Marc Forgione’s American Cut is much more than your typical, traditional steakhouse.
American Cut: A menu defined by nuances
Amazingly, Atlantic City’s golden age of dining just keeps getting better.
Another new player, courtesy of Revel, is Marc Forgione’s American Cut. Technically a steakhouse in format, and in burly, clubby atmosphere, this offering from the youngest American-born chef to receive a prestigious Michelin star is defined by nuances.
Like, for instance, a chili lobster starter. An entire lobster tail, clearly cold-water variety, is presented tilting in an entrée-sized white bowl. That vessel was half full with an intoxicating, highly piquant red chili sauce. The crustacean itself proved marvelous, soft and yielding. We’re guessing the technique utilized here was poaching and saucing just prior to delivery to retain the pristine seafood’s natural essence so well.
About that sauce — it was so well crafted we found ourselves eagerly reaching across the table, with the Texas toast provided in hand, to sop up remains.
Next, something we’ve been itching to explore; roasted bone marrow. Formerly an underground chef’s treat, this item has gone mainstream in the last few years. Celebrity chef/talking head Anthony Bourdain even goes so far as to call it his preferred “Last Supper on Earth.” American Cut’s version ups the ante even further, topping the split veal bone with Burgundy escargots and a James Beard salad. The former are small pearls of garlic-and-wine infused goodness, while the latter — fresh herbs, shaved onion and radish — agreeably clears the palate between bites. As for the star, that creamy, nutty marrow was rendered just to the point of melting, perfectly suited for spreading across grilled slices of baguette.
A steak knife wedge salad begins with whole outer leaves of iceberg. These create a mock shell which, once removed, reveals salad. Adding incredible depth is the house’s signature Black Pig Meat Company bacon — prominently appearing at several places on the bill of fare — and Maytag bleu cheese, America’s Roquefort. Big hearty lardons of chewy, smoky pork make this truly memorable.
We love it when a server so accurately, eloquently details a menu addition that we simply can’t resist ordering. Such a moment occurred on this night, when our lead waiter characterized the 20-plus ounce, bone-in Kansas City strip steak as “having a bit of a kick.” Dusted with a pepper, cumin, oregano and brown sugar crust, he wasn’t exaggerating. Almost two inches tall, the beef was splendidly marbled and seared to a meticulous Pittsburgh rare, as ordered.
This is the kind of steak that practically defines the entire genre — lusty, juicy and decadent.
Our other choice, Dad’s planked salmon with old-fashioned egg sauce is partially an homage to Forgione’s chef father, Larry, a prominent NYC restaurateur. The pale fish, delivered as described by our server at a pleasing mid-rare, was layered with a refined, yellowy sauce of diced hardboiled egg.
Side dishes were routinely spectacular. First, white asparagus, a seasonally driven menu addition that paired elegantly with the salmon main course. Five stalks of pale white flesh were doused with an unusual chimichurri, including European herb chervil, a close relative of parsley. Our dining partner correctly noted the delicate flavor and tender texture differ from standard green asparagus, closer perhaps to hearts of palm.
While breaking news this spring has emanated from the northern end of Atlantic City’s boards, there is another story — no less compelling — being written from the opposite terminus. That would be the rebranding/repositioning of the Atlantic Club casino.
On this evening, Azure offered East Coast varietal Wellfleet and another from Washington state. The Wellfleet’s were dense, meaty and creamy while their Pacific relatives, smaller but deeply cupped in shells, offered a smooth, salty hint of their briny home.
From a casual lunch-truck approach to modern Mexican to the finest in French-inspired cuisine, Revel will have the entire dining spectrum covered.
Plus Clam-A-Rama in Cape May, Drew Toonz and the Album of the Week (Willie Nelson)
With all the complexities of opening a brand new destination resort in Atlantic City, the executives at Revel already had a lot on their plate. However, those same executives decided to put some great food on the plates of visitors, by presenting the inaugural Taste of Revel, presented by Food & Wine and created in partnership with Travel + Leisure. This three-day epicurean extravaganza from May 18-20, will feature exclusive experiences developed specifically for the 6.3-million-square-foot beachfront destination.
“When I look at Atlantic City, maybe I just see something different,” says DeSanctis. “What I see, when you go out on our Sky Garden or you go out on our deck, that’s sort of the Atlantic City that I think about. We have this incredible geographic location. We have 47 million people within a six-hour drive of this place, and when we think about options from a resort perspective in the Northeast, there really aren’t any. "
“The club is built vertically, which, from all my years of experience and all the nightclubs I’ve viewed globally, I’ve never seen such a vertical build. "
Wiedmaier’s room won’t be the only place to grab a steak at Revel. Chef Marc Forgione, one of Revel’s two TV Food Network “Iron Chefs” (Philly-based Jose Garces is the other) will be opening American Cut, which he described as his spin on a “classic steakhouse.”
"It was a little bit of a culture shock coming from Las Vegas, as you can imagine. But then when I actually spent some time [in Atlantic City] and spent some time in competitors' casinos, I was pleasantly surprised and I feel that, you know, being involved in Revel is a very exciting piece of history for Atlantic City and I think will change how people look and perceive the market."
Revel continues to back up its claim that the property will be a mega-casino complex with the announcement that Food Network Iron Chef Jose Garces, acclaimed chef and owner of eight restaurants in Philadelphia, and four more in Chicago and Scottsdale, Ariz. is set to open the doors to three highly anticipated restaurants at Revel.
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1. K Johnson said... on Jun 20, 2012 at 04:06PM
“”
2. Susan said... on Jun 20, 2012 at 04:07PM
“That sounds beautiful! Can't wait to go.”
3. Anonymous said... on Jun 21, 2012 at 08:08AM
“bring your savings account!”
4. ED said... on Jun 21, 2012 at 10:03AM
“There is nothing cheap about any restaurant, portions are microscopic
you better hurry and go, because Revel and these restaurants will not be open long at all. Revel will become the next HAS BEEN very shortly I have been there 5 times and have left very disappointed each and every time. What a waste of a magnificent building. The person who created this should be fired... I will never go back again!”
5. Ivana said... on Jun 21, 2012 at 02:42PM
“Wow number 4. Sorry for your experience. Our experience was the exact oposite. I sincerely hope all the casinos and related businesses and all the new wonderful restaurants have a fantastic summer.”
6. James said... on Jun 21, 2012 at 05:12PM
“I have been to Revel and 3 of their restaurants including American Cut twice. The others were Lugo & Azure. They are all unbelievable. Food quality truly does matter to some people and they all are serving high quality food/ingredients that is mostly homeade right in the restaurant. As for Ed's comment, he is dissapointed because he's probably cheap and has the mindset that he can get the same types of dishes at a fast food chain restaurant for a fraction of the money. He doesn't realize that when he eats crap food, it's made in wyoming, driven across the country in a truck, and re-heated just for his delight. Ed, do yourself a favor and stick to your 9.99 all you can eat pasta and breadsticks. Don't bash establishments that serve much higher quality food for more money. Portions are smaller when the dining is "fine." That is not just at Revel. That's the restaurant industry world wide. Find another planet to live on if you don't like it.”
7. Anonymous said... on Jun 22, 2012 at 03:28PM
“i hate to admit it but Ed is probably right these type of places cannot survive in AC
”
8. Anonymous said... on Jun 22, 2012 at 03:31PM
“i hate to admit it but Ed is probably right these type of places cannot survive in AC
”
9. Anonymous said... on Jun 26, 2012 at 11:00AM
“#4 you are dead wrong - it may be pricey, but we left stuffed! Portions were more than plentiful and the food was excellent! Plan on saving room for dessert because Chef Staley's peanut butter chocolate mousse is out of this world! You have to pay the price if you want good food, unless you are used to hitting the senior citizen buffet line, but who wants to eat food that might have been sneezed on! I can't wait to go back again - it is nice to go to a classy place!”
10. Anonymous said... on Jun 27, 2012 at 12:34PM
“Patience is a virtue”
11. Restaurant Software said... on Oct 9, 2012 at 03:32PM
“Sounds amazing, very curious if it works out.”