Jersey Spin August 2,003 Edition Part of TELEPLEXUS® - Inside This Edition: Salsa Chatham in Chatham, NJ; Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey; Movie Review - THE HOT CHICK; Pub 46 in Clifton, NJ, and Feature - The Borgata

Inside This Edition: Salsa Chatham in Chatham, NJ; Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey; Movie Review - THE HOT CHICK; Pub 46 in Clifton, NJ, and Feature - The Borgata - Atlantic City Steps Into The Future

Whenever a new restaurant comes on the scene, after allowing a bit of time to work out the kinks, we look forward to a lunch or dinner. We chose a midweek lunch for our visit to this newly- opened establishment featuring southwestern cuisine.

Salsa Chatham located, where else, but in Chatham New Jersey, is a fun spot where you are greeted by smiling happy faces eager to serve you. The restaurant has the feel of a small New York eatery, and if you enjoy southwestern food, this is the place for you.

Each table enjoys taco chips and a spicy salsa. Our group ordered a variety of offerings. The pinwheel Quesadilla was delicious as were the Burritos and Southwestern wraps. The portions are very large and there certainly is a wide variety of entrees to choose from.

As the restaurant does not have a liquor license, you may bring your own or enjoy one of the non-alcoholic offerings such as the Strawberry Banana Palette Pleaser. These non-alcoholic beverages seemed to be a favorite with the younger crowd who were enjoying their lunch.

Overall, we found Salsa Chatham to be a pleasant change-of-pace and will return some evening for dinner. If you want to spice up your palate, give this new restaurant a try.

Step into Monmouth Park Racetrack and step into a great Jersey Treasure. The grounds at Monmouth are incredibly well cared for and make visitors feel like they are at a resort. After walking into the main building, I was struck by how well preserved and maintained this facility is. The staff at Monmouth has gone to great lengths to preserve the rich legacy of the park and has taken great care not disturb the old-time feel of this rich daytime experience. Family-goers will be comforted with expansive grass areas and tables for picnicking. Business- sponsored events can even have their very own large, fenced-in area right beside the track, complete with large tables and outdoor grill. Monmouth is more of a park than a traditional modern horse racing facility, perfect for family and corporate afternoons. There is plenty of thoroughbred racing action to be experienced the way it use to be and thankfully still is.

Monmouth Park has the distinction of being the first North American sporting facility to offer luxury suites. The "Parterre Boxes" are the most exclusive at the park requiring proper attire. The mix of people who go to Monmouth Park are as diverse as our population, from all walks of life and social status. They all come for one thing, which is a great afternoon experience, from just beside the fence to way atop the building. Monmouth Park is the resort of racing and a distinguished Jersey Treasure.

THE HOT CHICK - Rated PG-13 - Okay... okay... we're not talking about rocket science here just THE HOT CHICK with Rob Schneider. This brand of sophomoric humor does appeal to some people and if you like a wacky comedy then check out this video. You won't find any award-winning script writing or overly clever technical work in this type of film. What you will find here is a lot of laughs especially at the ridiculous premise of Rob Schneider as a woman. The only way to judge a film of this type is on the old laugh-o-meter and this one scores high on laughs. Chances are after a week of seeing this one you might not remember much at all about it, but you will remember how much you laughed and a good summertime laugh is always a healthy thing. If you don't feel guilty about laughing at some mindless humor, then check this one out. THE HOT CHICK also goes nicely as part of a summertime double feature!

Pub 46 in Clifton, New Jersey packs rock fans in on Wednesday nights. A no cover charge policy? Whoever heard of such a thing? Pub 46 offers no cover, no exceptions all the time. Even club-goers from the 70's going to see a live band paid a cover charge back then! So what's the deal with this place? The deal is a packed house, drink specials, live music and a great time on Wednesdays. Many clubs are pretty empty this night of the week but not Pub 46. If you are under thirty this place offers a glimpse into how rock clubs were in New Jersey not too long ago. If you are in your late thirties you might have actually experienced the rock club heyday in New Jersey which helped usher in such bands as Twisted Sister and White Tiger into mainstream rock.

Pub 46 has smartly and thankfully brought back to life the live Jersey rock band scene in north Jersey. It's not exactly the same but it's very close. It's astonishing that the younger crowd still likes this type of music, but then it was never just about the music. The Jersey rock club has always been about Jersey people, great music and great times. You are sure to have a great time at Pub 46 on Wednesday nights.

The Borgata - Atlantic City Steps Into The Future

The Borgata, which means "village" in Italian scrapes the sky in Atlantic City and is now New Jerseys tallest building and newest casino. On a recent trip to "AC" I stood on top of one of the other tall buildings and looked out over the ocean and the oceanfront. What I saw looking out over the sea and city was a place ready for change and change it did the day the Borgata took its first bet from a guest. The Borgata has ushered in a new age and is betting big on a long and prosperous future in Atlantic City. Just driving into the free parking lot was a pleasure as our car was greeted with someone to point us in the right direction. The design of the whole experience has gone in the right direction as well, with a short walk to get to the casino action. The casino and lobby are beautifully appointed without being gaudy. Walking into the slot machine area, I could actually hear myself think instead of the clinking of thousands of coins dropping into the steel tray of the slot machines. Gone is the need to tote around pails of change! The way the Borgata is handling slot machine gaming is one of many meticulous details designed to enhance the comfort and enjoyment of the guests.

The Borgata is here and it's only a question of time if the positive changes in their village will spill over into the city and the neighborhoods.

The Borgata - Atlantic City Steps Into The Future written by Jerry Butler

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily the views of TELEPLEXUS, Inc.