DonnaD44

I am going to AC for a convention in March. I hate gambling and I hate being anywhere near smoking and I hate cheesy bright lights, fast food and everything that AC stands for. My question is this: Are there any fine dining establishments in the AC area? Those that are not associated with a casino would be preferred. Please help me survive this trip.

elberko

Will you have a car? I'm not sure what's open in March, but Cape May is a reasonable distance (about an hour) away. I haven't been there recently enough to recommend anything, but I know there are good choices there. I'm sure there are places in AC, too, hopefully somebody will be able to suggest.

I feel your pain!
~Liz

SusieQQ

In Atlantic City, go to Dock's Oyster House or The Knife and Fork. For lunch, a must is Whitehouse Subs...by the way there is no smoking in any restaurant in NJ.

kenav

There are nice restaurants in the Casino hotels - not fast food. We went to Bally's and had a fab meal at one of their two best restaurants. Of course I don't remember the name (starts with an "A" I think). Anyway, there was a special - $77 for two of us - 3 courses and bottle of wine. Delicious. Also, a good Asian casual restaurant in Showboat (on casino floor). Really not a lot of fast food at all.

Birdie

There are some fantastic restaurants in the casino hotels. You are doing yourself a disservice by crossing them off the list. Check out the restaurants in the Caeser's pier shops. They are, at least, separated from the casino by the boardwalk. If you don't eat there, you might enjoy the high end shops. Don't miss the water show. It's beautiful.

mclaurie

You might consider some spa time.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/03/27...l?pagewanted=1

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/594221

I think Buddakan has a restaurant there. If you like Asian food, I'd try that.

Birdie

"I think Buddakan has a restaurant there. If you like Asian food, I'd try that."

They do, mclaurie. It's on the pier. I ate there in the fall. It wasn't as good as I'd heard, but we enjoyed our meal. There used to be an Italian restaurant in Borgata that was amazing but I think that closed.

NJ_Gal

If you want class and not cheesey I would say go to the Borgata. They have everything from hotdogs to fine dining. Bobby Flay has a place there. Its actually a very pretty casino. Never win..but nice non the less. Also down the road a bit is a town called Brigatine which is nice to visit.

dodinet

Donna, even though I work in AC, I feel the same way you do. You don't have to worry about Vegas-style cheesy bright lights. Non-gaming hotels with good reputations include The Chelsea, the Sheraton and Courtyard by Marriott. There are lots of fine dining options and you can find out more at www.acrestaurantweek.com, since AC Restaurant Week is this week. Menus may change a little by the time you arrive, but it will give you a good idea of what is available. If you have a car, take a drive down along the coast to Cape May and stop in the little towns along the way. Wishing you the best! There is also a ton of info at www.atlanticcitynj.com

GBC

We have visited some of the casino restaurants but we didn't find much to like even at their overblown prices. In March many of the shore towns and their restaurants will be mostly closed up. If you have a car, consider Bonefish Grill at Egg Harbor Township which isn't far from AC. Bonefish is a chain but it is a pretty good one. Their website will locate it for you.

travelwithteens

Check out the Quarter at the Tropicana - we take our teen and tween there on rainy days in the summer for the restaurants, shopping, IMAX, and magic shows and have a great time. You really don't notice you are at a Casino. Seemed to be all non-smoking as we hate smoke too and it was not an issue. If you like to shop there are a lot of outlets at The Walk. My blog has some info and pictures http://bit.ly/abmMSM