If you like Atlantic City Wing Fest, you will absolutely love Atlantic City Mexican Madness.
After nine straight sellout celebrations of wings and constant requests for another festival — “When are you doing Burger Bash again?” — it was time to unleash Atlantic City Mexican Madness. The inaugural throwdown of 16 South Jersey restaurants competing for ultimate Mexican Food bragging rights is noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City.
Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Madness offers some of the best Mexican food you will find from this part of the planet, from tacos to tamales, pozole to quesabirrias, churros and more. Combined with tequila, margaritas and live music, it is the Cinco de Mayo celebration South Jersey has been waiting for.
Welcome to Mexican Madness
It seems no matter where you go, South Jersey is brimming with Mexican food, which means the demand for great Mexican food has never been stronger.
Mexican Madness, presented by Visit Atlantic City, Driscoll Foods, 103.7 WMGM Rocks, Golden Nugget and Paris Produce, allows attendees to sample unlimited Mexican food that includes an unlimited chips and salsa station featuring different, creative salsas from all 16 restaurants.
Like Wing Fest, attendees will help decide which Mexican dish and salsas are your favorite. We will also have some professionals to judge blindly, as well, and the Fat Boy Munch Club will be on hand to offer specialty awards.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City, which will host the event in its Grand Ballroom, will offer a cash bar featuring specialty margaritas, tequila, great craft beers and specialty cocktails for purchase, plus live music by Twisted Livin’, one of the area’s premier up-and-coming rock bands, and mariachi music from MEXCAL!
Tickets for the VIP Early Admission Session from noon to 4 p.m. includes one-hour early admission that will feature access to seating, an extra hour of music plus beat the long lines are priced at $65. Tickets for the 1 to 4 p.m. General Admission session are just $55*, and admission includes unlimited food, tortilla chips and salsa from all restaurants, live music, killer drink and craft beer specials and more!
The Dishes
Atlantic City Mexican Madness is truly a celebration of great Mexican food in South Jersey. Here’s the main dish and salsa from each participating restaurant:
279 Social Kitchen & Craft Bar
Tacos Campechanos: Beef and pork taco with homemade seasoning topped with cilantro and chopped onion in a corn tortilla.
Avocado Salsa Verde: Charred tomatillo with avocado, onions, cilantro, seasoning.
Angeloni‘s Club Madrid
Street Corn Ravioli: Corn pasta filled with charbroiled corn and queso fresco. Fried and topped with Bravis sauce, basil aoli and cojita cheese.
Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa: Traditional salsa with tomatoes, seasoning.
Careme’s at Academy of Culinary Arts
Pollo Posole Verde: Chicken and hominy stew with poblano, jalapeno, garlic, onion, oregano and cilantro.
Grilled Pineapple & Habanero: Sweet, spicy goodness.
Casa Taco & Tequila
Shrimp Empanadas: Traditional, savory Mexican pastries filled with shrimp, poblano, corn, black beans and Chihuahua Cheese served with an Avocado Salsa Verde.
Smoky Salsa Roja: Fire-roasted tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, garlic and tomatillos finished with toasted guajillo, pasilla, and arbol chiles and fresh cilantro.
Chart House
Shrimp Taco: Fried shrimp with kimchee sauce, cabbage slaw mix, pico de gallo, jack cheese and avocado
Fire-Roasted Salsa: Traditional tomato-based salsa with seasoning.
Dos Caminos
Cameron Alambre: Bacon-wrapped shrimp tossed in a chipotle BBQ glaze with cabbage slaw and pickled red onion with a drizzle of adobo mayo.
Ranchero Salsa: Fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno, green chile and cilantro.
Essl’s Family Restaurant
House-Made Cinnamon Sugar Churros: Fried dough pastry featuring a crunchy, ridged exterior and a soft, airy interior tossed in cinnamon sugar.
Fire-Roasted Salsa Roja: Traditional tomato-based salsa with seasoning.
Inky’s Cantina + Taqueria
Barbacoa Tacos: Smoked BBQ Lamb with salsa rojo, queso fresco, onion, cilantro in a corn tortilla
XXX Salsa: Spicy tomato-based salsa with extreme heat, seasoning.
Jvs Mexican Restaurant AC
Tacos Dorados: Crispy, fried tortilla filled with chicken topped with fresh lettuce, Mexican cheese, crema and salsa verde.
Cheesy Quesabirrias: Barbacoa quesabirria tacos are crispy cheese tacos filled with slow-cooked beef barbacoa with consommé for dipping.
Salsa de Molcajete: Traditional Mexican salsa with roased tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic ground by hand on a volcanic stone mortar resulting in a rustic, smoky, chunky texture.
King’s Pub
D.F. Tuna Tostados: Bigeye Tuna with smoked tamari, yuzu, tomato relish, sweet corn succotash, queso fresco, Serrano oil and a signature sauce for heat
Salsa de Las Mafiosas: A variation of traditional salsa verde, but better!
Maya
El Diablo Verde, salsa that is fire thanks to its old-school technique with a modern twist
Mexico Restaurant in Atlantic City
Tamales Oaxaquenos de Pollo: Handmade, steamed corn-based dough filled with chicken and a homemade mole sauce wrapped in a banana leaf.
Roja Mexicana: Traditional tomato salsa with onions, garlic and jalapenos that stands out because they cook the salsa.
Michael Patrick’s at Golden Nugget Atlantic City
Beef Barbacoa Tostada: Guajillo-braised chuck, refried beans, cilantro, queso fresco, pickled red onions and watermelon radish
Salsa Verde Taquera: Vibrant, tangy green salsa with roasted tomatillos, serrano peppers, cilantro, garlic and onion.
Miss Connie’s Fire-Roasted Street Corn
Esquites: Cups of buttery cut corn tossed in chipotle-lime mayo aioli, queso fresco and cotija cheese, topped with cilantro, lime, and Miss Connie’s special seasoning blend.
Corn Black Bean Salsa: Creative, flavorful salsa using corn and black beans as its base with peppers, seasoning.
Na’cho Taco
Birria Fried Tacos: House-made, grass-fed birria — braised beef — with Mexican cheese blend rolled in a corn tortilla and fried to a perfect crisp.
Smoky Pineapple Habanero Salsa: Bringing heat and sweetness together in this thick, yellow-green salsa packed with flavor and afterburn.
Professional Chef’s Association of South Jersey
Pork Pasole: Traditional, rich Mexican stew made with pork shoulder, hominy and a broth seasoned with chiles.
Mexican Street Tacos: Shredded chicken and beef nicely seasoned and slow cooked with spicy pico de gallo and salsa verde on a corn tortilla.
Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa: A spicy and sweet salsa variation with tons of flavor.
Atlantic City Mexican Madness takes place Saturday, April 25, at Golden Nugget Atlantic City Ballroom. Tickets are priced at $65 for early admission at noon and $55 for general admission at 1 p.m., and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com and at the door. Like Atlantic City Mexican Madness on Facebook.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
