Knife and Fork Inn

Last updated

The Knife and Fork Inn is a restaurant located at the confluence of Atlantic and Pacific Avenues in Atlantic City, New Jersey which was first opened in 1912 as a private club by "the Commodore" Louis Kuehnle and then in 1927 "on the eve of Prohibition" became an exclusive dining room catering to the municipalities' upper echelons founded by the New York City hotelier Milton Latz. [1]

Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1915. Knife and fork inn 1915.jpg
Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1915.
Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1930. Knife and fork inn 1930.jpg
Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1930.
Freebie postcard, circa 1946. Knife and fork inn 1946.jpg
Freebie postcard, circa 1946.
Freebie postcard, circa 1948. Knife and fork inn 1948.jpg
Freebie postcard, circa 1948.
Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1952. Knife and fork inn 1952.jpg
Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1952.
Freebie postcard, circa 1954. Knife and fork inn 1954.jpg
Freebie postcard, circa 1954.
Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1975. Knife and fork inn 1975.jpg
Postcard showing Knife and Fork Inn, circa 1975.

The "porch scene" with Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon from the 1980 movie "Atlantic City" was shot on the section of the restaurant now known as the Terrace.

The restaurant was shut by Milton Latz's son Mack Latz in December 1996. Then in turn in December 1999 the second Latz's son Andrew decided to run it for his father and the dining establishment was reopened. Then after court battles the elder Latz (over the boisterous objections of the younger Latz) sold the establishment to its current owners the Dougherty family, the longtime proprietors of Docks Oyster House on Atlantic avenue in Atlantic City (the oldest restaurant in the seaside resort first opened in 1897). [2]

Among the celebrities and power brokers who wined and dined there during its original run were entertainers such as Rosemary Clooney, Vic Damone and Bob Hope, as well as the casino mogul Steve Wynn and two former Governors of New Jersey, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. However it would be one specific mover and shaker later to be fictionalized in the HBO megahit series Boardwalk Empire , the Atlantic City power boss and racketeer, Enoch "Nucky" Johnson who would hold forth in an era in which then when portrayed would bring the Knife and Fork Inn newfound fame.

Although Babette's Supper Club was not around in the earliest days of Prohibition as depicted in the aforementioned series, the Knife & Fork would have been the closest establishment to mirror the scenes which take place in Babette's on the show at that time and indeed it was chosen to portray the other legendary long gone establishment in the series. In a later season of Boardwalk Empire , the Knife & Fork itself was mentioned and a facsimile was recreated for a major scene in the show. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic City, New Jersey</span> City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States

Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in South Jersey on Absecon Island, the city is prominently known for its casinos, nightlife, boardwalk, and Atlantic Ocean beaches and coastline. Atlantic City inspired the U.S. version of the board game Monopoly, which uses various Atlantic City street names and destinations in the game. New Jersey voters legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, and the first casino opened two years later. Atlantic City had been the home of the Miss America pageant from 1921 to 2004, which later returned to the city from 2013 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Shore</span> Coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey

The Jersey Shore is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about 141 miles (227 km) of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The region includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, which are in the central and southern parts of the state. Located in the center of the Northeast Megalopolis, the northern half of the shore region is part of the New York metropolitan area, while the southern half of the shore region is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as the Delaware Valley. The Jersey Shore hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's BoardWalk Resort</span> Hotel at Walt Disney World

Disney's BoardWalk Resort is a hotel and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. First opened in 1996, the BoardWalk Resort is located in the Epcot Resort Area, alongside Crescent Lake, and is situated between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. The inn and the villas share a common lobby with the rest of the resort. The Inn, Atlantic Dance Hall, and other features of the boardwalk were designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resorts Casino Hotel</span> Hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Resorts Casino Hotel is a hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Resorts was the first casino hotel in Atlantic City, becoming the first legal casino outside of Nevada in the United States, when it opened on May 26, 1978. The resort completed an expansion in 2004, adding the 27-story Rendezvous Tower, and underwent renovations in 2011, converting the resort to a Roaring Twenties theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enoch L. Johnson</span> American political boss and mobster

Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson was an Atlantic City, New Jersey political boss, a sheriff of Atlantic County, New Jersey, a businessman and a crime boss who was the leader of the political machine that controlled Atlantic City and the Atlantic County government from the 1910s until his conviction and imprisonment in 1941. His rule encompassed the Roaring Twenties when Atlantic City was at the height of its popularity as a refuge from Prohibition. In addition to bootlegging, the criminal aspect of his organization was also involved in gambling and prostitution. The hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire was based on Johnson, portrayed by Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showboat Atlantic City</span> Hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey

The Showboat Atlantic City is a resort hotel and former casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Showboat opened as a casino hotel in 1987 and closed in 2014; the hotel reopened in 2016. It is owned by developer Bart Blatstein.

<i>Boardwalk Empire</i> American period crime drama television series

Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson. Winter, a Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer, created the show, inspired by Nelson Johnson's 2002 non-fiction book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, about the historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Beach Boardwalk</span>

The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, runs 1.2 miles (1.9 km) along the oceanfront from the Pier 14 at 14th Avenue North to the 2nd Avenue Pier at 2nd Avenue North. The promenade officially opened in May 2010 at a cost of nearly $6.4 million. National Geographic has ranked Myrtle Beach Boardwalk number three in the United States, while Travel and Leisure ranked the boardwalk number two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel</span> Building in New Jersey, U.S.

The Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel was a historic resort hotel property in Atlantic City, New Jersey, built in 1902–1906, and demolished in October 1978.

"Boardwalk Empire" is the pilot episode of the HBO crime drama of the same name. Written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese with a budget of $18 million, the episode introduces the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, as the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City who is involved in gambling and bootlegging in 1920. The show used a large ensemble cast and a specially constructed boardwalk set to re-create the Prohibition and Jazz Era, and was based on Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. Filming for the pilot took place at various locations in and around New York City in June 2009. The episode first aired in the United States on September 19, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nucky Thompson</span> Fictional character in the period crime political drama TV series Boardwalk Empire

Enoch Malachi "Nucky" Thompson is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire, portrayed by Steve Buscemi. Nucky is loosely based on former Atlantic City, New Jersey political figure Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson.

Kuehnle's Hotel was a hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey first opened on January 9, 1875 by Commodore Louis Kuehnle's father. The Commodore took over the management of the hotel shortly after his eighteenth birthday. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kuehnle's Hotel served as the prime meeting place for some of the time's earliest gangsters, racketeers, politicians, and unscrupulous entrepreneurs. The site is now part of City Center Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City</span> Hotel (former), Condominiums (current) in Atlantic City, New Jersey

The Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City, located at 199 S. Iowa Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, began as a hotel on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, built at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties and renowned for its luxurious decor and famous guests. It was used as an apartment hotel beginning in 1969, and then purchased in 1978 with the intention of developing it as a hotel and casino. The building was converted to The Ritz Condominiums in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babette's</span>

Babette's or Babette's Supper Club was a supper club and bar at 2211 Pacific Avenue on the Boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It operated from the early 1920s onwards and was sold in 1950. The bar was designed like a ship's hull. In the backroom was a gambling den, which was investigated by the federal authorities and raided in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wash's Restaurant</span> Restaurant in New Jersey

Wash's Restaurant, later called Wash & Sons' Seafood Restaurant, Wash's Inn, and Wash's Catering, was an African-American family-owned and operated soul food restaurant that was in business for over 70 years, first in Atlantic City and then in Pleasantville, New Jersey. Established by Clifton and Alma Washington at 35 N. Kentucky Avenue, Atlantic City, in 1937, the original 20-seat location attained celebrity status for hosting the performers and patrons of the nightclubs in the Kentucky Avenue black entertainment district. The restaurant was known for its sausage sandwiches and soul food, and also served breakfast to customers leaving the 6 a.m. show at Club Harlem.

The Chelsea Inn is a historic hotel and pub, founded in 1858 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The structure has been a part of the Atlantic City's landscape since 1880. The building was formerly Grossman's Kosher Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boardwalk (entertainment district)</span>

A boardwalk is a promenade along a beach or waterfront. In North America, and particularly in the United States, many waterfront commercial boardwalks in the United States have become so successful as tourist attractions that the simple wooden pathways have been replaced by esplanades made of concrete, brick or other construction, sometimes with a wooden façade on the surface. An entertainment boardwalk often contains an amusement park, casinos, or hotels on a pier-like structure. One of the earliest such boardwalks was designed in New Jersey and opened June 26, 1870, in Atlantic City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Gold Levi</span>

Vicki Gold Levi is an American author, curator, historical consultant and collector. She is best known as an Atlantic City, New Jersey historian and a consultant on the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire, and the 1997 musical Steel Pier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Orange Loop</span>

The Orange Loop is a neighborhood near the beach in downtown Atlantic City with a focus on live music establishments such as indie rock venue Anchor Rock Club and Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall.

References

  1. Kent, Bill (April 11, 1999). "COMMUNITIES - The Knife and Fork Takes Another Roll of the Dice". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  2. DeAngelis, Martin (September 24, 2012). "Atlantic City's Knife & Fork Inn prepares to celebrate 100th anniversary". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  3. Lanier, Clint; Hembree, Derek (September 25, 2013). "The Bars of Boardwalk Empire". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-09-20.

39°21′00″N74°27′12″W / 39.35011°N 74.45346°W / 39.35011; -74.45346