Knife and Fork or Dock’s?
I’m not the most frequent Atlantic City visitor but I’ve been a fair amount of times over the years. Have never been to either of the two restaurants and want to change that. Has anybody been lately and what would be the recommendation?
I’m leaning knife and Fork based on the menu.
@NotJrvedivici to the courtesy phone…
Both excellent non-casino choices. Really don’t think you’ll go wrong with either. And, while you didn’t ask, another non-casino choice to consider on another visit (if you haven’t been) is Cafe 2825.
Thanks. And yes, Cafe 2825 is on the radar as well.
Staying at Hard Rock so we were considering Il Mulino. But then I remembered how much I despised the scene there in NYC, or maybe it was the annoying customers who always pushed for it. 
(that said, I have enjoyed the AC iteration on a few occasions)
Docks and Knife and Fork are great, Cafe 2825 is on another level, but almost impossible to get reservation.
I get it. I just want the nostalgia aspect this time around.
(lol @CurlzNJ )
The primary factor would be do you want steak / meat centric or seafood? I personally prefer the “old charm” of Knife and Fork. Have never had a bad meal there and as I said the old school ambiance, I prefer to Doc’s which is a more contemporary feel. Too bad it’s not closer to the Holiday’s because they do up Knife and Fork nicely.
Enjoy either way and please report back.
I’m not going to knock Il Mulino (even though I have been to the original and in AC and I’m just not a big fan) - however there is a significant factor that I like to consider when picking meals in Atlantic City.
An old friend of mine, same one who introduced me to Knife and Fork 30+ years ago, taught me this about eating in AC. No matter what casino restaurant you are in, half the customers or more are there for one of two reasons:
They are using comps for their meal -or-
Convenience
When my buddy took me to Knife and Fork the first time he told me: " I like this place because people are going out of their way to be here AND they are all paying with their hard-earned money".
Take that for what it’s worth.
For clarity, that was not my intent. I have not been recently but I always thought the food to be very good. It was more the hassle of getting the res, the tight quarters (NYC), and my jerky customers I had to sit with that left a bad taste in my mouth. I enjoyed the AC location very much.
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean about the NYC location. The food is very good, but so is Jimmy’s in Asbury Park and nowhere near the hassle. Like I said, I’ll never knock the place but for me it’s; “Been there done that”.
As someone who frequented Atlantic City in the mid 1990s, but now makes it down once every few years, I can’t believe how run down the casinos have gotten. I was there about six weeks ago, and I figured that with the number of Boardwalk casinos that have been culled, the remaining ones would step up their game. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Hard Rock is an improvement over the former Taj Mahal that it took over (although not really my style), but Resorts and Bally’s were complete dumps. Caesars, which used to have open craps tables abound on Saturday nights, kept only two or three very crowded tables running. There are signs posted at most bathrooms now stating that the changing of clothes and bathing is prohibited, a clear indication that the degradation of the city has infiltrated the casinos. These were all issues that Donald Trump said the city needed to address thirty-five years ago if it were to grow and prosper. It has only gotten much worse.
Can’t argue with you about the condition of the resorts or town. That’s why I really only go to Ocean’s anymore, they are about the newest and the “cleanest” of the resorts in my opinion. I also will go/stay at Tropicana, but only in the Qtr, many of the older/original rooms are pretty outdated. (Resorts I wouldn’t allow my wife alone in, that place has really changed. It’s a shame because that was my go-to spot for craps back in the day, they had 5X’s odds, not the 2-3-4 crap they do now.
Reporting back as instructed!
Thanks everyone for solidifying the recommendation, my wife and I really enjoyed our meal. The history/coolness factor of the place is what made me want to go, but I was not prepared for top notch food as well. I ordered things I normally wouldn’t (lobster thermidor) and was happy I did so.
Started with duck confit and lobster spring rolls, the requisite corn and crab chowder, crabcake and aforementioned thermidor for mains and we split a pretty amazing banana cream pie for dessert. (crossed arms not indicative of my companions feelings towards the meal, maybe it was me 
)
That was at Dock’s?
Sorry, Knife and Fork Inn is where I ended up.
