By Krystle J Bailey
“I love cooking,” states Chef Michael Brennan, “but I want to provide a hospitality experience. I want people to walk into our restaurant and understand what we are doing here, then leave and feel like they’re part of our family.”
The restaurant Chef Brennan speaks about is the new Cardinal coming to New York Avenue in Atlantic City. The former owner of Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor spent the last two years as the Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Josie Kelly’s in Somers Point.
Plans have been in the works to reopen and revamp Cardinal Restaurant in Atlantic City for several years now. Brennan and his father, Thomas, have worked alongside developers Pat Fasano, Evan Sanchez, and Zenith Shah to bring a fresh dining experience to the Orange Loop in Atlantic City.
Dropping “bistro” from the iconic name, Cardinal will take the place of the cajun-style restaurant, Bourre on the beach block of New York Avenue. Using freshly grown produce, Chef Brennan looks forward to showcasing local ingredients in a spectacular and approachable way.
“It’s not stuffy, pretentious food,” explains Brennan. “It’s good, local cooking presented in a way that makes you think differently about what you’re about to eat, from the presentation of the food to the carefully crafted cocktails.”
The new restaurant will be renovated inside to provide a value-preferred, contemporary American dining experience while maintaining the musical flare and performance stage outside. The live music lineup will continue to be a part of New York Avenue, except now there will be an urban, upscale, casual dining experience to be had as well.
“Cardinal represents a new chapter for Atlantic City and for the Loop,” shares Zenith Shah, developer and cofounder of Authentic City Partners. “We’re excited to have Chef Michael Brennan’s Cardinal restaurant become an anchor for the area and expect it to be a catalyst for more development in the neighborhood.”
Chef Brennan is known for his commitment to using local, fresh ingredients as often as possible. He looks forward to working with local community organizations and plans to begin an aeroponic garden on the same block in the future.
The Cardinal concept was inspired by Chef Brennan’s late grandmother, who had an infinite love of cardinals. After her passing, Brennan wanted to honor her in his career. Cardinal Supper Club in Philadelphia, one of his first experiences as a young chef, was the first homage to Michael’s beloved grandmother.
“I wanted people to have an experience that was like coming to our family dinner,” shares Brennan. “We are inviting you into this space and into our lives; we want you to sit at our table while we serve you the food that we enjoy.”
Cardinal Supper Club soon evolved to become Cardinal Bistro, a location opened by Brennan and his father in 2016.
“When you step foot into our restaurant, it’s a representation of that,” Brennan goes on to explain. “We were able to pull that off at the bistro, and now we are excited to make our family a little bit bigger in Atlantic City.”
Cardinal is expected to open in Spring 2023, offering an all-day menu at the bar and a la carte menu featuring local produce and menu items from the land and sea at dinner. Guests can look forward to a craft cocktail and wine list, locally brewed beers, and a non-alcoholic cocktail list.
Stay up to date at:
Cardinal-ac.com
@cardinal_restaurant on Instagram
Cardinal Restaurant on Facebook.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet.
Connect with Krystle on Instagram @thedailybailey5
One Response
I love the idea ..i was executive chef of somers inn for years then went to Jr’s tavern turned the whole place back on track i love to cook and make people smile I want to try your food soon