By Scott Cronick
There was a time in Atlantic City when nearly every casino had a lavish, over-the-top Sunday brunch in its finest restaurant.
Whether it was the Sunday Sterling Brunch at Caruso’s in the former Atlantic City Hilton, the always amazing Sunday brunch at Capriccio at Resorts Casino Hotel or the jaw-dropping spread at Roberto’s inside the former Trump Plaza, Sunday was brunch day.
These weren’t ordinary brunches. They were decadent feasts where casino chefs would display their best dishes, hearty carving stations, action stations including omelet and waffle offerings and dessert creations that were worth the price of admission themselves.
Betty McHugh, the general manager of Council Oaks Steaks & Seafood at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, is no stranger to insanely good brunches. Before she made the move to Hard Rock, she oversaw Caesars Atlantic City’s acclaimed Nero’s Italian Steakhouse, which was home to perhaps the greatest brunch in Atlantic City history.
No one did it better.
But, like many brunches in the city, Nero’s brunch went away when COVID arrived. Casinos have been slow to bring them back … but their resurrection is starting to happen.
And Council Oak’s Sunday brunch is perhaps the most incredible example of the Sunday brunch resurgence so far.
McHugh has worked diligently with the Hard Rock’s new Director of Culinary Jeff Braun and his amazing team to introduce a brunch that will not only remind you of the great brunches of the past, but one that has the potential to be placed on the all-time greatest Sunday brunches list.
And they are just beginning.
Pricy … but worth it
At first, Council Oak’s Sunday Brunch may give you sticker shock.
At $79.95 per person, that reaction is normal.
But, when you consider that Nero’s brunch was around that price when it shut its doors pre-COVID, it’s in the ballpark of where it needs to be to be successful for Hard Rock.
For starters, the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. brunch includes all-you-can-drink Bloody Marys and mimosas, and is impressive in scope in every way.
Yes, there is the buffet that is spread around half of the restaurant featuring everything from carving stations to omelet stations to raw bars and a giant dessert display.
But, on top of that, diners are greeted with a large a la carte menu that is included in the price to class things up and have things brought right to your table just as you ordered them, including Eggs Benedict.
There’s even some awesome live music courtesy of flamenco/Spanish/gypsy guitarist Joe Vlado, who provides the perfect background atmosphere for this modern-day Sunday brunch.
Culinarily proud
Like any brunch worth its sea salt, Council Oak’s Sunday Brunch will be successful because of the people behind it.
McHugh’s reputation is unrivaled in the city when it comes to making people happy on a regular basis as a restaurant manager, and when it comes to a Sunday Brunch, she makes them even happier.
With a big smile, McHugh sweats the small stuff. The casino restaurant veteran knows what goes into making a brunch successful, and even though Council Oak’s Sunday Brunch is just weeks old, it has all of the Betty touches. Servers anticipate your every need, plates are swept from your table when you’re not looking, drinks are delivered cold, plates are delivered hot, and every station is immaculate, and she touches every table multiple times … all tough things to pull off in a hectic setting with hundreds of diners.
When McHugh helmed the brunch at Nero’s, people would call it Betty’s Brunch. It won’t be long before her old customers who migrated to Hard Rock – as well as the Hard Rock customers getting to know her – call Council Oak’s offering “Betty’s Brunch,” too.
However, just like she did at Caesars, McHugh is quick to give the credit to the culinary team, and they deserve all of the credit they can get.
That team is led by Braun, an industry veteran who has worked in some amazing kitchens in his storied career, including the Four Seasons and, most recently, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, where his skills were admired by Hard Rock President George Goldhoff, who ran the Cincinnati casino before moving to Atlantic City to run the Hard Rock earlier this year.
“When the opening became available here, he tapped me to come over,” said Braun, acknowledging that being recruited by your former boss is the ultimate compliment. “I have had a long and fortunate career in the culinary industry throughout the country, and I’m ready to embrace and be part of the Hard Rock here in Atlantic City. It’s a phenomenal company, and I’m looking forward to being part of the community and driving our culinary destination at Hard Rock and engaging everyone we can.”
Together, Braun and McHugh are offering Atlantic City something very special.
“Betty and I are getting closer and closer every day, and everyone knows Betty, and we are so proud to have her here as the frontperson,” Braun said. “I think this brunch brings luxury and finesse and an elevated dining experience, and we are looking to take the Sunday brunch to another level.”
Where to start?
Braun is correct when he says he doesn’t tell diners where to start eating at brunch because “that’s the beauty of going to brunch.”
So, we will just start with breakfast.
On the buffet, expect scrambled cage-free eggs, butcher-cut Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, Thumann’s sausage, home-fried potatoes, brioche cinnamon-orange french toast, buttermilk pancakes with seasonal compote and warm maple syrup, an omelet station and a bagel bar.
“It’s the little things that matter,” Braun said. “We hand cut that bacon so it’s thick but not too thick. The omelet station has lots to choose from, so the ingredients change weekly for guests who come back regularly with everything from jumbo lump crab to smoked salmon to our aged steak, along with the normal vegetables, meats and cheeses. And we developed quite a good bagel bar that is going to get even better as we explore with more cream cheeses and smoked fish and white fish. The salmon, for example, is a three-day process where we cure, dry and smoke our salmon so people can have a fresh, toasted bagel with a smear and topping.”
Off the a la carte menu, there are four different Eggs Benedict to order, including traditional with Canadian bacon, Hollandaise and English muffin; crab cake with tomato, Hollandaise and corn muffin; smoked salmon with Hollandaise and English muffin; and my favorite, the dry-aged steak with asparagus, Hollandaise and homemade corn muffin.
It may sound simple but it’s simply delicious: a cup of oatmeal with milk, brown sugar and apricots. Don’t sleep on it.
Lunch, anyone?
The lunch part of Council Oak’s Sunday Brunch is spectacular.
The raw bar placed in a giant, stunning ice carving features shucked oysters that change in variety weekly, jumbo prawns, tuna tartare prepared individual by their sushi master and clams.
The concierge salad bar features a team member composing and dressing a salad where you pick out the ingredients that can feature proteins ranging from shrimp to flake tuna to warm, wood-grilled chicken.
If you like sushi, you’re in luck as their sushi chef freshly prepares California rolls, spicy tuna and futo maki.
There’s also an artisan bread station; fruit platters; a carving station featuring 28-day, dry-aged New York strip and Kassler pork rack with stone ground mustard sauce; king salmon with Beluga lentils and black olive vinaigrette; and Josper-roasted chicken breast with ratatouille and basil.
“The Josper Oven is where we cook all of our prime, in-house, dry-aged meats from Council Oak,” Braun said. “We cook only over wood and charcoal, and do most of our fish and appetizers inside the Josper, too. There’s no gas, just oak and charcoal and cherrywood to cook over, and that rises those ingredients to a different level. The prime, New York strip comes from our aging room where we pull them out and trim them and then carve them right in front of you 28 days later.”
From the a la carte menu, lunch items include french fries with homemade sauce and a beautiful roasted Caprese dish with charred tomatoes, basil, garlic chips and pistou.
“The a la carte menu features things we feel we do better when we plate them and bring them to you,” Braun said. “The house favorite is the Crab Eggs Benedict, which has a huge crab cake on it. We just wanted to make it unique and keep surprising people. It’s about keeping you satiated … it’s a culinary feast.”
It certainly is. And we didn’t even get to dessert, which is simply overwhelming, but make sure you save room.
As for its future, Braun said Sunday Brunch at Council Oak is just beginning.
“I want to see the place full and keep it rolling and add stations and change food seasonally and really make it an authentic experience for guests that rocks in our culinary world.”
Well said.
(Council Oak Steaks & Seafood Sunday Brunch is offered 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Go to HardRockHotelAtlanticCity.com to make reservations.)
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.
