A.C. Now: Seablue



Michael Mina’s isn’t the flashiest spot in the new Borgata. It is the smallest, with a hidden kitchen and a nearly quiet circular front bar (order the shiso drop, with a leafy stalk of the minty, basily herb). Divided by a wall of blue-backed silver rings from the casino floor, the space is Cali-modern meets Vegas old-school, where video aquariums and red velvet booths feel somehow serious, as does the menu, a pair of white pages brimming with fun (but serious) choices: pompano blanketed in homemade potato chips, nearly creamy lobster corn dogs, falafel-battered soft shell crab, two-pound lobster pot pie (served in a silver pot), and you-pick-the-tossings salads. Try a truffled tagine, but don’t miss raw Ahi mixed tableside with irresistibly fragrant sesame oil, mint and pine nuts, or — gluttony be damned — DIY caviar blinis. The extensive wine list includes amazingly fish-friendly Rieslings and small-maker wines. Dessert: root beer floats and peppermint patties. Seriously. The Borgata, 1 Borgata Way, 609-317-1000, theborgata.com.