Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., is everything you’d expect from a celebrity chef-branded, high-end casino steakhouse.
On a Tuesday night, it was packed and buzzing with activity. The clientele skewed sharply towards couples and large parties of guys in suits ready to pay culinary tribute to the altars of red meat and lobster.
The restaurant does a nice job putting Flay’s spin on traditional steakhouse fare. But first there is the lobster bar to content with to whet one’s appetite — and it delivers.
Normally we aren’t very impressed by lobster because, frankly, on its own, it’s kind of overrated in the flavor department, owing to melted butter to jazz it up. But Flay’s menu understands that all too well and gets the famous shellfish to play nicely with other ingredients, with great results. The lobster-crab cake ($19), fried and seasoned perfectly, struck a nice balance in flavors and textures between the subtle richness of the lobster and the robust familiarity of the crab. The lobster and crispy squid salad ($19) finds lobster trying to horn in on fried-calamari territory, with the sweet peppers, chiles and vinegars dressing the dish pulling everything together in satisfying fashion. But if you’d rather go the traditional lobster route, there are numerous options for tails, all the way up to 3-pound steamed behemoths to tickle your fancy.
On the steak front, the usual cuts are available (New York, strip, rib eye, hangar, etc.) but we opted for the more adventurous fare in the form of the Filet Mignon Louisiana ($52), which was topped with a generous helping of béarnaise sauce and crawfish, making the dish super-decadent, rich and flavorful. The smashed baked potato ($12) made for an excellent side dish, served family-style and piping hot, flavored with goat cheese and herbs.
The atmosphere definitely lives up to the swanky setting, and for sure the food lives up to Flay’s image and branding. If you are at Borgata and want to show off your good fortunes, Bobby Flay Steak is the place where you want to be seen feasting.