1. Il Mulino has been a staple in New York for nearly 30 years, and in September 2008, the owners of the Italian restaurant opened an outpost inside Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. Tucked away off the main floor of the gambling den, Il Mulino is a surprisingly quiet spot with a 50-person private room.
2. Unlike its handsomely decorated neighbor, the focal point of adjacent café and lounge Trattoria Il Mulino is the open kitchen in the back, which offers views of the pizza oven and the chefs creating dishes from the Abruzzo region. This area has two private rooms that hold as many as 30.
3. Another newbie is Fornelletto, which joined the Borgata’s lineup of eateries in July. In a subterranean wine-cellar-style cavern, the restaurant is chef-partner Stephen Kalt’s enoteca and osteria, with an adjacent late-night café. At the back of the restaurant are three areas for private groups. The smallest of these seats 10 in a glass-enclosed room; the largest seats 40.
4. Family-owned and family-run, Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in New York’s theater district is best known as the place where Frank Sinatra ate. And in the summer of 2008, the 60-year-old institution opened a second location inside the Atlantic City Hilton Casino. Highlighting the history and celebrity clientele of the original, the 6,000-square-foot Patsy’s Atlantic City has a 175-seat dining area and a private room that seats 75. Tradition plays a big role in the menu here, where family recipes include veal chops, steak pizzaiola, and spicy lobster fra diavolo.
5. Although it’s not fancy like Il Mulino or Fornelletto, Carmine’s is a popular family-style place. Setting the tone for the 480-seat restaurant are high ceilings, antique chandeliers, family photographs, and a reasonably priced menu of dishes. For large groups there’s a private room that seats 200 or holds 350 for receptions; smaller gatherings can take over alcoves in the dining room, which can be sectioned off with red velvet drapes.