By Scott Cronick
’Tis the season to eat out, apparently.
While many of us look forward to heading home for Christmas and spending time around the dinner table with family, there seems to be just as many people who want to eat out, whether it be for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
I can’t believe how many people have texted or called me to ask me where they should eat for the holidays.
If you live outside of the Atlantic City area and you want to eat out on Christmas Day, in particular, most are used to settling for Chinese food, which has particularly become a tradition for many of our Jewish friends.
Luckily we live in – or near – a 24-hour town filled with tourists and locals of all nationalities and religions who may want something more than Chinese food when they are here. So, if you are looking to eat out for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, here are my Top 10 choices where you can dine this holiday season.
Dougherty’s Steakhouse at Resorts Casino Hotel
The Dougherty family never disappoints, and their steakhouse and raw bar will showcase the legendary restaurant family’s love for seafood on Christmas Eve for their Feast of Seven Fishes spectacular. The $85, five-course menu includes broiled oysters, tuna skewers, lobster bisque, crab croquette, clams casino, seafood pasta and gelato duo. Go to ResortsAC.com.
Red Bowl 88
OK, so maybe you want Chinese food for the holiday. I get it … it’s tradition. Well, escape that local Chinese takeout joint and treat yourself to an authentic experience that will stand out. Red Bowl 88, a relatively new Atlantic City offering right on Bally’s casino floor, is open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Start off with a bowl of roasted peanuts or pan-fried turnip cake, then up the ante with abalone chicken, Peking pork ribs or Vietnamese beef noodles. Or stick those familiar favorites like fried wontons, General Tso chicken, beef with broccoli, Peking duck, Kung Pao shrimp and beef chow fun. Go to BallysAC.com.
Il Mulino at Hard Rock
Often ranked as the No. 1 casino restaurant in the country by USA Today, this New York institution’s satellite location in Atlantic City is every bit as good as the original. Open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the luxe restaurant is offering a Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve for $120 per person that includes Frittura di Pesce, a medley of fried baccala, calamari, rock shrimp, white fish and baby scallops; langostino prepared in the shell with sautéed spinach; a combination of rigatoni with octopus ragu and black linguini crafted with baby shrimp, scallops and campari tomatoes; calamari, seppie, fresh tomato, and Tuscany bread; red snapper in a lift seafood sauce and shrimp oreganata in a white wine, lemon, garlic sauce and panettone with zabaglione and vanilla ice cream for dessert. The regular menu will be served on Christmas Day, including their signature porcini mushroom ravioli with champagne truffle cream sauce. Go to HardRockHotelAtlanticCity.com.
Gordon Ramsay Steak at Harrah’s Resort
If you’re looking for a celebrity chef in your stocking, there’s no bigger on the planet than Gordon Ramsay, whose steakhouse is open at Harrah’s on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hell, it’s pricey, but it’s worth it for the holiday! Treat yourself to indulgences like the shellfish tower, smoked Wagyu beef tartare, lobster mac and cheese, pan-roasted Scottish salmon, the mind-blowingly decadent triple-seared Japanese A5 Wagyu, beef Wellington and more. Go to Caesars.com.
Amada at Ocean Casino Resort
How about some Spanish tapas for Christmas Day? Iron Chef Jose Garces has you covered at Amada, his culinary masterpiece and signature restaurant that started his ascension. Embracing the rich traditions of Spanish cuisine to showcase the authentic taste of Andalucia, the stunning restaurant with ocean views offers incredible charcuterie plates; staple tapas items including bacon-wrapped dates, lamb meatballs and sauteed Galician octopus; salads and flatbreads, including the awesome beef short rib flatbread with horseradish, parmesan and bacon; grilled items ranging from Maine lobster to jumbo prawns to my favorite, the acorn-fed Iberian pork; two different paellas; or even roasted suckling pig if you order in advance. Go to TheOceanAC.com.
Vic & Anthony’s at Golden Nugget
One of my top steakhouses in Atlantic City is open on Christmas Day as Vic & Anthony’s luxurious ambiance sets a perfect tone for a classy holiday night out. Whether you’re a carnivore, a seafood lover or both, you can’t go wrong with nearly any dish on the menu. Favorites include appetizers such as the maple-glazed quail, steak tartare, fried calamari with broccoli rabe and long hots, and pepper-and-maple roasted bacon; USDA prime cuts including the only place in A.C. you will always find the stellar 14-ounce bone-in filet mignon; and other dishes such as fried lobster mac and cheese, organic lamb chops, a 14-ounce veal chop served parmesan or Milanese style, Szechuan pepper-crusted tuna and pan-seared scallops. Go to GoldenNugget.com.
Carmine’s at Tropicana
Carmine’s is all about family … family style that is. So, if you are looking for that great place where you can hang with your family and be fun and gregarious while enjoying amazing, homemade Italian food for the holiday, it’s hard to think of a better place than Carmine’s. The New York institution is open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with its regular, enormous menu and equally enormous portions. Start off with appetizers like their baked clams or stuffed mushrooms, move on to their veal parm or shrimp scampi, devour a broiled porterhouse, and don’t forget the pasta like their penne alla vodka and lasagna. And don’t sleep on the Italian cheesecake and tiramisu. Go to CarminesNYC.com.
Nobu at Caesars
Is Nobu the best restaurant in the city? Possibly. The new location for the acclaimed Japanese chef at Caesars Atlantic City is an amazing place to celebrate Christmas Eve thanks to its tremendous food, gorgeous setting overlooking the boardwalk and ocean and overall hip atmosphere. Nearly every dish is to die for, but don’t leave without experiencing the toro tartare with caviar, yellowtail jalapeno, crispy rice with spicy tuna, lamb rosemary miso, Nobu tacos, sushi and nigiri and the black cod with miso, the absolute greatest piece of fish I have ever eaten … and I am not a fish fan. Go to Caesars.com.
Il Verdi at Tropicana Atlantic City
Looking for an Italian feast on Christmas Eve? Look no further than Il Verdi, the longtime Tropicana restaurant that moved into bigger, more beautiful, oceanside digs earlier this year. For $84.99 per person, they will serve the traditional Feast of Seven Fishes with a twist. Enjoy a five-course meal that features some of Il Verdi’s best dishes like rigatoni Bolognese, scampi piccata and arancini along with some culinary creations made just for the occasion, including cavatelli di granchio, pasta with jumbo lump crab, plum tomatoes, herb breadcrumbs and crispy pancetta; or capesante Capri, seared scallops with balsamic syrup, parmesan and pea risotto; plus a nice Italian pastry sampler. The beauty of this menu is all of the choices you have in the different courses, so you can pick the feast you specifically want. Go to Caesars.com.
Izakaya at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Choose either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for Chef Michael Schulson’s Izakaya, the restaurant that started the Japanese food movement in the city that now includes other great offerings like Kuro at Hard Rock and Ossu at the Trop. If you haven’t heard, Izakaya is closing at the end of the year, so this could be your last chance to eat at one of my Top 3 restaurants in the city before it’s gone. My favorite things to eat one last time include the spicy tuna cracker, edamame dumpling, duck scrapple bun, yellowtail serrano, soup dumpling, the char siu rib and branzino off the robatayaki, entrees like the Chilean sea bass and Nori-crusted filet and, of course, sushi. The bad news? Schulson won’t be at Borgata in 2024. The good news? He will be at another local casino with some different concepts by this summer. Stay tuned. Go to Borgata.MGMResorts.com.
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, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
