Azure Atlantic City

From Spoon: Atlantic City’s newest resort may not be focused on gaming, but it’s certainly got game. For years, we’ve been watching Revel grow from the sand at the Northern end of the boardwalk – a giant’s glass house whose plain facade reveals nothing about what’s on the other side. “Breathtaking” is not a cliche when used to describe Revel’s indoor and outdoor spaces, the scope of which must have every other casino hotel in AC, even the newer, hipper, ones, also holding their collective breaths. The place is, literally, dazzling.

The atrium

When you enter Revel at the beach level, you are not immediately in the casino; that space – designed by the same stage designer who created Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show set – is two levels up, on the same floor as most of the resort’s restaurants, its nightclubs (including the titillating burlesque club, Royal Jelly), a performance venue and soon, shops. Two more levels up, and accessible only to overnight guests, is the hotel. Its expansive lobby includes tucked away bars and sitting areas, the uber-cool In/Out Pool, which sadly, we did not have time to loll about in, the spa (complete with a beautifully tiled, coed bath house), and perhaps the resort’s most unusual feature, the SkyGarden. It was foggy and cold on our visit, but we were still impressed by this large (almost 2 acres) outdoor space seemingly suspended above the ocean, with plantings and sinuous glass-block paths connecting various seating areas with fire pits.

The In/Out Pool

The bathhouse at the spa

We were at Revel to experience the restaurants, especially two of the”big names” – Azure by Alain Allegretti and American Cut, the steakhouse by Iron Chef Marc Forgione. It was our good fortune to find both of the chefs in residence, and while we won’t reveal too much here, pending an upcoming story in the Travel section of The Record, we will tell you that both offer spectacular experiences in food, service and atmosphere. Another instant favorite eatery was Mussel Bar – a combo Belgian bistro and rocking roadhouse with great staff and, naturally, mussels offered a number of delicious ways anchoring the gastro-pub menu.

MUSSEL BAR