By Scott Cronick
As my wife sipped on her last Martorano’s cherry water ice martini staring at a fresh bowl of the best carbonara on the planet – complete with egg yolk mixed into the pasta right in front of us – she looked at me and said, “I feel like this is the end of something. I feel like we are experiencing something for the last time that we won’t get back again. It really feels like Atlantic City is really changing … or this what getting old feels like?”
All of the above.
On Monday, Martorano’s served its last scrumptious meatball at Harrah’s Resort, nearly a decade after Philadelphia legend Steve Martorano brought his big personality and bigger plates of al dente pasta to Atlantic City.
“We were there almost a decade,” Martorano said on his Instagram announcing the closing earlier this month. “That’s unheard of. When we were in Vegas with Caesars, we were there 15 years. That’s unheard of. Most brands last five years, and they change it. It was great seeing friends, family, new people. Everyone would come in the summertime; it was great.”
It sure was.
Yo Cuz! You will be missed, as will two of my all-time favorite dishes: Your cheesesteak made with prime ribeye, and the sweet, spicy, crispy Calamari Bibzy. The fun atmosphere complete with R-rated mobster movies playing throughout the restaurant, a DJ spinning tunes ranging from The Spinners to Jay-Z on weekends and the feeling that you were somewhere different – somewhere special – will also be missed. My wife will probably miss the indulgent waffles and ice cream more than anything.
Not even a week earlier, we dined with two great friends and had an amazing “last supper” at Angeloni’s II, a Ducktown staple since 1985 that defined the term “old school.” Like Martorano’s, Angeloni’s was packed and has been in a big way since Owner Alan Angeloni announced last month that his restaurant would sadly shutter its doors at the end of April.
Unlike Martorano’s, whose fate may never be explained publicly but probably came as the rising costs of union labor and quality product combined with paying Martorano a hefty vig made it unprofitable for Harrah’s, Angeloni has hinted for years that his acclaimed restaurant known for its Meatballs and Martinis Night on Thursdays, his melt-in-your-mouth veal Saltimbocca and a wine cellar so distinguished that casino executives would go there to buy vintages for their best players, would close sooner than later.
Business was never a problem for Angeloni. His restaurant seemed like it was always busy, as should any business that has stood the test of time delivering great meal after great meal with such consistency. He made it look easy. But it wasn’t.
When I wrote a dining feature about his restaurant a little more than two years ago, Angeloni made it more than clear that the end was near. Those who read that story and know Angeloni well would say that was “Alan just being Alan.”
The owner’s personality has always been rough around the edges. He’s the kind of guy who is not afraid to tell you how it is – or how it used to be – but under that gruff exterior is a kind man with a big heart who, when in the right mood, loves to talk about how his restaurant and how Atlantic City has changed dramatically over the last 40 years.
Not much has changed at Angeloni’s II since it opened in 1985, and that’s why so many of us loved it. It’s one of the main reasons we treasure places of a bygone era like Angeloni’s. It’s why the new ownership of Tony’s Baltimore Grill wisely kept everything looking nearly exactly the same … even though they spent big bucks renovating it. That’s a businessman who just gets it.
People come for the food, but they remember the place for its old-school charm,
I am super sad to see both Martorano’s and Angeloni’s go, but when it comes to Alan Angeloni, this guy deserves his retirement. Like I said, he makes it look easy, but Angeloni has the battle scars to prove how tough the restaurant business is.
He grew up in the biz, working with his father, a restaurateur and bar owner who started the family business back in the 1950s with a bar and opened his first restaurant – Villa Capri – in the 1960s near Trenton. That later evolved into the first Angeloni’s in 1973 in a bigger location in Hamilton Township, Mercer County.
“At 9 years old, I was sweeping the floors at the bar,” Angeloni told me. “But by 12, I was making pizza. And I don’t mean just putting it together, I mean mixing the dough, making the sauce, really making pizza at 12.”
At 16, Angeloni had the epiphany the restaurant business was going to be his life, and in his 20s, lured by the casinos, he brought the second Angeloni’s to Atlantic City after talking his father into it.
Like a lot to the nostalgic décor, the menu – except for the prices – hasn’t changed much. Angeloni always insisted on homemade pasta, hiring a crew to come in early every day to make their homemade cheese ravioli, gnocchi and manicotti, something rarely seen anywhere anymore. He always bought the best veal and freshest seafood he could get his hands on, and new diners were always surprised by the aforementioned wine list, a stellar collection loaded with some familiar California names and Italian classics, including some amazing Amarones and Barolos that helped Angeloni’s win the Wine Spectator Award numerous times, including nine years straight at one point.
In that interview I did with him, Angeloni basically told me he used COVID as an excuse to finally stop lunch service, something he knew he would likely never bring back. And while business was good, he lamented that the neighborhood just didn’t support his restaurant like in the old days when it was a mostly all-Italian community, “when people would walk in here once or twice a week.”
What’s next for
Angeloni, Martorano?
He told me he thought he was going to retire at 55, but 12 years later he was still working as hard as ever. After working like that for so many years, Angeloni knew he had to eventually live a little. His brothers and two sisters, who he was partners with at the restaurant, would always ask, “Why don’t you get out of here and live your life? And the truth is I don’t know what else to do. I can’t sit home every day. I know that much.”
While Angeloni is not publicly saying what made him finally hang up his apron, we hope he figured out what that next, hopefully more relaxing chapter of his life will be.
As to what will happen with Angeloni’s, many of us are still waiting for a restaurant miracle to save it. The owner of Tony’s Baltimore Grill publicly expressed interest in buying it and promised to preserve Angeloni’s legacy like he did to the most popular and historic pizza palace in Atlantic City. That sounds like a good idea to me.
As for Steve Martorano, he will be be fine without Atlantic City. I think Atlantic City needed him more than he needed Atlantic City.
He continues to operate Café Martorano, his signature cash cow in Fort Lauderdale, as well as Martorano’s Prime, an Italian American Steakhouse, at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
Next month, Martorano’s Prime will debut a second location for Rivers Casino, this time in Philadelphia, showcasing top-shelf meats along with the Italian staples found in Fort Lauderdale as well as his former restaurant in Atlantic City.
“I’m coming home to Philly,” said Martorano, who reminisced about making sandwiches in his parents’ South Philly basement in the 1980s and selling them door to door for $3. “Going back home is a big deal for me. I love change, and sometimes you gotta make changes. You can’t just stay in one spot. It gets dull and boring, and the excitement is just not there.”
Rivers Casino Philadelphia will also feature Martorano’s Italian Sicilian Slice, his first pizzeria, as well as Lily Cakes, the first-brick-and mortar bakery for the premium dessert brand created and operated by his wife Marsha Daley-Martorano.
More changes coming
Martorano’s will transform to La Strada, which Caesars Entertainment features a location at its ElDorado at the Row in Reno, Nevada. Known for its mushroom ravioli with porcini cream sauce, which was placed on the Food Networks’ 2019 list of the “Best Pastas in the Country,” La Strada’s menu features familiar Italian comfort food. The restaurant will undergo some minor renovations and Harrah’s management hopes to open La Strada before Memorial Day. In the meantime, Harrah’s will open a temporary Italian restaurant on property.
Perhaps the biggest project to open this summer is Caesars Atlantic City’s multi-million-dollar resurrection of the stunning Warner Theatre, which opened on the Boardwalk in 1929 and dubbed the “Wonder Theatre of the World.” In its 2023 reincarnation, it will be The Hook featuring a world-premier live show from Spiegelworld, the folks who brought the hilarious and raunchy “Absinthe” review to Caesars Palace. The Hook will also feature the Italian-American-Psychedelic Superfrico restaurant, as well as a myriad of discoverable cocktail bars. The Hook opens June 30, and will serve as a great test for Atlantic City to see if it can host a year-round entertainment show, something that hasn’t been done since Legends in Concert at Bally’s many moons ago.
We will soon lose Grotto, Golden Nugget Atlantic City’s Italian restaurant, which will replaced by another Landry’s concept that will be announced soon.
Ocean Casino Resort recently “cut” ties with LDV Hospitality and will re-name American Cut to simply Cut, and already renamed Dolce Mare to Linguini by the Sea. While I wouldn’t expect many big changes on the steakhouse side, the whimsically named Italian restaurant is following suit with its new menu, offering customers a less stuffy, more approachable Italian-American experience, a welcome addition since Dolce Mare never lived up to its expectations. Even dating back to its Revel days. With a gorgeous dining room and its beautiful view of the ocean, boardwalk and The Wheel at Steel Pier, Linguini by the Sea will hopefully become the destination restaurant it always should have been.
Il Verdi, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city, will receive a $2 million transformation and relocation, moving from its relatively newly renovated location right on the casino floor at the Tropicana to the former Jose Garces Olon space overlooking the ocean. Some may remember the space as the former Fin restaurant. I am told Il Verdi will be completely unrecognizable from when it used to be Olon, featuring a modern and elegant design that takes advantage of its oceanfront and boardwalk views. The menu, which specializes in Northern Italian cuisine, will continue to offer its signature rigatoni Bolognese and Salmon Susanna along with some new creations. The new restaurant is expected to open before Memorial Day.
Showboat Hotel’s Island Waterpark is on schedule for a summer debut, becoming the first indoor/outdoor waterpark experience in the city’s rich history. Along with the new waterpark comes gorgeously renovated rooms and suites, along with new restaurants that will be announced soon. The restaurants will be operated by PC Event Services, which already operates Showboat’s Atlantic City Eatery, 12 Bar, The Surf Bar and its seafood buffet.
Cardinal, Chef Michael Brennan’s American contemporary restaurant, is expected to open in May on New York Avenue in the former Bourre location on the Orange Loop. Brennan, former owner of Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor, promises that it will be one of the best restaurants in the country once it debuts.
Also on the Orange Loop, Chucktown BBQ will open this summer. Located in an adjacent lot that connects to Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall’s outdoor beer yard, the casual spot will feature BBQ staples made fresh daily on Chef Charles Soreth’s giant industrial smoker. Expect brisket, pulled pork and all the BBQ staples that will be perfectly paired with the Beer Hall’s 40 beers on tap and 100 more in bottles and cans.
My wife, as usual, is right. Things are definitely changing in Atlantic City.
On the heels of other big losses that included Nero’s Italian Steakhouse at Caesars, it just seems like the last 12 months have been particularly tumultuous.
Yes, it’s partly getting old and being resistant to change and seeing so many favorites disappear.
No, Atlantic City will never be the place that I remember falling in love with as a young journalist when casino operators were very old school and went by their gut instead of what a spreadsheet tells them.
But, Atlantic City is still one of the greatest places on the planet. Very few cities can rival the restaurant lineup we have, the plethora of entertainment offered every weekend, one of the nicest boardwalks on the planet, the picturesque beach and ocean, the mom-and-pop institutions – some more than 100 years old – that make us a unique locals and tourist hot spot, and the second largest casino destination in the country.
And, when we lose some of the restaurants we deeply care about, it creates the opportunity to fall in love all over again with whatever replaces it.
That sounds fun, delicious and exciting to me.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
One Response
Miss the old AC