I was recently invited to a fancy dinner in Atlantic City to coincide with a conference I was attending there. Bob, the host, has been a very dear friend of mine for many years and I just love his wife Mary Ann, too. So although she was not going to be in attendance at this particular event, I was thrilled to accept his kind invite for me, plus my significant other Michael who was accompanying me. Bob told me that we were in for quite a treat because dinner was planned at one of his all-time favorite restaurants, Cafe 2825. So I knew that it was going to be spectacular. (Bob is a serious, hard-core foodie!) But first I had some research to do.
I quickly googled Cafe 2825, a Southern Italian, family owned, made from scratch staple located just off the Boardwalk. My mouth watered from the descriptions on the website and I knew that Bob had chosen a winner of unfathomable deliciousness! The most intriguing specialty on the menu was the selection of tableside experiences. So many restaurants make Caesar Salad tableside. Ok, it’s impressive but been there, done that, right? 2825 makes garlicky irresistible Caesar Salad tableside and you’ll want to eat every cheesy bite! And Oh My Lord & Taylor!
Our next course was Burrata style fresh mozzarella prepared straight from the curd right before our very eyes. The grandmasters of cheese sliced it while it was still warm and served it with gorgeous tomatoes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of oil and balsamic. We were in absolute heaven. The creaminess! The richness! The salty bite. It was even better than I had imagined, and that bar was already pretty high.
Our next tableside delight was Cacio e Pepe in the Cheese Wheel with Truffle Butter. Imagine if you will a visual pasta experience so thrilling that your senses are instantly transported to Rome! At 2825, they bring a whole wheel of pungent, salty Pecorino cheese to the table. “As the flames warm the inside of the cheese, freshly prepared pasta is gently tossed into the wheel and coated with Cacio e Pepe meaning Cheese and Pepper.” They then portion out mini mountainous twirls of spaghetti on top of an absolutely obscene artichoke heart that was cooked to perfection with crispy garlic shards. Our lively conversation went from animated to silent with the exception of energetic ooohs and ahhhs from our satisfied crowd.
We gobbled up other dishes too. One crowd pleaser was the Shrimp Pesto Arrosta–pesto marinated shrimp dusted in breadcrumbs and oven-roasted with lemon and Romano cheese. The Meatball Egg Roll was amazing too! Fresh egg roll crepes were hand rolled and stuffed with a gravy-soaked meatball, ricotta, mozzarella, peas, and marinara. We had Veal Chop Bolognese Fra D’Avolo, Shrimp Oreganata, and several folks shared the Chicken Parmigiana Bolognese ala Vodka Fra DiAvolo. (I only made it through five ridiculously good bites but happily asked to take the rest home.) It was truly a feast fit for Roman royalty, but we were happy to enjoy it without the great responsibility of the crown.
Leaving not a drop of room for dessert didn’t stop our forward momentum. We shared a few desserts but I couldn’t get over the Coconut Cream Pie Topped Cheesecake that was ethereally light and smooth. It was the perfect ending to this outstanding meal.
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