An insider's guide to food and fun in Atlantic City this summer
Nobody will mistake two nights in Atlantic City for a week in Las Vegas. But if you live in New York, have a gambling jones to satisfy, want to party on the beach, take in a show or two and would rather drive for a couple hours than fly for just under six, AC is a good bet.
And the entertainment is decent enough to build a weekend around. Highlights on the summer calendar include Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at Ocean Casino Resort on June 21, David Lee Roth at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Aug. 8, and Black Keys at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Aug. 9.
More regularly, every Wednesday through Sunday, you can check out a bawdy variety show called 'the Hook' at Caesars Atlantic City Resort. There are jugglers who strip down to their jockstraps, a woman who does freaky things inside a balloon and an emcee who never seems to run out of smutty jokes. It's old-fashioned casino entertainment with good taste gone to hell — and the crowd loves it.
5 Take in dazzling bawdy variety shows like 'the Hook' at Caesars Atlantic City Resort.
Jody Hartley
A recent trip down to the Garden State's gambling hub begins with checking into the appropriately named Ocean, where floor-to-ceiling windows look out on the Atlantic. It's something that Vegas, even at its most derivative, cannot replicate.
Other good options for lodging: Borgata, which is as Vegas-y as Atlantic City gets, the Hard Rock if you want to recall your inner Eddie Van Halen and the Nobu Hotel, which occupies floors 42 to 44 of Caesars and aims to do for Jersey Shore overnighting what the sushi master did for raw fish.
First thing in the morning, a leg-stretching stroll down the boardwalk — passing the giant observation wheel, at the old Steel Pier where horses once dove into the water, and more taffy stands than you can count — followed by a quick sit-down at a blackjack table are called for. It's worth noting that during the early hours, limits tend to be the lowest of the day.
That said, as the minimum bets rise, it's time for brunch. Destination: Cardinal, which is the reigning non-casino gem of Atlantic City. Shimmering lights illuminate the bar and décor inside is farmhouse cool, Williamsburg styler.
Fittingly, paintings of cardinals abound. Tasty offerings — which can be eaten outside, accompanied by live acoustic music — include Korean duck wings, house-made veggie burgers and a New England Benedict with smoked salmon.
For something more along the lines of elevated bar food, Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall spins up burgers, pizza and kimchi fried chicken sandwiches. Taps line the length of one wall — Big Sal's IPA is named for the managing partner — and games of cornhole get competitive juices flowing in the yard.
For cheesesteaks, a local delicacy, White House Subs is king.
5 Ocean features big-name DJs.
Courtesy of Ocean Casino Resort
Upcoming at Ocean are two offerings from celebrity restaurateur Stephen Starr. Chez Frites will be a bistro-style eatery where Paris-worthy steak frites promises to rule as a specialty. Next door, breakfast and lunch views are likely to get elevated in every sense of the word at Sunny's, which will serve comfort-food with a shimmering 11-story-high view of the Atlantic Ocean.
5 Not to mention rooms with stellar views.
Courtesy of Ocean Casino Resort
When the sun is shining, HQ2 Beachclub at Ocean has big name DJs on the roster. This summer, revelers will wade into the pool to the sounds of Tiësto and Steve Aoki. On cloudy or cold afternoons, the MGM Tower at Borgata's 21-and-up indoor pool is the place to be.
And there are always rides via tram on the freshly launched Boardwalk Tours, helmed by local legend Mike 'AC Mike' Lopez.
While slowly motoring down the Boardwalk — trams top out at 5 miles per hour — he'll loop you in on the latest AC dish plus the true history of Nucky Johnson (fictionalized by Steve Buscemi, as Nucky Thompson in 'Boardwalk Empire') as well as local nightlife rogue Paul 'Skinny' D'Amato.
5 No one can pamper quite like the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
If you're a guy in need of grooming, have Mike's side kick and top-notch driver Freddy Isaac drop you off at newly opened Hammer and Nails (the classic face treatment there will erase worry lines that might have popped during a bad run at the tables). Ladies (and men for that matter) can hit up Rock Spa and Salon at the Hard Rock for topnotch pampering.
Either way, be sure to ask Freddy for a White House tip: His favorite sub, which involves a cheeseburger, mayonnaise and hot peppers.
Non casino dinners are well handled by the Italian red sauce spot Angelo's and the Vietnamese mainstay Little Saigon. Staying in house tonight, we're enjoying perfectly medium-rare ribeye at Ocean Steak. The wine selection takes up an entire side of the restaurant, the double smoked bacon appetizer is a crowd pleaser and remember to order Jersey creamed corn on the side.
This haven of hearty fare also happens to be conveniently close to Fanatics Sportsbook, the Michael Rubin brainchild that opened last September and ranks among the best place in town for watching games. Giant high-def monitors cover the walls, an enthusiastic crowd piles in and betting opportunities abound. Bottle service is available upstairs (though it's no charge down below).
5 This boardwalk empire is loaded with top casinos like Borgata.
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
As the hour nears midnight, it's time for a binge of casino gambling at Borgata.
In the casino's brand new high-limit, baccarat-dominant, gaming quarters, the action is heavy and the energy level is pumped.
Gamblers shout 'Monkey! Monkey!' when calling for 10-value cards while high-rollers discreetly do their thing in private gambling dens. We ante up for a bit of baccarat — playing Banker results in a lower house edge — before heading over to pai gow poker. A woman at the table, with a tiny plastic duck on top of her chips, seems unable to lose.
Unfortunately, not possessing the duck or the luck, there is only one reasonable option: slip out the back of the baccarat room and into Noodles, the attached Asian food restaurant. Yes, a giant dinner was eaten mere hours ago. But the soup dumplings and Asian barbecue beckon. They are worth making room for.
With dinner number-two digesting, and gambling spirits buoyed, it's either off to one of AC's happening nightclubs — including Premiere in the Borgata, HQ2 in Ocean and Pool After Dark at Harrah's Resort – or else poker at the Borgata's well-appointed card room.
In the spirit of AC being a gambling town, a decision is made with the flip of a coin. Poker wins. So, it's shuffle-up-and-deal until breakfast, when it's time to chow down once more and start all over again.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A seldom-seen Korean wine stars at a new S.F. bar
Funky, milky and ancient, an often overlooked Korean rice wine is getting the spotlight at a new San Francisco bar. Jilli opens Saturday, June 14 in the Mission District, at 1503 15th St., with a special focus on makgeolli: a traditional style of rice wine which fell out of favor but has gained a recent surge of popularity in South Korea. Branding itself as a sool jib — Korean for drinking house — Jilli, which already has a location in Los Angeles, will focus on craft makgeolli pours and cocktails with Korean bar food. 'It's a little grainy and thick. You can think of it as (unfiltered) sake or a bit like yogurt and sometimes it has bubbles,' Jilli owner Dong Hyuk Lee said of makgeolli. He likens its appeal to that of natural wines, kombucha or sour beers. Soju, a distillate made from grains, has been hot for some time on both sides of the Pacific. It's made its way into trendy Bay Area bars and low-alcohol cocktail lists. Korean pop idols regularly grace soju labels and even launch their own brands. When Lee opened his first Los Angeles restaurant in 2020, Korean fusion spot Hanchic, diners wanted more traditional dishes with soju or Korean beers to drink. Makgeolli, meanwhile, was long considered an unhip drink for farmers and grandpas, Lee explained. But a boom happening in recent years has created a moment for this rice wine, with a new generation of brewers in South Korea innovating with new variables, such as changing temperatures or filtering methods, and adding ingredients like botanicals and fruit to the drink. The fervor eventually reached the U.S., with Korean-American craft makgeolli brewers launching on both coasts. Seeing the growing profile of makgeolli among younger brewers and young crowds in South Korea, Lee opened the first Jilli in Los Angeles at the start of 2024. The low-lit den dedicated to makgeolli was well received, with groups huddling over tables crowded with glasses and Korean bar bites. 'The vibe is more like a hip bar than a Korean restaurant,' Lee said. Capacity in San Francisco is for 25 seated diners indoors, plus another 25 in a patio space. Jilli's bottle list will include selections from leading U.S. craft makgeolli brewers like Brooklyn's Hana Makgeolli and Southern California producers like Sang Makgeolli and Nomi Doga. Pours will be available as well as cocktails that incorporate ingredients like blended strawberries and roasted chestnuts. Lee developed dishes to pair with the rice wines based on his mother's home cooking, with some modern interventions. He said the San Francisco menu will be close to the Los Angeles location, where diners bite into shrimp toast with chile vinaigrette and tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes, that swim in an uni butter sauce with smoked trout roe. A rigatoni in a kimchi vodka sauce, a fan favorite, will also be available at the incoming bar. Expect to see Korean-style fried chicken as well. As the bar approached its opening, Lee used the kitchen as a base for a popup of Chimmelier, his Los Angeles chicken restaurant. The positive response convinced him to make it a permanent fixture during lunch hours. Lee's company, In Hospitality, launched the first fixed Chimmelier location in Berkeley, quickly followed by another in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood. Lee thinks San Francisco will embrace the focus on makgeolli, and hopes the rice wine style continues to grow in popularity. 'It's become very different compared to old times,' Lee said. Jilli. Opening Saturday, June 14. 1503 15th St. San Francisco. Tuesday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.
Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Does California have the best restaurants in the country? Yes. Here's our proof
Los Angeles can feel like a microcosm of the whole world, particularly when it comes to dining. At some point, though, the road will call. Maybe it's a two-hour drive into the desert, or a short flight to the Bay Area, or a quiet coastal stretch where the marine layer doesn't burn off until early afternoon. There are reasons to go — and eat — everywhere in California. Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Ethiopian, Syrian, Italian: As you'll find in this guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in California, these cuisines embody who we are, and they're only the jumping-off point. Many entries on the list include additional recommendations, and the Times has previously published deeper dives (based on my ongoing statewide reporting) into San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs. More will be coming.
Hypebeast
15 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Anti Social Social Club Teams up With Coca-Cola for a Summer Capsule
Summary Get ready for an unlikely fusion of streetwear rebellion and classic cool, asAnti Social Social Club (ASSC)announces its highly anticipated Summer Capsule collaboration with beverage titanCoca-Cola. Known for its ironic slogans and exclusive drops, ASSC is set to infuse Coca-Cola's iconic imagery with its signature edge. The range of coveted apparel like hoodies, tees and accessories that marry the recognizable Coca-Cola script and vibrant red palette with ASSC's distinctive graphic language. This collaboration bridges the gap between Coca-Cola's universal appeal and ASSC's niche, cult-like following, offering a unique blend of nostalgia and contemporary streetwear defiance. For fans of both brands, the Anti Social Social Club x Coca-Cola Summer Capsule also features a selection of accessories like padel rackets and bucket hats. The graphics highlight Coca-Cola's influence across the world, with text in Korean, Chinese and more seen on the pieces. Of course, the classic polar bear is a main graphic of the collaboration, which is adorned in Coca-Cola red. Look out for the collection dropping on June 14online.
