THE FOOD
The Borgata is facing some competition with a competitor hotel opening on the actual strip. However, one thing that The Borgata has that the competition does not, are their quality restaurants. The food at The Borgata is to.die.for. I’ve already been gone over 24 hours and I’m still thinking about things like their boozy milkshakes and the fresh cut candied bacon from the buffet.
The fine dining is courtesy of well-known chefs like Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck. Speaking with Liza Costandido, Director of Communications and PR for The Borgata revealed, “The chefs are more involved than you think. Bobby Flay comes several times a year, checks on the menu, checks on the kitchen, switches things up.” The Borgata even holds their own food and wine festival of sorts in the late Fall with all the chefs coming for the occasion. Who knew such an event was happening so close to the city?! Definitely a fun weekend getaway.
My Dad and I ate at Bobby Flay Steak, which is a four-star restaurant located in the back of The Borgata. The spansive dining room allows for two floor seating. The food menu is large, with something for everyone. I took my Dad on this trip, who is a big foodie, and he was quite impressed. We started off with the burrata, a ceasar salad, a the crab cake.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
The burrata was a good portion and the ceasar salad was traditional, with anchovies.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
The stand out was the crab cake as it was presented beautifully with the bright green really standing out! I love that the appetizers were so beautifully plated as at steak houses, the steak just comes out on the plate with the sides separated. Flay takes care in the craft of the appetizers.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
For my main meal, I had a dry rub rib eye steak and had the twice baked mashed potatoes and the onion rings as shared sides.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
My dad opted for the lamb chops which he was quick to note, came de-Frenched. This is the Flay style, making normal things with a little quirky twist to signify his own. The service was impeccable. Joe was funny, attentive, and gave great suggestions.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
For dessert, we had the baked alaska. I’m someone who loves sweets and desserts, but it was a bit to overwhelming for me.
The drinks were strong, the cocktail list was inventive, but as a bourbon drinker, I just stuck to my usual. I was happy that they had ginger beer, which is always an indicator of a great bar.
The entire bill was just under $300.00 with tip. My dad only had one drink and I had three…so it balanced out. We did try more than usual for review sake, I think a meal for 2 with tip could easily be had for $250.00. The appetizers are also heavy, so one could option to have a few drinks and appetizers tapas style at the bar or at a table for a lighter bill. The signature cocktails are $17.00 a pop, so they will add up!
The following night we had dinner at Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant by celebrity chef Michael Schulson. It’s actually Schulson’s first restaurant and offers gastropub food but also a full-on menu. The vibe is dim with people taking out their phones for light to read the menu. It’s a club like vibe and would be great to go have dinner and drinks with friends before checking out the in house nightclub, Premier.
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
Source: Danielle James / Danielle James
We started off with the waygu beef sliders, sashimi, and a specialty sushi roll for our appetizers. The beef sliders took the show at this Japanese restaurant. They were perfectly made, medium and melt in your mouth. The sashimi had both yellowtail and salmon toro, but I was a little disappointed there was no tuna toro (my personal preference). I tasted sake and learned that sake is to be served cold or room temperature, never warm. I’ve never experienced this, ever! This knowledge created a great dining moment.
For the main meal, we shared the peking duck. I’m a big duck fan but give this duck about a 6.5. The presentation with the actual duck on the plate was a bit much for me. The duck was tasty but not as flavorful as expected. We also ordered a lamb chop to try from the Japanese BBQ menu and was a bit underwhelmed. Definitely stick to the beef and the seafood here.
I’d give Bobby Flay Steak a 5 and Izakaya a 3.5. The vibe of Izakaya is more for a younger crowd, while Bobby Flay Steak is great for anybody: couples, families, bachelor parties…all whom were in the restaurant as we were eating our meal.
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