Atlantic City Restaurant Week is back again for another year of wonderful dining options. From March 8th to the 13th, participating restaurants in and around Atlantic City are offering prix fixe dinners for $35.20 and prix fixe lunch specials for $15.20. You can see all the participating restaurants at www.acrestaurantweek.com.
While we can’t talk about every restaurant that will be part of Restaurant Week (hint: there are a LOT), here are some options to consider:
Restaurants at the Casinos
When Revel came back as Ocean and announced that some of the restaurants would be returning, I was sure hoping one of them would be Amada. Thankfully it was, and thankfully it is just as good as before. The menu available for Restaurant Week showcases Chef Jose Garces’ spin on Spanish cuisine. Amada lets you choose two appetizers and two entrees, so expect smaller plates but lots of flavor.
American Cut also returned to Ocean. A modern take on the steakhouse from Chef Marc Forgione, American Cut is offering a six-ounce filet mignon as one of the entrees as well as double smoked bacon as an appetizer.
This restaurant doesn’t get the same press as other restaurants in Tropicana, but Broadway Burger Bar is my favorite place for a burger and a drink in Atlantic City. The restaurant’s Signature Beef Burger is available for lunch and dinner during Restaurant Week.
I give Tropicana credit for taking over The Chelsea and bringing back the former Chelsea Prime restaurant under the name Chelsea Five Gastropub. Swanky supper club feel with great views of the ocean. Entrée options for Restaurant Week include shrimp & grits, buttermilk fried chicken and filet mignon.
Old school upscale Italian done right – that’s what Il Mulino Trattoria at Hard Rock Hotel Casio means to me. Throwback with no apologies. Nothing on the menu will surprise you, yet everything will be worth savoring. The service, by the way, is top-notch.
Hungry for Japanese? Izakaya Modern Japanese Pub at Borgata has been a popular dining spot since it opened in 2008 and shows no signs of stopping. The Restaurant Week menu has several ‘courses’ that goes from Cold to Hot to Crispy, then a Robatayaki (“fireside cooking”) course, a Meat & Fish course with a side, and a Sushi or Sashimi course. Sounds like a good time to me.
If you want that classic steakhouse vibe, look no further than Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse at Golden Nugget. Yes, it is a chain, but do not let that sway your judgement for one nanosecond. Expect great food and excellent service.
Restaurants in the City of Atlantic City
Restaurant Week is the perfect time to see what’s happening in the Orange Loop. What’s the Orange Loop? It’s Tennessee Avenue, New York Avenue and St. James Place – the ‘orange’ properties in that famous real estate board game based on Atlantic City (you know the one). Bourré on New York Avenue brings a little New Orleans to Atlantic City and the lunch and dinner menus give you a good sampling of this. Finish either meal with the choice of bourbon bread pudding or beignets for dessert.
Stroll on over to Tennessee Avenue for several dining options, such as Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Rhythm & Spirits, and my personal favorite The Iron Room (featuring dessert from MADE Chocolate). Yes, I’ll take that vanilla glazed thick-cut bacon and vindaloo croquettes, please.
If you want to go old school Atlantic City, look no further than Dock’s Oyster House and Knife & Fork Inn, which were around long before the modern casino boom. You walk into Knife & Fork and you really feel like you have stepped back in time to a more civilized age of dining.
I don’t like to use the term ‘hidden gem’ – but if I did use that phrase, Girasole would be that kind of place. A beautiful dining area with food to match, and pizza chef who knows how work a brick oven. Just go and know that everything on the plate will be delicious.
If there was one restaurant I wanted to try during Restaurant Week, it would be Setaara Afghan French Cuisine. Afghan French fusion is a unique combination, and it would be hard to select just one appetizer and one entrée from the Restaurant Week menu, But, them’s the rules, so go and have fun!
Restaurants Surrounding Atlantic City
I have never, and I mean never, heard a bad word said about Assaggio! In Galloway. This is a neighborhood Italian restaurant that has been making diners happy for years now with their homemade pasta and other delights. The Restaurant Week menu offers a number of gluten-free options.
What can be said about Steve & Cookie’s By The Bay in Margate that hasn’t already been said? If you’re new to this restaurant, just know that Cookie Till is currently a James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding restauranteur and go without worries about your meal.
John has written about South Jersey food and drink on his blog Eating in South Jersey and for other publications for over ten years. He’s also the author of “A Culinary History of Cape May.”