Stephen Starr’s Newest Endeavor? Atlantic City

Stephen Starr, who will debut two new dining concepts at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City this summer (photo courtesy Starr Restaurant Group)

Atlantic City has the best dining scene by far at the Jersey Shore. And it’s about to get even better, thanks to renowned Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr.

We just learned on Thursday morning that Starr plans to open not one but two completely new restaurant concepts this summer at Ocean Casino Resort, the luxe Best of Philly-winning hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Foobooz previously broke the news that fellow Philadelphia restaurateur Michael Schulson was going to open two restaurants at Ocean Casino Resort. But then that deal fell apart. And in walked the one and only Stephen Starr.

Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, where Stephen Starr is set to debut two new restaurants (photo courtesy Ocean Casino Resort)

“It feels like a full circle moment for me to work on restaurant projects in Atlantic City, a place where I formed some of my finest childhood memories, both at the beach and on America’s most popular boardwalk, where I worked as a teenager,” Starr said in a statement. “I’m excited to work with the team at Ocean Casino Resort to develop two new dining concepts this summer.”

According to this report in Forbes, one of the new Stephen Starr restaurants in Atlantic City will be all about comfort food, like meatloaf and Thanksgiving dinner served throughout the year. The other is going to be a concept focused on something Starr knows a thing or two about: French food. I see steak frites absolutely drenched in butter in your future. Nothing says beach body like steak frites and meatloaf, right?

This isn’t Starr’s first foray into the Atlantic City restaurant world. He previously had Atlantic City editions of Buddakan and the Continental at what used to be known as the Pier at Caesars. Starr closed those restaurants amid the COVID pandemic.