Atlantic City. Sin City Of South Jersey. Boardwalk of Desire (i just came up with that last one, come on tourist board, go for it.) Since turning 21, this city has held a special place in my heart. Being an avid fan of Hunter S Thompson, I’ve always looked for the slightly offbeat parts of casino towns. I wanted to call this article Fear And Loathing in New Jersey, but I didn’t think it would fly. I’ve played my share of blackjack, stayed up all night, and come home a little poor-er, haven’t we all? So on my most recent trip to Atlantic City, I was looking for a different side of the town.
This weekend I wasn’t so much in the mood for gambling. The mood felt right for getting out of New York, being near the ocean, and just plain kickin’ it. While I did not have a very fast convertible ordered by my lawyer, I did have my trusty Honda FIT, and an EZ-Pass. We were good to go. In the future I’ve heard rumors of the ACES train from Penn Station, but this time it was not in the cards. We pulled into Caesars in the early evening, ready to tear it up. The room was spacious, a little post modern looking, a little psychedelic even. I look for these things in a hotel room. Some weird furniture with strange angles, tons of mirrors, a giant ass TV… it all worked. I put on my purple velvet suit, and hit the town.
The first stop was the pier shops in Caesars. Before the dinner reservation, a beverage was in order, so we visited an Irish type pub on the 3rd floor, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. And nothing that exciting happened, except for an intoxicated patron bringing in his own beer, proclaiming he was born 2010 years ago, and briskly being escorted out without incident. I supported everything that happened, and continued to drink my delicious beer in a frozen glass. No one was going to argue. I think it was also $4 on a Saturday night, which made me think I’ve been hanging around New York too long. When it was time for dinner, the party moved over to Buddakan.
Lets call this part Live At Buddakan. I felt lucky in the fact that I went in with no preconceptions about what the food would be. Lets call it Asian Fusion, but PF Changs, this is not. There is a giant Buddha statue as the centerpiece of the room, where I immediately felt like I was hanging in an Indiana Jones type temple. But instead of doom, there was some serious cuisine. The underlying theme of the meal was elaborate beverages, and again, no one was going to argue. It started off with a “Five Happiness“ drink made with organic vodka, cointreau, cherry liqueur, pineapple juice, and a 5th ingredient i cannot recall, but was equally happiness inducing nonetheless.
For appetizers, the meal began with some Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi. Traditional Sashimi, yet served room temperature after being doused with olive oil, putting it between sushi and tuna steak flavor. The light texture and flavor made a perfect contrast to the Kobe Beef Satay, served with Vegetable Tempura. I had somewhat risque dreams of a sandwich involving both of these dishes, but that would just be sacrilegious. The hands down winner of the appetizer competition was the Sweet and Crispy Shrimp. Several jumbo shrimp, not too heavily fried, topped with a tangy citrus salad, and an intense Thai Chili on the side. Now, our server said “The chili is a little spicy, and by a little, I mean a lot” ,which obviously was the cue to combine it into the dish. It hit you like a ninja squad of flavor. The sweet of the glaze, crispy and fried, followed quickly by the spicy onslaught, I could not turn away.
Once my Five Happiness was polished off, I moved onto a “Bonsai” with dinner, mixed with vodka, cilantro, lemon, lime. I figured new course, new flavors. As the entrees appeared, any thought of fullness leftover from appetizer world was long gone.
Now, lets talk about fried rice for a second.
Its a traditional dish, yet its delicious. If you’d like to dispute that, I’m going to put their Crab Fried Rice on the table, walk away, come back, and see what happened between you and that plate. This was a meal unto itself, generous portions of crab, along with all of the goodness that occurs when you fry anything. The Pan Seared Sea Bass held its own, with a delicate buttery flavor. Again, I dreamed of a sandwich containing this bass, I think I have a sandwich problem. Combined with mushrooms, squash, and greens, the dish was on the lighter side, feeling like you could make the excuse that you’re watching what you eat, but not fool yourself and get a salad. The Pan Roasted Duck Breast though, that was the serious business. I always try duck when I see it, and I’m surprised so many stray away from it. Its the most unique member of the poultry kingdom, packing way more flavor than the other white meats. It was served with some sweet and delicious garlic cloves, a mysterious and intoxicating corn and scallion ‘spoonbread’ covered in au jous. A little of each of these 3 dishes on your plate will assure you a wonderful evening.
Desert, I’m hesitant to even bring up. They brought us a Chocolate Bento Box, filled with 8 different chocolate dishes. Chocolate in every form imaginable. There were bananas involved, warm chocolate cake, it was all there. Next to it though…were the Zenful Donuts. Little fried cinnamon coated donuts, filled with cream cheese, with banana and chocolate dipping sauce. I’m fairly sure these are illegal. It was kind of like eating a baked cinnamon toast crunch, dipped in chocolate. Do I even have to continue? No.
After a post dinner period of rest, the club Dusk was next on the agenda. I was fully prepared to go incog-guido for this one. Container of hair gel concealed in my pocket, wife beater shirt ready to go under my tearaway stretchy striped Armani Exchange shirt. But lo and behold…it was not really necessary. We hung out and kicked it for a bit by a platform complete with poll…until it was overtaken by some guy in a cowboy hat, who was promptly removed, much to the satisfaction of everyone ever.
And so a night of debauchery came to an end. A welcome break from the hustle and bustle of New York, well, I guess its a different kind of hustle, but I’m all for it.
