Saltwater taffy may be Atlantic City’s trademark, but that’s not enough after a long day of sun, sand and sea. Stroll off the Boardwalk and into these restaurants serving up vacation-worthy dinners.
Dock’s Oyster House
2405 Atlantic Ave.
609-345-0092
Dark wood frames the clean, classic setting of snowy-linen-draped tables on black-and-white mosaic tiled floors at Dock’s Oyster House, a seafooder dating back to 1897. Traditional fried oysters, crab meat au gratin and “beef and reef” filet mignon and lobster tail are joined by updated plates like pecan-crusted salmon, crispy wasabi tuna and crab-and-corn chowder. But maybe you’re hungry for nothing less than a six-and-a-half pound cold-water lobster? Dock’s is ready.
Chef Vola’s
111 S. Albion Place
609-345-2022
The word is out on Chef Vola’s, and now the rest of us can experience this legendary secret restaurant’s inch-thick veal parm and butterscotch rum ricotta cheesecake. Housed in the basement of a residential home, your best bet is to park in the Texas Avenue lot and look for a white house on S. Albion Place with palms on the porch. Make a reservation — they’re required — and bring your own vino and cash; you’re traveling back to a time before credit cards and Yelp.
Izakaya
One Borgata Way
609-317-1000
Traditional izakayas are the gastropubs of Japan, slinging booze-friendly plates in a casual setting. Chef Michael Schulson’s capital-I Izakaya keeps the sake, sushi and robatayaki (prime proteins slowly grilled over coals) but upgrades to a sleeker, date-ready atmosphere. Scope the Monday menu of $7 plates and discounted buzzy beverages.
Waterfront
777 Harrah’s Blvd.,
609-441-5000
Waterfront is the starlet of A.C.’s stable of all-you-can-consume buffets, with more than 100 choices from Mongolian barbecue to sushi. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the spread includes the much-desired snow crab legs — but don’t forget to leave room for those classic flamed-to-order desserts, cherries jubilee and bananas Foster.
Amada
500 Boardwalk,
855-348-0500
Chef Jose Garces’ popular Philly-based Amada finally gets the view its Andalusian cuisine deserves in this fresh Jersey copy located in the sprawling Revel resort. Anthony Scuderi, chef de cuisine and a veteran of Garces kitchens, keeps the tapas tight, turning out the crab-stuffed piquillo peppers and the chorizo and clams that made the flagship famous.
