This has been an incredible summer of expansion for Atlantic City’s vibrant dining scene. Numerous new restaurants have opened in the region, with the latest being Oshi Sushi And Sake, a 32-seat room at the Showboat’s Rib & Chophouse. Go here for the story.
The Somers Point Business Association is seeking restaurants to participate in the organization’s inaugural restaurant week.
This marketing initiative will be held citywide during the week of Oct. 18-24. Interested restaurants should contact the Somers Point Business Association at (609) 653-4586, or they can e-mail them to: secretaryspba@aol.com.
John Higbee
The Super Sizzlin’ Summer Concert to benefit the Community Food Bank of New Jersey is scheduled for Sunday, July 25, at the Pleasantville Music Shoppe, 13-15 East Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville.
The event will take place in the piano presentation room starting at 1pm. Entertainers scheduled to perform include Sacred Sword starring local rock legend John Higbee (from approx. 1-1:45pm), Tom Hauck and the Neatles with special guest Adam Berado (2-2:45pm), and Jim Craine and the Atlantic City All Star Band with special guest NBC-TV 40’s Michelle Dawn Mooney (3-4:30pm). Admission is free, but please bring non-perishable food to donate to Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
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Photo by Kimberly Hayes
Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron, is shown here with Charles Haney, the owner of The Melting Pot in Atlantic City. Last Tuesday night, July 13, Haney hosted a dinner at the Melting Pot for the 12 finalists of the Miss Dance USA Pageant, held at the Sheraton Atlantic City from July 13-18. The Melting Pot has hosted this dinner for the past three years, and traditionally Miss America coaches the finalists on their interviewing skills. The interview portion of the pageant was held Wednesday, July 14. Cameron, age 22, is from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was Miss Virginia before being crowned Miss America.
Guy Fieri
Food TV icon and host of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” (which will be filming in the Atlantic City area following the upcoming Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival), Guy Fieri will be busy during his time in Atlantic City at the end of July and into August.
He’ll be a part of Harrah’s Entertainment’s Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival in many facets — see more about the festival here — but one of the most interesting sounding ones will be a Cheesesteak Battle to be held outside of Caesars on the opening day of the festival, Friday, July 30. from 7-10pm. Tickets are $75.
Local pizzeria Tony Boloney’s is one competitor preparing big-time for the event, which is likely to draw national attention. Co-owner Mike “The Butcher” Hauke says he and his team will be going into hiding to perfect the restaurants popular Cheesesteak Ole’, which features the “always-fresh ingredients: juicy 10-spice sirloin steak, fried onions, Jack cheese, homemade Chipotle ranch, shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.”
“We have sold more than 40,000 of the Ole’s over the past year, and just about every bite is met with a reaction of a smile, a few more chews, then usually a positive curse word if you know what I mean,” says Hauke. “This steak is straight-up Atlantic City: eclectic, bigger than life, indulgent and something you just enjoy again and again.”
See a two-part video filmed at Tony Boloney’s earlier this year, where Hauke makes a traditional Atlantic City pie from the turn of the century. Part 1. Part 2.
Tony Boloney’s also held the first Pizza Slaughter Fest back in May. See pics from the event here.
The filet.
I had a chance this week to check out the new Brazilian Steakhouse at Harrah’s, D’Zio. Talk about a carnivore’s delight, this is a must visit for red meat lovers.
Open Fridays, Saturdays and holidays (5pm-1am), the all-inclusive, all-you-can-eat price includes a hearty tapas salad bar, and side dishes including delicious black beans, fried bananas, mashed potatoes and crispy polenta.
But the headliner is the meat, served Radizio-style on metal swords tableside. The meats are Picanha (sea salt garlic flavored sirloin), Linguica (Brazilian pork sausage); Cordeiro (lamb chops), Beef Ancho (dry rubbed prime rib); Franco (marinated chicken legs); Costela De Porco (slow roasted pork ribs) and Lombo (Parmesan crusted pork loin).
The prime rib.
This is an all-you-cat-eat deal for just $35, with drinks and desserts for an additional fee.
The prime rib was amazing, the sirloin was great too, the filet mignon, the ribs were all amazing. The salad was terrific as well with great cheeses, Portuguese breads, asparagus, prosciutto, and salad greens. I also enjoyed the Brazilian twist on a mojito, a Capirini.
The restaurant is located in the former Harbour Club, right above the Eden Lounge. For reservations visit here.
There is also a $7 tapas menu at the bar and the restaurant features DJs and bands.
In case you’ve been out of the area, suffered amnesia, missed the print ads, radio announcements or banner-toting planes touting the recently established Atlantic City Weekly Happy Hour Club, here’s a refresher course.
Each event in the series, which started last month and occurs on select Thursdays throughout the summer, takes place 5:30-7:30pm at a different venue each week, and includes a complimentary light-fare buffet, $3 beer and wine specials, and $5 Red Bull (the series’ primary sponsor) drinks. Many of the venues also feature live music.
More happy hours may be added to those Thursdays still open, but currently the schedule includes:
July 8: Trinity Irish Pub & Carvery at The Pier Shops at Caesars
July 15: Fred & Ethel’s Lantern Light Tavern in Smithville
July 22: The Melting Pot at A.C. Outlets – The Walk
Aug. 5: Sonsie at The Pier Shops at Caesars
Aug. 19: Game On! sports bar at The Pier Shops at Caesars
Sept. 2: TBA
Danny Veltri
On the AC Weekly Web site we have a listing for the 10 most popular articles. While this list changes daily, with the newer stories taking the top spots, there is one story that just won’t die.
“Danny Veltri’s Hell-ish New Job” is the excellent story columnist David Spatz wrote last July about Danny Veltri, the chef who won that year’s season of the Gordon Ramsey reality series, Hell’s Kitchen.
That story has stayed on our top ten list for most of the past year. That got me to wondering what was up with Veltri these days.
After he won the show, it was nearly a year later before the episodes aired on Fox, so he couldn’t tell anybody he had won. And, once he was declared the winner as the shows aired on TV, he found out that despite the fact that winner was supposed to have his own restaurant at Borgata as head chef, that was not what happened to Veltri. He went to work for Stephen Kalt at Forneletto as a sous chef.
Veltri resigned his position at Borgata after just a couple of months, in August 2009.
I love that the beautiful weather we had in April and May means that fruit picking is ahead of schedule. My mom Barbara and I despite nagging injuries — my knee that needs replacing and her back and shoulder — traveled to Mood’s Farm Market in Mullica Hill, Gloucester County to pick sweet cherries and raspberries. There were blueberries, as well, but they are pretty small this time of year so we passed.
Mom in the raspberry patch.
The cherries were gorgeous, and although my knee made it hard to climb a ladder, there were enough cherries on low hanging branches for me to grab five plus pounds in 40 minutes of work. Meanwhile, Mom was out in the raspberry bushes filling up her little metal bucket.
After less than an hour our injuries and the uneven ground forced us to quit, but enjoying the beautiful sunshine on a warm summer day and having something so delicious as the literal fruits of our labor made the aches and pains the next day worth it.
Pictured is Barbara among the raspberries. The added protection is because she is recovering from skin cancer surgery — and doesn’t want anymore. For info on what Mood’s has to pick and directions, call (856) 478-2500.
Savoring some delicious dishes and a bevy of beverages may sound like a tough assignment, but remember, it’s for a good cause.
The Island Tour 2 takes place Thursday, June 24, and will benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which has been named the nation’s top children’s cancer hospital for 2010-11 by U.S. News & World Report.
A $35-per-person cost will include free drinks and/or food at each of five stops, a free event T-shirt, free limo transportation to each stop and additional food and drink specials at participating bars.
The event itinerary includes stops as:
* The Melting Pot (meet between 5:30-7pm)
* The Tun Tavern for a free drink
* Tropicana’s A Dam Good Sports Bar for food and $5 “40s”
* Tropicana’s Firewaters for dancing and a free drink
* The Ducktown Tavern for a free drink and food
Call (609) 441-1100 to reserve your spot, or e-mail Jaki at jaki@acmeltingpot.com with the following information: your first and last name, e-mail address, phone number, and how many friends you’ll be bringing.