Cheers: Staking a claim in Atlantic City: Borgata Hotel and Casino named best hotel beverage winner

The Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City provides guests with four diverse bar/lounge concepts and 11 different restaurants. "This beverage award is such an accomplishment, because we do so much in so many areas," said Victor Tiffany, director of food and beverage for the Borgata.

"We wanted to create a beverage experience that's 'upscale, not uptight.' That was how we positioned ourselves," said Tiffany. "We opened our doors on the Fourth of July, 2003, and we recognized that the market was ready to trade up. Programs in Atlantic City were 'vanilla.' There was no strong correlation to what was happening in New York, San Francisco, even Philly," he said.

Four bar concepts give the guest a variety of experiences and cater to different preferences for beverages, whether it's wine, beer, or spirits. For example, if a guest is looking for a great Margarita or fine sipping tequila, he can choose from 75 different tequilas at Gypsy Bar. This bar also boasts an unusual collection of beers, and offers "hearty and eclectic Southwestern" cuisine.

The B-Bar is the hotel's casino-level bar, and is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Here, higher-end beers and spirits are poured, even though it's a busy, high-volume lounge. "On the beverage floor, Heineken and Amstel as well as Absolut Level are poured in the guns. We have a huge tree and pump system using these," said Tiffany. "This bar can make $30,000 on a Saturday night," he said.

"At B-Bar, our success is also based partly on our outstanding staff. Our costumed beverage servers wear clothing designed for us by Zac Posen." Tiffany said the hotel opened with 5,000 jobs in place, and the jobs were filled on-line. Training is an important component of the Borgata's beverage program. There is a monthly spirits tasting, lasting 60 to 90 minutes, for full-time servers and others.

At Mixx, a lounge/restaurant/nightclub, where Latin and Asian fusion food is served, there is also a sushi bar and the signature dish is ceviche. And The Music Box, which carries the slogan, "Rhythm and Brews," is a concert hall with 1,000 seats, as well as a bar.

The property is also very active with wine programs, and under its Food & Wine Experience, every month dinners are paired with selected wines held in its various restaurants. For example, in April a chef from the Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC will prepare a dinner to accompany Chalk Hill Wines.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The hotel, an equally owned partnership between M.G.M. Mirage and Boyd Gaming, its management arm, also can boast of their team of female sommeliers, led by wine director Shawn Dore.

--EVS