Below are some links to several feature articles in Friday's Star-
Ledger of Newark on Atlantic City buffets.
Writer Pete Genovese picked The Boragta as the best buffet, just
ahead of the new Waterfront Buffet at Harrahs.
Here's the summary of his review:
AND THE WINNER IS?
Several pounds and more trips down the White Horse Pike than I care
to remember later, my mission was accomplished. It was time to
consult my sauce-stained notes and go cold turkey -- wait, I already
had some at several buffets.
Five buffets clearly separated themselves from the pack -- Harrah's,
Caesars, Borgata, Showboat and Trump Taj Mahal. If you took the
overall selection at Harrah's, the salad bar at Caesars, the meats at
the Taj Mahal, the entrees and sides at Borgata, and the desserts at
Showboat, you'd have a hall-of-fame buffet.
Not one buffet, however, did everything right from start to finish.
The overall rating was close -- very close -- but we give the Borgata
Buffet top honors, by a shrimp or two over Harrah's Waterfront
Buffet. Runners up include Taj Mahal's Sultan's Feast, the Showboat's
French Quarter and Caesars' La Piazza. You won't go too wrong at any
of the top five.
The bottom feeders? Virginia City Buffet (Bally's), Bayside Buffet
(Trump Marina) and last and certainly least, the Boardwalk Buffet
(Trump Plaza). How could the two Trump properties be at the bottom
and the Trump Taj Mahal near the top? It's one of the mysteries of
the buffet universe.
Some of Pete's favorites and least favorite things:
BEST BUFFETS BY CATEGORY
Salad bar: Waterfront Buffet, Harrah's
Bread: Borgata Buffet
Side (deli-type) salads: La Piazza, Caesars
Entrees: Sultan's Feast, Trump Taj Mahal
Sides (vegetables, etc.): Waterfront Buffet, Harrah's
Carving stations: Borgata Buffet
Desserts: French Quarter, Showboat
Service: Virginia City, Bally's
Selection: Waterfront Buffet, Harrah's
PETE'S FAVORITE BUFFET ITEMS
Beef stroganoff: Broadway Buffet (Trump Plaza)
White zinfandel dressing, prime rib, Brazilian hash: Waterfront
Buffet
Turkey: Fiesta Buffet (Tropicana)
Pasta salad, chicken chipotle: The Buffet (Resorts)
Mussels with red and green peppers, roast beef: La Piazza (Caesars)
Fried chicken, cheesecake: Sultan's Feast (Taj Mahal)
Marinated mushroom salad, fried chicken: Sidewalk Buffet (Ballys)
Greek salad, chocolate mini-cupcake, cherry pie: French Quarter
(Showboat)
Pork chops, fried shrimp, baked chicken: Cornucopia (Hilton)
Rolls, kalamata olive salad, prime rib: Borgata Buffet
Angel hair and marinara sauce: Bayside Buffet (Trump Marina)
Pumpernickel: Virginia City
PETE'S PEEVES: LEAST FAVORITE BUFFET ITEMS
Steak: Virginia City (Ballys)
Tilapia, seafood salad: Broadway Buffet (Trump Plaza)
Bread, raspberry torte: Waterfront Buffet (Harrahs)
Fried chicken, rice pudding, apple cobbler: Fiesta Buffet (Tropicana)
Grilled sirloin: La Piazza (Caesars)
Beef braciole, tortellini: Sultan's Feast (Taj Mahal)
Fried chicken, stuffing, tilapia, French Quarter Buffet (Showboat)
Mussels, marinara sauce, Cornucopia (Hilton)
Rigatoni and cheese, onion rings: Borgata Buffet
Bread, pollock, pork tenderloin: Bayside Buffet (Trump Marina)
Tilapia, basa: The Buffet (Resorts)
Chicken Parmesan: Sidewalk Buffet (Ballys)
Links to the stories:
Gambling at the buffet tables
(Pete's reviews of each individual buffet):
http://www.nj.com/food/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-
0/1177649377320780.xml&coll=1
Buffet 101: How to eat well, and survive the buffet experience:
http://www.nj.com/food/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-
0/1177649695320780.xml&coll=1
The casino buffet with the winning hands
(Feature on The Borgata's Buffet):
http://www.nj.com/food/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-
0/1177649257320780.xml&coll=1
Where quality and quantity can coexist
(Feature on Harrah's Waterfront Buffet):
http://www.nj.com/food/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-
0/1177649113320780.xml&coll=1
The buffet breakdown:
http://www.nj.com/food/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-
0/1177649373320780.xml&coll=1