Atlantic City

Every March, my grandmother hosts a trip to Atlantic City that she's been doing for, I don't know, 80 years or something...

OK, maybe 30.

Anyways, the trip started as a seniors-only trip, which then got extended down to their children, and now their children (i.e. my generation) has been invited. This year was my third year going. The youngest traveler was 25, the oldest was possibly my grandmother, 83. It's quite an age range, and quite an experience.

I can't share most of the experience, since what happens in AC stays in AC, but I can share that I did not win any money (obviously since I returned home and am still blogging from my kitchen and not a burre on Turtle Island, Fiji (one day....one day it will happen). I can also share a couple of pretty good meals I had.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere! Actually it was 9 a.m. on the bus ride down to AC...

Night 1 started with a lot of gambling, drinking and general chaos at our hotel, The Trump Taj Mahal. We ended our night sitting around the hibachi at The Rim Noodle Bar. I think it may have been my idea to go there, and I got 5 others to join me in a late night snack (full meal). The Rim has a round bar around the hibachi and general kitchen area (which I did not soberly remember to photograph). You can watch the chefs prepare everything. There are also small table around the bar. The restaurant sits on one corner of the casino and is completely open for all to see...pretty neat...and pretty smart planning when you sit and eat and stare at the flashing lights and carnival-like sounds coming from the slot machines.

Here's a brief photographic rundown of some of the noodle bowls we got.

Minced pork and shrimp wonton noodle bowl.

Minced pork and shrimp dumpling noodle bowl. (My dish)

Korean Shin instant noodle bowl.

I would just like to take a moment to discuss the last bowl. It has ramen (awesome) in a broth made of possibly hot water, chicken flavor and about half a bottle of sriracha. Sriracha is a ridiculously hot chili paste used in many Asian dishes. It is delicious, but an 1/8 teaspoon is about all you need. I put a tablespoon of it into my noodle bowl and it cleared my sinuses. The Korean shin bowl also has kimchi, which is a spicy fermented napa cabbage (or other leafy vegetable). This bowl was Pam's dish, and she was determined to finish every last drop. The 5 of us watched in awe and disgust and pain as Pam lifted the bowl to her face and drank every last bit of broth, with eyes watering, making the worst face ever. Not because it tastes bad, but because it is just that spicy. She is my hero.

Crepes filled with bacon and eggs, topped with cheddar cheese sauce

For breakfast the following morning, a few of us took a stroll down the boardwalk and stopped at our favorite breakfast place in AC, The Country Kitchen. Country Kitchen is a homestyle restaurant with mismatched wooden dining tables and chairs that serves comfort food. They had new breakfast crepes filled with various things like fruit, chocolate, etc. Naturally, I, and everyone else, chose the savory crepe filled with eggs, bacon and tomatoes (I opted no tomatoes). With a side of homefries, it was one of the best breakfasts I've ever had...a close second to the eggs benedict over potato skins at the Griddle in Los Angeles.

Now, I have to wait until next year for another adventure that I will most likely not be able to share most of the details from.