGIFridays without any hesitation whatsoever. The quality of our food at Red Square was about what I'd expect in the coach section of United Airlines, the problem being that the portions are several times larger - so instead of the village idiot coming up to you at a crosswalk and yelling in your ear once, he decides to follow you home and he yells the entire time.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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Right next door to Cuba Libre (in the Tropicana) is Red Square, a restaurant owned by the China Grill group.

Now that I've dined at Red Square, I can honestly say the following:

1) It is the single worst meal I've ever had for the price.

2) I had the single worst $20 entree I've ever eaten (Chicken Kiev, $24)

3) I had the single worst $30 entree I've ever eaten (Beef Stroganoff, $32)

Three out of four people at our table were present for the Sushi Kappo Kawasaki fucking.

4) All three of us agreed that this was the worst QPR meal any of us have had since then, although this time around it was entirely due to the quality of the food.

5) One of those three said, "I can say with great confidence that this will be the worst meal I have in 2008."

6) The fourth person agreed that it was a lifetime worst-ever meal for the price point.

If I had a free meal at Red Square or TGIFridays, I would take the meal at TGIFridays without any hesitation whatsoever. The quality of our food at Red Square was about what I'd expect in the coach section of United Airlines, the problem being that the portions are several times larger - so instead of the village idiot coming up to you at a crosswalk and yelling in your ear once, he decides to follow you home and he yells the entire time.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Can I forward this to Chodorow and Bruni?

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I just made a reservation for my wife and I to have dinner at Chef Vola's on Valentine's Day. I feel privileged. There is NO other restaurant on the face of the earth that I would rather be at for this day but Chef Vola's. For anyone reading this I am suggesting that Valentine's Day is still available. At Chef Vola's.

Well worth the 400 mile roundtrip drive to Atlantic City.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/473826 which is my post/review/essay on another website's specific board. For anyone reading this please give it special consideration. Chef Vola's is, indeed, an extraordinary experience and a real labor of love for the couple who own it.

I am going to be dining at Chef Vola's next week. Hopefully still worth the trip. Anyone been recently?

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Do casinos have free parking?

Unlike Las Vegas, I don't think there is free parking in AC casinos. There may be a discount if you are a loyal gambling customer, but I think it is about $5 per day or every time you park when you are not leaving the car overnight. There might not be a discount even if you are staying at the casino's hotel (e.g., Tropicana).

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Finally booked our trip to Atlantic City. Haven't been in years. Do casinos (especially Showboat where we're staying and Borgata where we want to check out) have free parking? Any opinion on Stephen Kalt and his Fornelletto in Borgata?

Isn't Fornelletto the place where the latest Hell's Kitchen winner is going to be working? It just opened, didn't it?

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Isn't Fornelletto the place where the latest Hell's Kitchen winner is going to be working? It just opened, didn't it?

I didn't know that so I looked it up and found this:

In the end, he awarded the grand prize to Danny, who will work under chef Stephen Kalt at the soon-to-be-opened regional Italian eatery, Fornelletti. Welcome to New Jersey!

We probably weren't going to Borgata on account of the parking fee, now that does it. I like Danny well enough as a contestant but I don't want to eat his food.

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Parking in AC is $5/day (though somehow I think some may be $10) - however, it comes with a free transfer... so when you leave one casino, ask for a transfer receipt.... then at the next lot, you can use that receipt for your payment.

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I was able to dine at Chef Vola's during my trip up to NJ over the 4th holiday. My FIL was able to get a reservation (he has been been with a friend a few times and was 'officially' referred) with just one(!) simple phone call. We had an early reservation (530p) and were one of the first folks in the place, but it filled up rather quickly. I had expected the crowd to be more formally dressed, but overall the crowd had a rather casual feel to it. The dining room is what you would expect of a townhouse basement filled with tables, cramped. They had a couple of tables out on the upstairs porch and they would have made a good seat, although I am sure that they were reserved for more frequent diners. I did not notice them until we were on our way out or I would have asked if we could have sat there.

We started with a house salad and a special Tuscan bean salad that was a mix of beans and beets mixed with a vinaigrette and topped with some cured meat and Parmesan flakes. My main was the veal parmigiana (bone in veal chop pounded out, breaded, and fried) for my main along with a side of pasta bolognese. For dessert I had a slice of one of the house-made ricotta pies as the other desserts are purchased pies that are previously frozen. Overall the service and the food were decent and certainly better than most red sauce Italian places. Is it worth the money and the usually crazy routine to get a reservation? I don't think so, but I think many folks like the special feeling they get when they score the reservation.

The restaurant is a BYOB, like many places on the shore. And like those other places the bottles of Charles Shaw were plentiful.

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We're staying at Showboat. My wife can't walk very far because she's still recovering from torn ACL surgery. I don't want to pay for parking (why am I being cheap, I don't know). My wife loves Italian, especially pasta arrabiata or bolognese. So I booked a table at Il Mulino. I wasn't too impressed with it in Vegas but I thought I'd give it another shot. Talk me out of it?

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I was able to dine at Chef Vola's during my trip up to NJ over the 4th holiday. My FIL was able to get a reservation (he has been been with a friend a few times and was 'officially' referred) with just one(!) simple phone call. We had an early reservation (530p) and were one of the first folks in the place, but it filled up rather quickly. I had expected the crowd to be more formally dressed, but overall the crowd had a rather casual feel to it. The dining room is what you would expect of a townhouse basement filled with tables, cramped. They had a couple of tables out on the upstairs porch and they would have made a good seat, although I am sure that they were reserved for more frequent diners. I did not notice them until we were on our way out or I would have asked if we could have sat there.

We started with a house salad and a special Tuscan bean salad that was a mix of beans and beets mixed with a vinaigrette and topped with some cured meat and Parmesan flakes. My main was the veal parmigiana (bone in veal chop pounded out, breaded, and fried) for my main along with a side of pasta bolognese. For dessert I had a slice of one of the house-made ricotta pies as the other desserts are purchased pies that are previously frozen. Overall the service and the food were decent and certainly better than most red sauce Italian places. Is it worth the money and the usually crazy routine to get a reservation? I don't think so, but I think many folks like the special feeling they get when they score the reservation.

The restaurant is a BYOB, like many places on the shore. And like those other places the bottles of Charles Shaw were plentiful.

Louise Esposito bakes the pies herself. This includes the banana cream, Chambord, lemoncello, ricotta, etc. The lemoncello is served partially frozen.

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Louise Esposito bakes the pies herself. This includes the banana cream, Chambord, lemoncello, ricotta, etc. The lemoncello is served partially frozen.

Interesting as they only told us that the ricotta pies were homemade.

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On one of our visits we talked to her at length about when she has the time to bake the pies.

Good to know. Too bad they were not clear when they were describing the various desserts. I will make sure to try something other than the ricotta pie on my next visit. Although it was good enough to have again.

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Other than the Special, any other sub worth trying? I think we're going to split a half of a Special and try something else too.

The cheesesteaks are also pretty good. Maybe the Tuna?

Don't know if this trick still works, but there can be HUGE lines. If you call your order in, they still don't make it until you get there, but then you wait in the (far shorter) call-ahead line, as opposed to the walk-in line.

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Don't know if this trick still works, but there can be HUGE lines. If you call your order in, they still don't make it until you get there, but then you wait in the (far shorter) call-ahead line, as opposed to the walk-in line.

I guess it doesn't hurt to try to call ahead? Does anyone else know if this still gets you the food faster? My wife gets really cranky when she's hungry.

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I guess it doesn't hurt to try to call ahead? Does anyone else know if this still gets you the food faster? My wife gets really cranky when she's hungry.

Because of the bread the White House cheesesteaks are better than: Pat's, Geno's, Tony Luke's, Jim's and a half dozen or more other Philly places where I've had them. They are even better if they actually sit in their wrapper for a couple of minutes-something about the flavors melding together.

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Because of the bread the White House cheesesteaks are better than: Pat's, Geno's, Tony Luke's, Jim's and a half dozen or more other Philly places where I've had them. They are even better if they actually sit in their wrapper for a couple of minutes-something about the flavors melding together.

To this day I have pangs of regret about forgetting and leaving the carefully rewrapped, uneaten half of a White House sub on the seat of a plane when I returned to DC. That happened in 1981 or thereabouts. (Dope slaps self about the 200th time over this memory).

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AC is a cesspool, the Boardwalk especially so. We stayed at the Showboat and walked as far south as Caesar's Palace - nothing but fast food and souvenir shops. It wouldn't be so bad if the population on the Boardwalk wasn't mostly hideous and deranged.

We popped into Bally's for a few hands of Black Jack and a couple of free drinks. Beers were still served in plastic cups with no selection at Bally's. Fortunately Showboat upgraded to bottle beers although they wouldn't tell me exactly what kind of beers they have. Even more fortunatley, I won a little over $1k during our less than 24 hrs stay in AC.

As for the food, everything was forgettable, even White House Sub. The Special was huge but truly nothing special (our sandwich was stuffed with the core of an iceberg lettuce), other than its size? I prefer Al Casapulla's (in Bethany Beach) to White House. We also tried their cheesesteak - it's a bargain (loads of steak, onions, and cheese) compared to the shops in Philly but I still prefer Jim's on South St. As for dinner, we went to Il Mulino in Taj Mahal. Everything was oily and garlicky. I woke up in the middle of the night due to paper-thin walls and noisy neighbors, and all I can taste is the garlic in the my mouth. The gnocchi special was fine, the spaghetti alle vongole was terrible (no salt, no clams, no wine, just garlic), the jumbo prawns, however, were terrifically tender (sauteed with garlic).

The worst food offender was the brunch buffet at Showboat, which was expensive ($23 per person) and terrible. They can't even make decent sausage gravy. We're not going back to AC - evah!!!

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Went to Harrah's to get away from the Boardwalk. It's a nice casino with a nice pool that turns into the hippest club in town at night. I ate dinner at Polistina's, the Italian joint in the casino. I did not make a reservation. Despite a restaurant that's half empty, I was told I could not get a table so I have to eat at the bar. When I ordered a pasta and a secondi, the bartender said "you must be hungry." Huh? My pasta and fish were both served at the same time. The branzino was already deboned and filleted with the skin removed - which I prefer to do myself. My pasta was overcooked. I thought about getting some breakfast before leaving but I'm glad I passed because the cornbeef sandwich at Attman's in Baltimore was delicious!

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Met a friend in A.C. to catch up and gamble. We stayed at Caesar's Palace and grabbed lunch at Souzai sushi in the Pier Shops. It was expensive and terrible. The rice was flavorless and there was no wasabi on my saba (at least the fish itself was fine). When I saw a neighoring table get a bowl of clams (which was not on the menu), I inquired about it and I was told we can order from Phillip's Seafood next door because of common ownership. We should've fled at that point.

Later on as we strolled down the Boardwalk, I gleaned a bit of useful information. Whitehouse Sub now has a branch inside Taj Mahal.

Dinner was at Dock's Oyster House. The place was packed at 6:30 and very loud. The tables were crammed next to one another. I had a dozen oysters (selected from the menu using the iPad app). Then crab caesar salad (with large chunks of rather flavorless crab meat but the salad dressing was pretty good), fried calamari (thick batter, rubbery squid), and steamed clams (tiny clams, loads of butter). I thought the food was decent but not worth having to yell at one another.

After 8 p.m., they (i.e., the casinos, seen them at Harrah's and now Caesar's) bring out these young women in high heel boots, fishnet stockings, and pushed up tits as dealers. B)

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New resort/casino features celeb restaurants from Wiedmaier, Richard, Garces, Forgione and Allegretti (who's he?). I'll be in AC for one night in July - might be able to check out a couple of these new joints.

We were there on Tuesday night. Revel is a humongous W on steroids which we did not like. It was also virtually empty. Yes, I realize that it is only now beginning to receive press but it has a long way to go. It is also incredibly trendy. And, the casino was huge. It pulses and throbs with table hosts boogying when their seats are empty. It's actually a sincere and imaginative effort to create a different kind of casino, a kind of kinetic-emotional neon, if you will-an anti-Wynn that still speaks of excess. They are going very hard after 25-40 year olds who may not have money but want to act and look like they do.

Amada would be my pick if you only have one meal in the building. Tim Carmen's comment about Central looking like an airport dining room was spot on. Also, most of these restaurants are on the same winding endless floor that seems to go on and on.

I stand by my comments about Chef Vola's. We go back in late June. We already have our resrvations at Vola's. Not anywhere in Revel.

I should also mention that Vola's was jammed on Tuesday night with three tables added to their porch with only candle light framing it. Amada had a party of ten in a kind of private area; not a single other seat was filled. In fact I noted only a handful of customers in all of the restaurants we saw. Unfortunately, the same was true for the Borgata, too.

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I haven't been to Borgata but Revel looks nice, and has some really good restaurants. I always stay at one of Harrah's properties because I get a free room on certain weekends. Recently Showboat started having pet friendly rooms so if I can get a free room there, I'll bring the dog and eat at Revel.

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Revel-all two and one half billion or so-recently filed for bankruptcy. We didn't like it. Citronelle there does not feel like Citronelle here. I am a huge fan or Armada...in Philadelphia. Not at Revel.

There is one and only one restaurant to go to in Atlantic City and even now, on Tuesday night every seat will be filled from 5:30 until it closes. Chef Vola's. It is the best Italian American restaurant in America. Also incredible character. And, extremely difficult to get into. One of the better things I wrote for Chowhound: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/473826 They answer their phone fairly consistently from 5:00 until 5:30 and then it gets really iffy. They are really like New York's Rao's, it is almost a private club. On almost every trip someone sitting near us had dinner there at least once or more a week, several with assigned days, times and tables. If you go you'll see more clippings on their walls than even Lotus of Siam. In particular look on the wall directly to the right of where you walk in and read what the creator of Boardwalk Empire writes to them. It seems that on almost every night that the show filmed in Atlantic City they were at Chef Vola's.

There is a similar letter from the creator of the Sopranos. Next to it. Who also had almost every meal at Chef Vola's when they filmed in Atlantic City.

It is also BYOB and they have larger glasses if you ask for them. Their veal parmigiana on the bone rivals Fabio's and their fried lobster tails may set a benchmark. If you ask for broccoli rabe with extra garlic you'll be given a large souffle cup full of garlic. Best pie I have ever eaten in any restaurant anywhere. I write that as a plural.

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is the James Beard spot introducing Chef Vola's for winning the Beard Award as an American Classic. It will give a feeling for the restaurant.

Borgata is owned by MGM Grand and Boyd Gaming. Rooms are Westin quality-over 2,000 of them-and relatively new. By far the most successful casino hotel in New Jersey. Seriously: go and immediately get a Borgata card. After you play one day, if you gamble a 150 or 200 on machines or at a table they'll offer you to join their club on your next visit. (My wife said this happened to her on our first visit a number of years back.) You use the same card for both slots, poker and table games.

I must say this: I laughed at our first visit to Md Live!. Couldn't believe the parking garage, couldn't believe the restaurants they were promoting. This was not the Borgata nor was it Chester or the Poconos or Mohegan Sun in CT. Nor Vegas, nor fifty other casino hotels I've been to around the country, many on Indian reservations. When MGM Mirage builds their uber hotel in National Harbor they will kill anything within 100 miles of D. C.-justifiably.

But we'll still go to A. C. and Chef Vola's. Serious.

NOTE: The Borgata is expensive on weekends. $400-500 a night for a room-it is when they do their business. Go on Sunday and through the week. They'll also give you free rooms for two nights in a row.

Good luck.

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If you are staying at the Borgata, or want to visit, I think that you can pick Old Homestead or Bobby Flay Steak and walk away happy. The food at Old Homestead is a bit more traditional, Booby Flay Steak is a bit more creative. I also heard good things from a fried about American Cut at the Revel, but who knows whether the resort will even be open in September.

One place that I would definitely avoid is Simon Prime at the Hilton. We got dragged there by a friend several years ago and it was borderline terrible.

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