Revel--Atlantic City's Newest Boardwalk Empire

       A $2.4 billion behemoth just opened in the Garden State city that spawned Monopoly. Located on prime Boardwalk real estate, the 1,400 room luxury gaming resort makes Borgata look like the dumpy hotel in Swingers. And for this reason Borgata, please, go strait to jail without passing go and without collecting $200. 

     I spent the day at Revel in early May. The complex is still in soft opening mode so it definitely has a number of kinks to work out. Since it's always more fun to focus on failure, I'd like to highlight those kinks in detail starting with a restaurant from The ONE Group (STK, Asellina, Bagatelle)inventively called One. 

       Overall, the casino level dining alcove offers perfectly acceptable post-craps respite. (And once you've eaten, you'll be ready to take (on) more craps.) However, the cocktail menu leaves much to be desired. Most unsettling is their misrepresentation of the classic Vesper cocktail. Any James Bond fan worth his/her salt recalls the original 1953 Casino Royale dialogue between Bond and his barman.Bond orders a gin, vodka and Lillet based martini and dubs it the Vesper after sultry heroine Vesper Lynd. Well, at One, their limited cocktail menu offers this namesake only their Vesper is comprised of tequila and Cointreau, i.e. a friggin' margarita.

       Come on One, don't flagrantly debase two perfectly delicioso beverages.You're better than that. If need be, mosey on over to American Cut, Iron Chef Marc Forgione's Michelin star bound steakhouse and cop a gander at their drinks list.The imbibeables may be straight forward, but at least they're accurate. I partook in a light spring concoction called the Ziggy Stardust(Grey Goose La Poire, fresh lemon and Chandon Sparkling Wine). It paired wonderfully with the delectable Chili Lobster appetizer. Though, in my humble opinion, nothing could have detracted from the taste of that scrumptious ish. 

REVEL- 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401 (PH: 855-348-0500)

MAIN ENTRANCE 

MAIN ENTRANCE AGAIN

ESCALATOR TO CASINO

       Eating, drinking, spa-ing and pooling are all well and good, but no AC experience would be complete without a trip to the casino floor, but try not to trip on the casino floor. Poker fiends, expect a cozily accommodating 37 table room with Asian-inspired lighting reminiscent of those at The Wynn in Las Vegas. All of the lights make for primo card reading conditions; conditions meant to combat mistakes such as this.Ouchy, Mr.Ivey. 
       
       Sharks looking to get a leg up in the game would be wise to hop on Revel quickly before the poker room really takes off. For now, two or three tables run at any give time and they're mostly $1-$2 Hold 'Em. An occasional $2-$5 game organizes, but for the most part, the competition is relatively straight-forward and subdued. 

Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala--May 11th, 2012

       The New York Public Library Main Branch, illustriously located in front of Bryant Park, is an undoubtedly impressive Beaux-Arts architectural achievement. Having lived and worked near the building for some five years now,  the obvious assumption would be that I've graced its hallowed halls a great many times. But we all know that to assume is to make an ass out of you and, well, just you. I myself would never be so gauche! 

       Turns out the first occasion I had to set foot in the place occurred on Friday of last (sounds so much more sophisticated than "last Friday", doesn't it?) when I participated in the 3rd annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala. Anything containing word "gala" in it's title is bound to be decent and this event certainly set a precedent. Thousands of attendees donning full-on tuxedos and floor-length gowns swarmed the library like zombies attacking Robert Neville's house in I Am Legend. They came to sample some of the best cocktails made from the hottest booze brands on the market. Four floors of frivolity made for a lot of sampling space. A lot of sampling space made for a lot of sampling. And a lot of sampling made for a lot of drunkity drunks--which sounds like the perfect premise for a DIRECTV commercial.  

       The exhibition area I found most appealing was the (Not So) Classic Art Gallery located in a fourth floor side room. There, I tasted concoctions from Tito's Handmade Vodka and Heering Cherry Liquor. I was quite partial to Heering's Blood & Sand cocktail:

-1part Heering

-1 part sweet vermouth

-1 part blended scotch

-1 part fresh squeezed orange juice

-shake, strain and garnish with orange twist

       While I sipped, I observed Soup by Allison Berkoy (berkoy.com). Had I been chugging rather than sipping, this installation--said to "emerge from your most disturbed nocturnal projections"--might have really made me ship my flit. Observe below:

Soup by Allison Berkoy (berkoy.com)

       Nestled in an opposite corner of the lofty  side room, I found yet another ship flitting installation by artist Karolina Sobecka (gravitytrap.com). Titled Pornographic Pursuit 2, it reminded me of playing this on Nintendo Power Pad as a kid, but with significantly more areola.  Damn, I was good at that game; much better than the guy in the clip below. Here, the artist tries to explain that running in place will cause Marilyn Monroe to remove her clothes:

                           Pornographic Pursuit 2 by Karolina Sobecka

       More fun pictures: