Rainforest Cafe, Atlantic City

    There are so many delicious and varied eateries in Atlantic City. I, as a fan of cheap and entertaining, love eating at the Rainforest Café, which is located on the boardwalk in Trump Plaza. Since it is part of a popular restaurant franchise, you have to walk through a “retail village,” which sells rainforest themed merchandise, to get to the restaurant.

     Fog floats up from the “swamp” where the automated alligator resides. A wave of humidity hits you as you enter the restaurant. Vines fall from the ceiling, fake green tropical trees and plants cover the walls, automated monkeys rest among the tree branches, and automated parrots and insects rest throughout the dense vegetation. The ceilings are covered with stars and moving clouds. Upon entering the main dining room, you have to walk under the huge fish tank full of colorful fish and underwater plants. Last spring when I was there I saw a worker dressed in scuba gear enter the aquarium and interact with the fish.

     My favorite part of dining at the Rainforest Cafe is the thunderstorms. Every thirty minutes a simulated thunderstorm with fake rain, flashing lights, and loud bursts of thunder occurs. The animals come alive; the elephant snorts, the monkeys swing from the trees as they chatter, and the butterflies flap their colorful wings. The first time I did not expect the thunderstorms. I was startled when I heard the first boom of thunder because I knew it was bright and sunny outside. I loved the storm so much that I stayed for the next one so that I could snap pictures and take a video on my iPhone. 

     The atmosphere is the reason I love eating at the Rainforest Café, but the food is reasonable priced and delicious. My favorite dish is the chicken fingers and fries. The chicken is always warm and the fries are always crispy, which is the way I like them. Last year I was there for my birthday and my sister arranged for a volcano cake to be delivered to our table. The wait staff sang happy birthday and I blew out the sparkly candle at the top of my volcano. The chocolate pillars of the volcano were moist and covered in warm fudge and the vanilla ice cream inside the pillars looked good, but since I'm lactose intolerant I was unable to taste the ice cream for myself. 

Links:

• Rainforest Cafe Editorial Review