By Scott Cronick
A lot happens in five years. Just ask Lee Sanchez, the co-owner and visionary of Rhythm & Spirits in Atlantic City.
The Tennessee Avenue-based hot spot, which celebrates five years this weekend with some great entertainment to go with its fantastic food, actually started as a sequel to the Iron Room, the once-acclaimed Albany Avenue restaurant by Rhythm co-owner Mark Callazzo, offering upscale, modern American food that briefly had a home in the Rhythm space.
Originally a cocktail-centric destination with amazing food from former Chef Kevin Cronin, Rhythm became known for its pink door and hosting everything from punk bands to drag shows.
But, as we all know, COVID changed everything, and Rhythm slowly transformed into the Italian-American restaurant that it is today. And Sanchez believes that journey to finding its identity was worth the trip.
“When we started the brand, it was about bringing the love and passion of The Iron Room and making it more approachable, and through those uncertain times of COVID, the brand grew and evolved out of survival,” Sanchez said. “And we emerged stronger and are now one of the coolest – if not THE coolest – outdoor spaces in the city.”
R&S does indeed have one of the coolest outdoor spots. Known as the Secret Garden, R&S operates entirely outdoors now in a setting that includes a custom-built kitchen with adjacent bar, a tiered dining structure, firepits and even an outdoor grill where Sanchez can be found making everything from wood-fired steaks to paella.
Some of the menu, particularly the pizzas, come out of the kitchen of its sister operation, Cuzzie’s, but it all comes from one place: Sanchez’ love of food and his heritage.
“We made our way back to our roots,” Sanchez said. “We have grown from a cocktail bar to a great Italian-American restaurant that doesn’t just celebrate food but an extended family and the culture of the city mixing my Italian-American and Spanish-American background into what Rhythm & Spirits is now. It has become an expression of who we are, and it paves the way for new businesses in the city.”
Rhythm expands,
new menu
This weekend’s five-year-anniversary celebration will also debut a new menu that will be the menu customers will soon see in another city: Philadelphia.
This fall, R&S will open its second location, this time in the City of Brotherly Love. Located at Suburban Station in Philadelphia, right across the street from Love Park in Center City, the space at One Penn Center on John F. Kennedy Boulevard formerly housed Classic Cake Bakery & Café, whose ownership will partner with Callazzo and Sanchez on the new venture.
The location is incredible. Not only is it located at one of the three core Center City train stations in Philly and one of the busiest stations in the Regional Rail System, Rhythm & Spirits will be surrounded by office buildings, retail outlets, other restaurants and nearby City Hall.
“At its heart will be the great food and cocktails and passion that we have here in Atlantic City shared with our friends in Philadelphia, many who have already discovered us in Atlantic City,” Sanchez said. “It will be about small plates and the sharing experience just like you see in Venice and Rome and Bologna. It’s about sharing food and life and love. And the menu this weekend will be the menu we will open with in Philadelphia. We call it inspired Italian American at the core without the rolls. It’s an expression of our culture influenced by our life experiences and our passion about creating an experience and a lifestyle brand.”
When you look at the menu, you will see what Sanchez is talking about. Sure, it’s rooted in traditional Italian-American food, but when you read the descriptions, you see the twists and creations that make R&S the special place it is.
Start with the Sinatra Salad with arugula, fresh mozzarella, parmigiano Reggiano, lemon and extra virgin olive oil, or one of four pizzas like The P.M.B. with dry-aged mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, shaved pistachio mortadella, crushed pistachio, basil, pesto and EVOO.
Small plates include the famous salami toast with Rando Bakery bread toasted in butter, topped with honey-whipped ricotta, sundried tomato jam, EVOO and crushed black pepper; the eggplant stack served crispy with fire-roasted buffalo mozzarella, old school red sauce, EVOO and parmigiana Reggiano; and Mama’s Meatball Sliders with red sauce, parmigiana Reggiano and honey-whipped ricotta.
“The recipe for the meatball is my grandmother’s, but my mother is the guardian of that recipe,” Sanchez said.
Pasta choices include spicy rigatoni with vodka, cream, butter and onion; cacio e pepe with the ability to add caviar – and you should!; and the carbonara with glazed Neuske’s thick-cut bacon.
Other large plates include a Heritage pork chop with cherry pepper roasted garlic butter; and the Southern fried chicken parm with the old-school red sauce Sanchez learned to make from his grandmother when he was 12.
New dishes include Papa Kev’s Legendary Truffle Mac, a homage to Cronin’s Iron Room recipe with bucatini tossed with Cronin’s mac sauce finished with truffle salt and oil; Freddy’s Red, named in honor of one of Sanchez’ early mentor’s sous chef known for his signature roasted red pepper sauce tossed with rigatoni and finished with pecorino Romano; and Tommy Cadillac’s 50/50, named after a regular who became a friend who drives a mint Cadillac Brougham and combines two of Rhythm’s favorite dishes into one with cacio e pepe over Sunday Pork Gravy.
“It’s Italian-American food inspired by not just me but Chef Kevin and Mark Callazzo and the team of Rhythm people who have influenced the brand over the years. It’s about our extended family,” Sanchez said.
The celebration
The five-year anniversary party will kick off Friday, July 19, with Robert Polillo, a terrific crooner and Sinatra tribute artist, offering old-school classics starting at 7 p.m. with his monthly Sinatra Supper series.
Then things really get going with happy hour 4 pm. Saturday, July 20, with $5 food and cocktail specials with the new dinner menu debuting at 5 p.m. plus entertainment by singer Teddi Fusco at 8 p.m.
“This weekend, everything comes full circle,” Sanchez said. “We wanted to change the city when we opened Rhythm, and now we are expanding the brand into Philadelphia. We wanted to change the culture of Atlantic City, and I think we have done our part to do that. We will celebrate the weekend with all of the people who got us here – loyal customers, Robert, Teddi, our current and former staff – to make the celebration not just about five years, but the people who made Rhythm what it is today and have given us the ability to share it in Philadelphia.”
(Rhythm & Spirits is located at 129 S. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic Cit. Go to RhythmAndSpirits.com)
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.
