Many upscale restaurants don't even consider offering children's menus. The Palm in Atlantic City is embracing the concept.
Located inside The Quarter at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, the gourmet steakhouse recently debuted a kids' menu to entice parents to bring their children to the restaurant without breaking the bank.
"Looking at out customer base, especially in the summer time, a lot of families come to us," says General Manager Paul Sandler. "We listen to our guests, and a lot of people were ordering way too much food for their kids. Having two kids myself, it's just not right. So we designed the menu to meet the needs of our guests."
Sandler says the menu mostly caters to children's tastes with items such as mozzarella sticks with homemade marinara sauce ($6), chicken fingers with French fries ($12), linguini or cheese tortellini with choice of sauce ($10), Chef Mike's mac and cheese ($10) and chicken parmigiana with linguini ($14), but items such as the Palm mixed green salad ($5.50), the Caesar salad ($6) and the four-ounce filet mignon with mashed potatoes and broccoli ($19) will appeal to children who like to eat well.
All entr�e selections include a dessert of chocolate or vanilla ice cream served with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a cherry and a complimentary beverage.
For fans of Restaurant Week, The Palm kicked off its national Restaurant Month promotion. For a fixed price of $39.95 per person, guests receive two courses, including a choice of starter and entr�e plus two side dishes.
Appetizers include The Palm Salad, Caesar salad, lobster bisque or soup of the day. Entrees include: a nine-ounce filet mignon with jumbo lump crabmeat with grilled asparagus and three-cheese potatoes; a 12-ounce New York strip steak accompanied with sweet potato fries and creamed spinach; and pan-roasted wild Alaskan halibut with mango avocado salsa and balsamic reduction served with lemon orzo pilaf and haricot verts.
"It's a national initiative where we wanted to do something to attract a great array of new customers," Sandler says. "It's available every night with no exceptions, and the response has been huge. Forty percent of people ordering dinner in my store are ordering the Restaurant Month menu."
The Restaurant Month promotion will run to May 31 and will be followed by The Palm's traditional summer lobster promotion. Call 609-344-7256.
Casino tidbits
Straight No Chaser, an all-male, 10-member a cappella group made an appearance at Harrah's Resort last week to promote the release of its upcoming CD as well as its eight-week summer engagement that will begin in July.
Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort celebrated its 20th anniversary with a cake-cutting ceremony that featured a beautiful cake in the form of a slot machine. A photo shoot of 1,000 Day 1 employees is scheduled for later this month.
Poker Boot Camp
at the Tropicana
If you always wanted to play like a pro, the World Poker Tour Boot Camp this weekend at the Tropicana may be a good place to start.
Taught by poker pros Kathy Liebert, Nick Brancato, Rick Fuller and Nick Binger, the Boot Camp will be held Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10. They will teach players of all skill ages how to become a consistent winners, sharing secrets of tournament play.
Lessons will include: building a big stack; adjusting play based on the rounds; learning to play based on stack size; using your table image to your advantage; not being fooled by opponents; and knowing how to get correct pot odds and keeping your opponents from getting them.
The Boot Camp price of $1,895 price includes breakfast and lunch each day, an eight-and-a-half-hour lecture with four tour professionals, two-and-a-half-hours of lab instructions, a private tournament on Friday night where the winner will receive entrance into the Alumni World Poker Tour Boot Camp, and two hours of sit-n-go tournaments on Saturday.
To register, go to
www.wptbootcamp.com or call 866-WPT-BOOT.
Gala at Tropicana
The Atlantic City Hotel & Lodging Association will hold its annual gala at the Tropicana on Friday, April 9. A major fundraiser for its scholarship foundation, which has awarded more than $240,000 to area students pursuing hospitality and culinary careers, the gala will have a roaring 1920 theme and feature a book signing by Nelson Johnson, local author of "Boardwalk Empire," which is being turned into an HBO series by Martin Scorsese.
The event begins with a two-hour reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and music by Don't Call Me Francis. Tickets are priced at $145, with tables of 10 costing $1,250. Call 609-345-8910.
Check out 'Atlantic City Plugged In'
There's a new Atlantic City-friendly radio show on 1400-AM WOND: "Atlantic City Plugged In." Hosted by Marc Berman, the radio show airs 4 p.m. Saturdays and features celebrity interviews and a team of the area's most well-known columnists, including me. The show also takes listener calls. For more information, go to
www.atlanticcitypluggedin.com.
'Deadliest Catch'
debuts at Trop
The Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" will make its season premiere on Tuesday, April 13, and the Tropicana will host a viewing party featuring "Deadliest Catch" cast member Russell Newberry.
"The Dangerous Red Season Premiere Party" will take place in the Grand Exhibition Center from 6 to 10 p.m. with the episode being shown on jumbo screens. Newberry will host the event, pose for pictures and sign autographs.
Admission is free, and merchandise, drinks and food will be available.
The event will feature Dangeroud Red wine, which was developed by Newberry, Larry Jamerson and Bryan Lindh to help raise funds for United States service members. Nationwide Series Jamerson Motorsports will have a NASCAR at the party. The event is also sponsored by Chispanic Cash and Carry in Egg Harbor City.
"Deadliest Catch" airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m.
