Girasole - Atlantic City

Appetizers were delicious Carpacio Risotto but the dinners were very disappointing my wife had the chicken and it was overcooked and my Baccala cod was barely edible

Solid Italian home cooking at Michelin Guide Prices. Girasole’s prices reflect the generally expensive food scene in Atlantic City and they put their prices accordingly. Not a criticism of them at all, just a reality to keep in mind if you’re going to visit. I would definitely visit again as the food was good and if you’re after something good then you’ll have to pay for it in this City. The ingredients were simple and well executed. There was nothing special about the flavour or any of the dishes we had but it just came the way you want home cooked food to be: no frills reminding you of Italy. Although the initial service and starters were quick, the other courses came quite slowly. The feeling you get is a family affair, run for the joy of being together and no one is in a rush we enjoyed our time! I’ve explained the dishes I had in more below but if I was to come again here is what I’d do differently: I’d get a pizza as a starter although not wood fired, it came out looking and smelling great I’d have a go at one of them. For the rest of the menu, I’d avoid anything that requires a level of technical cooking to bring out flavour. I’d avoid the main menu and just stick to the first course pasta menu. I’d get three or four pasta dishes and stick to a dish that is known for its richness: the rigatoni ragù or the farfalle for sure. We had the soup of the day: Minestrone Soup it was light and had a soft melody of vegetables but it was all quite bland, a little more flavour in the broth would have gone a long way. The Mixed Seafood Pasta, the seafood was slightly over cooked particularly the prawns but the pasta had a perfect texture. The sauce could have had a little more richness or depth to its seasoning. I was expecting that classic simple Italian dedication to fresh tomatoes but it just wasn’t there. Side Dishes: The mushroom dish was surprisingly the best dish of the day. In stark constraint to the poorly chosen tomatoes, the mushrooms were brilliantly selected and full of flavour. We also had the asparagus but it was quite bland and the creamy hollandaise sauce to accompany it lacked any kind of flavour. To the main dish of the day, the Salt Baked Sea Bass. It was really good. Subtle salt matched with a very good lemon and caper sauce. The dish is more style/theatre than substance (the waiter breaks the salt crust and serves the fillets to you) but it still delivers.

The pasta was excellent. We chose the three pasta for two. Each one was very very good. We had the fried calamari for an appetizer. The only complaint about that was it was a big greasy.

This is my new favorite restaurant. The ambiance was amazing, the service was perfect and the food was out of this world. I put on my reservation thst it was my birthday and they brought out a piece of amazing cheesecake with a candle.

Eclectic Italian restaurant near Tropicana on the strip, but separate from the chain driven casino fare. Girasole is closer to authentic Italian coastal fare than your run of the mill Italian-American menu. The ambience is great, especially inside in the main dining area. The bartender and the hostess were pleasant, on the ball and not hard on the eyes. The food was very good. There were some hi end wines as well as reasonably priced bottles. This is one of a handful of very good stand alone restaurants in AC. Enjoy but don’t tell everyone!