Atlantic City: Mussel Bar (August 2014)

Note: Mussel Bar Atlantic City ceased operation on September 2, 2014 when the Revel Casino closed. However, two additional Mussel Bar locations are open in Bethesda, Maryland and Arlington, Virginia. The Maryland and Virginia locations accept reservations using the Open Table reservation system.

Two family members and I visited Mussel Bar for a late lunch on a Monday afternoon in mid-August 2014. This restaurant is located inside the Revel Casino. We did not have a reservation, but the hostess sat us quickly. The restaurant is open for lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner daily. The restaurant offers live music on Friday night.The restaurant is located on the restaurant floor of the casino. The floor contains many other dining options, including Amada, Village Whiskey, Distrito Cantina, and Relish. The restaurant space is interior, so all light comes from overhead. Interesting beer bottle sculptures and a motorcycle hang from the ceiling. A large bar and booth and table seating are available, and the kitchen is open so that you can watch the chefs work. The restaurant contains its own bathrooms, so you do not have to use the public casino restrooms. The chef/owner is Robert Wiedmaier, a German-Belgian chef who owns several other restaurants in including Marcel's and Brasserie Beck (in Washington, DC) and Wildwood Kitchen (in Bethesda).The menu style is of a Belgian gastropub, and the bar offers over a selection of over 150 kinds of beer. We ordered two wood-fired flatbread pizzas (called "tarts" in Belgium). One pizza featured red grapes, hazelnuts, and bleu cheese. The second pizza featured Kennett Square mushrooms, bacon, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and a bechamel sauce. Both pizzas were tasty, but the grape / nut / cheese was the winner. Our third entree was a French dip sandwich accompanied by shoestring frites (fries) with a mayonnaise dipping sauce. Other menu selections include meats, seafood, salads, and soups, as well as iconic Belgian dishes like moules-frites.We enjoyed our lunch at Mussel Bar. It is a shame that the beautiful Revel Casino closed, taking all of its excellent restaurants with it.







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