The Casino File
By Chuck Darrow
From the moment legal gaming commenced in Atlantic City, Italian restaurants have been as much a part of the casino landscape as slot machines and bars. But never has Our Town seen an Italian eatery quite like Superfrico, the almost-2-year-old spot that is part of The Hook entertainment complex at Caesars Atlantic City.
For starters, the Boardwalk-level dining room is the first and only restaurant created specifically as part of a larger entertainment experience (it was designed in tandem with “The Hook,” Atlantic City’s first—and only Las Vegas-style, year-round resident production show).
But what really sets Superfrico apart is its intense emphasis on creating an unusual and compelling visual environment—which engulfs guests as soon as they enter.
“The true path is to come off of the Boardwalk and go through Horse Dive. Horse Dive is this really beautiful dive bar that is just overloaded with horses and memorabilia from the diving horse at Steel Pier,” offered Toni Barrett, Superfrico’s general manager.
“As you’re making your way off of the Boardwalk, you see the marquee,” and that’s when the fun begins as, according to Barrett, what patrons encounter is called a “disorietery.” As she explained, “It’s kind of meant to confuse the senses and bring you to a point where you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen.
“So, you’re in this place where you’re focused and all your senses are engaged, and you’re really looking to see what’s happening here. You go through the disorientery and get a little peek into… the actual theater, which is glorious in its own right, a beautiful resurrection of the Warner Theater [the Depression-era movie palace built by the Warner Bros. organization].
“As you make your way past the theater and get into Superfrico, the first room is the Backdrop Lounge [which is named for] a really great mix of backdrops from Spiegelworld Productions [the Las Vegas-based production company that conceived The Hook concept] and from Broadway productions.” Among the items on display is a purple velvet-with-gold-fringe piece from the Parisienne production of “Phantom of the Opera.”
“You’ve got the backdrop lights over top of the bar,” she continued, “so you’re immersed into this atmosphere that texturally is just really moody, really swanky.”
However, Backdrop Lounge is just the appetizer for the main courses—three separate dining rooms, each of which has a different theme.
The Aviary boasts a collection of eye-catching art installations, which are said to reflect Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison’s aesthetic sensibilities. The Prop Storage Department is just that, a repository of theatrical props, while The Dressing Room is designed to evoke the kind of staging area featured in countless “backstage” movies of the 1930s and ‘40s (complete with lightbulb-rimmed mirrors).
There is so much to be seen and considered on the many walls of Superfrico that Barrett insisted she is still discovering items she’s never seen before.
But all the interesting and offbeat decorations in the world don’t matter if a restaurant’s kitchen doesn’t deliver the goods. But a recent visit confirmed Superfrico stands with any of its competitors in or outside the casinos.
A new menu was rolled out earlier this year after Caesars took over the restaurant’s operation from Spiegelworld. The current bill of fare leans toward popular Southern Italian dishes like fried calamari, pasta alla vodka and chicken and veal parmesan (the wonderful house bread featuring a to-die-for slightly salty crust is from the ovens of the iconic Formica Freitag Bakery).
Price points are in line with other high-end casino dining rooms, but the portions are generous; during a recent visit, my dining companion and I encountered no false notes as Superfrico’s kitchen proved it can go ladle-to-ladle with any similar outlet. As for the “must-have” dishes, Barrett didn’t hesitate when asked for recommendations.
“I think our chicken parm is classic,” she said. “It’s our number one best-seller. But for me, I think the star of the show would have to be the veal Sorrentino. It’s a veal cutlet pounded really thin with prosciutto de Parma pounded into that. And then you’ve got an eggplant Francese cutlet, and it’s served over a bed of broccoli rabe with a really delicious fresh Pomodoro sauce. You can’t get it anywhere else.”
Barrett is equally proud of the selection of five specialty cocktails with such names as “Pool Boy” and “Good Cop Lemon Drop.” The former—a blend of Don Julio Bianco tequila, passion fruit, vanilla, Fino sherry and lime—is her personal favorite.
It all adds up to what Barrett rightly describes as a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
“We are definitely a destination,” she said, “for individuals who are looking for an exciting night out.”
For more, go to caesars.com/caesars-ac/restaurants/superfrico.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
