RSS 2.0 FeedVol. 7, No. 2, February 2010, Cover Stories
Top Chefs
It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s sensational. It’s Atlantic City’s 2nd annual Restaurant Week, a celebration of fine and casual dining that showcases the resort’s many great chefs.
For seven delicious days, Sunday, February 28 through Saturday, March 6, more than 75 restaurants in and around the city will take part with prix fixe lunches and dinners for just $15.10 and $33.10.
To tempt your appetite, some of the area’s best chefs tell us what’s cooking. (Remember, save room for dessert!) View the full Restaurant Week lineup at www.acrestaurantweek.com.
ANTHONY AMOROSO
Executive Chef, Michael Mina’s SeaBlue, Borgata
Atlantic City’s latest culinary triumph was served up by Chef Anthony Amoroso of SeaBlue at Borgata. Last fall, the Jersey City native took down Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto at the Food Network’s Kitchen Stadium. His weapon: a simply sublime branzino (Meditteranean sea bass).
Morimoto cooked his goose by using too much wasabi. Amoroso chose subtler ingredients (avocado, pernod), displaying the same skill that’s made SeaBlue one of Atlantic City’s great restaurants.
As a kid, Amoroso worked at his family’s Italian ice business. “I got to work with my hands at a fast pace,” he says, “all the things you do in a professional kitchen. Then I went to culinary school, where they gave me knives and a uniform, and that was that.” He perfected his craft in some of the country’s best kitchens: Fiamma Trattoria in Vegas; Michael Mina at Bellagio; and Oceana in New York. In 2008, he was named a Star Chefs Rising Star. Fortunately for us, that star continues to rise in the east.
SEABLUE STAPLES: “Tuna tartare, for sure, is a signature. The Chilean sea bass and lobster pot pie are here to stay. And we go through a lot of root beer floats.”
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION: “When I tell people what I do, so often they say, ‘Lobster pot pie!’ followed by some joyful expletive.”
COLD WEATHER COOKING: “In the winter, I have a lot of fun with sausages and beans and braises and root vegetables.”
COME ON IN: Amoroso & Co. have introduced a nightly social hour that includes super-affordable apps (that famous tuna tartare’s just $6, cheeseburger sliders are $7), along with $8 cosmos and ‘tinis.
OTHER SEABLUE CLASSICS: “American Kobe” beef shortrib, and paella served with braised rabbit, shellfish, chorizo and sofrito (the secret ingredient in many great Latin-Caribbean dishes).
ARAM MARDIGIAN
Chef, Wolfgang Puck's American Grille, Borgata
“I grew up in a restaurant,” say Aram Mardigian, of Wolfgang Puck’s American Grille at Borgata. “For me, this life was a natural.”
As a youngster, he worked at the family diner in Albany. After college, he “packed up, drove cross-country and started banging on the door at Spago,” Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant in Beverly Hills.
It took a year, but persistence paid off. Mardigian was hired at Spago, later opened Spago in Chicago, and in 2007 headed to the Puck outlet in Borgata. “I was unbelievably excited,” he says. “After zigzagging all over the country, it was great to be close to my family again.”
One of his most popular menu items: slow-braised Kurobuta pork shank. “People are just freaking out over it. It’s a big portion of pork cooked in pomegranate and burgundy wines. What’s better than a big pork shank sitting on a plate?”
Mardigian also pushes the seasonal soups. “Seasonality is how we define Wolfgang Puck. I love to see people try the root vegetable soups and love them.”
For dessert, he suggests 15-layer carrot cake served with ginger ice cream, and warm milk and chocolate truffle cake. “When you cut it, it melts right on the plate. We serve it with 50-bean vanilla ice cream—very intense.”
ON PUCK: “He’s been incredibly motivating for me, an inspiration. It’s so apparent that he was put on this earth to do exactly what he does. And he never stops.”
ON HOSPITALITY: “Wolfgang is constantly on the floor, talking to guests. I learned how important it is to make people feel like they’re a guest in your house.”
ON BEING A ‘FOOD GEEK’: “When I clean an artichoke, it amazing to me to see the vegetable in its pristine state. To me, that’s art.”
TOM RAMSEY
Chef, Foundation Room, HOB
When he took the reins at Showboat’s fabled Foundation Room in 2008, Chef Tom Ramsey pledged that each meal would be “not just dinner, but an experience.”
He’s inspired by the venue itself, with its bronzed Buddhas, Oriental rugs, overstuffed ottomans and private prayer rooms. “It’s a beautiful place,” Ramsey says. “My aim was to match the beauty of the food to the room.”
The chef describes himself as a food “purist” who never obscures essential flavors with sauces or fats. “I’m straightforward. I showcase the food, and I don’t try to change what it looks and tastes like. My pumpkin and lobster bisque has absolutely no flour, no cornstarch, nothing—there’s like six ingredients in the entire soup.”
He loves to dazzle diners by whipping up fresh ice cream and sorbet at tableside, using liquid nitrogen to instantly freeze ingredients like strawberries, passionfruit, port wine and heavy cream. This is one floor show you don’t want to miss.
HIS FAVORITE THINGS: “Fresh herbs are my main thing right now, and playing with molecular gastronomy.”
WHAT’S COOKING FOR RESTAURANT WEEK: Ramsey recommends the crispy-skinned, wild-caught sterling salmon, served with small, sweet rock shrimp and mango salsa with red onions and cilantro.
ED BATTEN
Executive Chef, Harrah’s Resort
“Every chef has a Type-A personality; it’s in our genetic makeup,” says Ed Batten, executive chef at Harrah’s Resort. “We could never be accountants; we need instant gratification, and you can’t get that from a spread sheet.”
In Type-A fashion, Batten started at 13 as a diner prep cook. By the time he left high school, he was managing the place. When the ambitious chef came to Atlantic City, he vowed to get an executive position within five years—“unheard of” for someone new to the city—and did it, with six months to spare. Harrah’s was in the midst of a multi-million-dollar property transformation that included every food outlet; Batten helped reconfigure and reopen them all.
Of his job overseeing more than a dozen dining establishments, he says, “I won’t minimize it. It’s not easy, it’s hard. But it’s also fun and exciting. You can’t be an executive chef without that kind of drive and the passion to inspire others.”
For Restaurant Week, Polistina’s will offer a three-course dinner starting with spinach-mozzarella salad followed by stuffed chicken breast in vodka cream sauce over risotto. The finishing touch: ricotta cheesecake with orange marmalade, fresh berries and whipped cream.
At Reflections, dinner starts with candied walnut and gorgonzola salad, followed by herb-grilled Delmonico steak topped served with asparagus and roasted potatoes.
FOOD FADS: “I’m not a fan of ‘confusion cuisine.’ We stay on the cusp of trends without getting caught up in things that make no sense.”
KITCHEN GODS: “Thomas Keller, of the French Laundry and Bouchon in Napa Valley. And I grew up keeping an eye on Charlie Trotter.”
THE SPICY SIDE: “When it comes to ingredients, I always grab the pepper. It’s plain and it’s not sexy, but I put it in almost everything. My secret ingredient in apple pie? White pepper. It wakes it up so people say, ‘What’s in there?’ And Chohula hot sauce. It spices things up without overheating them. Try it in potato salad.”
JOE LaPORTE
Executive Chef, Tropicana
“A fantastic meal at a great value—that’s what everyone is looking for,” says Joe LaPorte, executive chef at Tropicana Casino & Resort. Each day, LaPorte provides precisely that for thousands of diners at more than 20 Tropicana restaurants.
The South Jersey native, who began his career at 13 in a family-owned restaurant, worked professionally at Harrah’s and Trump casinos before signing on as sous chef at the Trop in 1989. He became top chef there in 2005, and under his leadership, the Tropicana has won a shelf-full of culinary awards.
He describes Il Verdi as “my baby,” and reminds adventurous
diners that the fine Italian restaurant now has table seatings in the kitchen, an extraordinary up-close experience that foodies will love. You can dine among the chefs Friday and Saturday nights (there are two seatings, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.).
Though the economy has taken a bite out of the restaurant business, LaPorte is still bullish on the career. “I tell kids coming up, ‘Stick with hospitality. No matter what the economy is, you’ll always have a job, and you’ll never go hungry.’”
TRY THIS: Il Verdi’s pastry ravioli stuffed with marscapone cheese and chocolate, served with warm raspberry sauce.
FAVORITE PASTA: “Pappardelli, called a woodsman’s or peasant’s noodle. It’s four times the width of fettucine and very hearty, especially if it’s freshly made.”
HE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: “Spell-check. Try spelling pappardelli.”
EUGENE ESS
Pastry Chef, Trump Taj Mahal
Born in Austria near the Swiss and German borders, Pastry Chef Eugene Ess grew up at the intersection of three lands where chocolate is king and exquisite desserts are part of the daily diet. “Food is a huge part of life there,” says Ess.
He started his apprenticeship at 14, graduated at 17, then took a job at Washington’s Watergate hotel. Next came hotels in Florida and Atlanta, followed by the prestigious Inn at the Park Hotel in Canada.
In 2005, he became executive pastry chef at Trump Taj Mahal, where he supervises a staff of 14 cooks and bakers along with two sous pastry chefs. The recipient of numerous gold and silver medals, Ess was the American Culinary Federation’s 2008 Pastry Chef of the Year.
For dessert, he recommends his Southern banana cream pie. “It’s very simple but very good, put together at the last minute in a homemade coconut basket. That and the pine-apple upside-down cake served with warm caramel sauce.”
Does Ess himself ever get tired of sweets? “I love them,” he says. “I like a good coffee cake. I could even go out and buy an Entenmann’s and be happy.”
FAVORITE INGREDIENTS: “Very basic and simple: chocolate, hazelnut and raspberry. Sometimes all at the same time.”
BEST PART OF THE JOB: “I like everything about pastry, period. I love working with chocolate and sugar and sculpting figurines of marzipan.”
“TOO PRETTY TO EAT”: “I hate that comment. I know it’s flattering and a compliment, but I want people to eat my food! That’s the biggest compliment for me.”
GEORGEANN LEAMING
Chef, Casa di Napoli, Showboat
Before she became a chef, Casa di Napoli’s Georgeann Leaming
was a schoolteacher. Today, the kitchen is her classroom, and her staff and guests are the better for it.
Leaming came to Harrah’s in 1999, under legendary food and beverage exec Mike Bowman. She earned her master’s in Italian cuisine at Florentino’s, one of the best restaurants of the era, and in 2009 took the helm at Casa di Napoli at Showboat. Her menu includes a wildly popular sea bass with roasted tomato risotto and rock shrimp scampi, and an intoxicating Italian rum cheesecake. Another popular dessert: warm chocolate-hazelnut cake (“filled with Nutella—gooey and delicious”).
On tap for Restaurant Week: a delectable grilled salmon with mustard glaze and whole wheat capellini-light, heart-healthy and fabulous.
Her favorite pupil today is daughter, Kirsten, now 12. “I trained her palate, and she was eating sushi and calamari at 4,” says Leaming. “She’s already a better cook than some chefs I’ve seen.”
CULINARY HEROS: Avec Eric’s Eric Ripert and Tex-Mex master Rick Bayless.
FAVORITE FOOD NETWORK SHOW: “I’m a Top Chef junkie. I’ve even been to open calls, but I haven’t been chosen—yet.”
FAVORITE INGREDIENTS: “I put garlic in everything. In the summer, it’s fresh Jersey tomatoes, basil and herbs. I also love the deep, earthy smell of porcini mushrooms.”
STEVE KLAWITTER
Chef, Capriccio at Resorts
Don’t tell anyone, but Chef Steve Klawitter, of the famed Capriccio at Resorts, has been known to purloin ingredients from other kitchens on the property. If a spice is nice, he may just borrow a pinch. If the herbs and oranges look good, he might just help himself.
If that’s a crime, the affable chef justifies it with his food, which has been hailed time and again by Zagat as “one of the original Italian fine dining experiences in AC,” in a venue so beautiful it’s “like dining in an Italian villa.”
Finding ingredients on the fly, says Klawitter, is in keeping with the name Capriccio (Italian for caprice, or whimsy). In the summertime, he tends his own herb garden on the restaurant’s balcony. All year long, he prowls local markets (Santori’s for produce, Bob’s for seafood) to provide the very best for his customers, many of whom he considers family.
For Restaurant Week, Capriccio is serving up five separate entrees, including four-cheese ravioli with truffle cream, and a classic veal scaloppini. Desserts include a splendid Meyer lemon semifreddo and vanilla-chocolate cheesecake mousse, topped with raspberry preserves and pistachios. Whimsical, and wonderful.
THE PRIMARY INGREDIENT: “In my job, it all comes down to passion.”
THE REWARD: “My applause is when my customers walk out smiling, when they say, ‘That was fabulous, see you next week.’”
HIS REPUTATION: “It’s true. They call me the thief of ingredients.”
GORDON GREENLEE
Chef, Roberto’s, Trump Plaza
Talk about an upbeat attitude. After more than 25 years in the kitchen, Gordon Greenlee of Roberto’s says every day is “exciting, different, challenging and fun.”
Following an apprenticeship at the famous Breaker’s Hotel in Palm Beach, Greenlee came to Trump Plaza. He spent 13 lucky years at Max’s Steakhouse, then took over Roberto’s. “I love it,” he says.
His recommended appetizer: the braciola, thinly pounded beef rolled with garlic, stuffed with golden raisins, pine nuts and garlic, simmered in marinara sauce and served over polenta. Among the entrees, Roberto’s salmon “outsells everything,” and no wonder: crusted with a five-peppercorn blend, it’s served over spinach, sauteed onions and potatoes in a ruby port-balsamic reduction.
While he enjoys the buzz around Restaurant Week, Greenlee points out that Roberto’s offers a $35 dinner menu year-round. “So does Max’s, and the 24 Central Cafe has an early-bird special,” he says. “We’re always trying to give people more for their money.”
CAREER PATH: “I started at 15 and just fell in love with the kitchen. The chefs were like gods. They were so cool, working the hot line, and I said, ‘Man, I gotta do that!’ They moved me off pot-washing onto prep and then onto the line. I was sold.”
QUICK DISH: “At home, I love steak—a nice, sliced New York sirloin and a salad.”
JUST DESSERTS: Roberto’s can’t-miss blueberry cheesecake.
TIM HAMILL
Chef de Cuisine, The Continental
“You could say I’ve had on-the-job training,” says Tim Hamill. “I was practically raised in a kitchen.” His parents babysat him by bringing him to Harold’s, a Seaside Heights restaurant named for his uncle. Hamill began working there at the age of 8.
After a brief stint in the Navy, he turned a small catering company into a thriving business. He became a certified executive pastry chef (one of only three in New Jersey), specializing in wedding cakes, and was voted the American Culinary Foundation’s Chef of the Year in 2003.
Hamill, who’s worked with renowned chefs like Cuba Libre’s Guillermo Pernot, began his relationship with the Starr restaurants at the Continental Midtown in Philadelphia, and was the opening chef for Teplitzky’s at Atlantic City’s Chelsea Hotel.
His talents are put to the test at the Continental, where a non-traditional approach is encouraged.
“I love it here. It allows me to step outside the box and use my imagination. Because we continually refine our menu, I get to employ many different techniques, taking food out of its traditional element but still making it comforting.”
ON HIGH-VOLUME COOKING: “I like to be challenged. I’m used to working 1,600 covers a night. To me, that’s fun.”
WHAT’S ON FOR RESTAURANT WEEK: “We’re offering a sampling of our menu and change it every day. We’re also including a heart-healthy choice—seared salmon with ginger garlic scallion and sauteed bok choy.”
PAUL DREW
Chef, Phillips Seafood, Pier at Caesars
In high school, when most of the boys in his class were required to take metal shop, Paul Drew convinced the principal to let him take home economics.
“Five of my classmates came along,” says Drew, who was born in Sussex near London. “We did it to meet girls, but the experience was important; four out of five of us became chefs.”
Drew cooked in renowned London hotels including the Hotel George and the Dickens Inn, then came to the U.S. in 1980 to open Philadelphia’s version of the Dickens.
“There are things you can only do when you’re young,” he says. “I was eager for the opportunity, and made this country my home.” In 1984, Drew became assistant executive chef at Atlantic City’s Sands Hotel, and in 2006 landed at Phillips Seafood at the Pier Shops at Caesars. Along with leading the team at Phillips, he’s had an impact on the menu with the “Chef’s Creations,” which expands the traditional seafood menu.
THE CUSTOMER’S ALWAYS RIGHT: “I’m always open to suggestions. If my customers re-quest something special, I’m more than happy to make it.”
POPULAR CREATIONS: Citrus-crusted cod on a bed of yellow squash with rum-marinated sun dried tomatoes, and Asian tempura shrimp with green chili chutney.
LES BENDER
Executive Chef, Trump Marina
Les Bender didn’t begin his career in the kitchen—far from it. Trump Marina’s executive chef started out in criminal justice, and worked for the probation department before opting for a fun, less felonious line of work.
One of the first graduates of South Jersey’s Academy of Culinary Arts, he’s spent 18 years at the Trump casinos, and is now in charge of every food outlet at the Marina. A successful chef, Bender knows, is more than a good cook.
“You have to be a great supervisor, a willing mentor, a good businessman,” he says. “There are a lot of shoes to fill.”
His entrees for DJ’s Steakhouse (named for the Donald) includes man-sized porterhouses, filets and cowboy steaks, innovative sides (baked lobster mac and cheese, smashed sweet potatoes) and a delectable dessert menu (white chocolate cheesecake).
At the Harborview, chef’s favorites include osso bucco alla Milanese with saffron risotto. For a hearty lunch, he recommends the smoked applewood cheeseburger.
FAVORITE INGREDIENTS: “A great olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh ginger.”
FAVORITE CHEFS: “I enjoy the classics, like Julia Child. And Jean Louis Palladin was my idol.”
ETHNIC INFLUENCE: “I get an Asian flair with things like sea cucumbers, abalone, Chinese chives and lemon grass. And I love to cook squab and duck.”
WARNER R. CHRISTY IV
Executive Chef, Steve & Cookie’s By the Bay
Chef Warner Christy first met restaurateur Cookie Till at the Crab Pot in 1993. It was just a summer job for the Linwood native, but, inspired by the experience, he went on to study at the Culinary Academy at ACCC, graduating in 1996. His professional career began at the Atlantic City Country Club and continued at the Sands, where he worked at the gourmet Italian restaurant Medici.
In 1999, Till and her husband opened Steve and Cookie’s By the Bay in Margate. As executive chef, Christy has helped develop and maintain the restaurant’s sterling reputation.
“What sets us apart is our consistency, “ he says. “Some of the guys have been working here for 9 years. It’s more than a business, it’s a family.”
When it comes to food, Christy believes in an understated approach—nothing flashy or stuffy, just excellent comfort food prepared with care.
“We have an eclectic mix. Every night we offer a three-course special: Mexican on Wednesdays, turkey on Thursdays. We serve beef bourguignon, pasta and meatballs. Our customers love it.”
The menu is seafood-driven, but changes with the seasons; Christy takes advantage of summer produce, when Steve and Cookie’s hosts a farmer’s market.
“I love coming to work. For me, it’s like a second home.”
FAVORITE INGREDIENT: Aleppo pepper. “It’s a Syrian pepper, like a cross between cyan and chili, with a unique Middle Eastern flavor. We make lemon comfit with it—whole lemons buried in salt and sugar for three weeks until the skins are tenderized. Its great to add to dishes and for sauces.”
HOT STUFF
For your dining pleasure, here’s a cook’s tour of three local favorites
Everybody knows Carmine’s at the Quarter, where the mood is so festive and the portions so huge that strangers at separate tables have been known to share entrees.
“People are always passing the food, passing the wine,” says General Manager Neil Terjessen. “It’s like being at Grandma’s house for Sunday dinner.”
But Grandma never cooked like this. For dinner, the entrees include a chicken cutlet parmigiana that’s so zesty and flavorful, it really redefines the classic dish. You’ll also love the chicken Marsala, penne pasta Bolognese, and country-style rigatoni. And remember, these portions are so hefty, you can always count on a doggie bag.
For dessert, we say take the cannoli. The crisp chocolate-dipped shells are stuffed to brimming with homemade cannoli cream (ricotta, powdered sugar, chopped candied fruits and chocolate chips), then garnished with crushed pistachios.
Under award-winning Executive Chef Jeff Gotta, Carmine’s serves up scrumptious Southern Italian food that will make it a popular choice during Restaurant Week.
The New York Times Magazine called Il Mulino the Big Apple’s “very best Italian restaurant.” Now a hit in Atlantic City (and 14 other U.S. cities), Il Mulino offers rustic Old World Italian food made with the best fish, lamb and cured meats along with homemade cheeses and pastas.
At each Il Mulino, Executive Chef Michele Mazza insists on daily deliveries, so everything is fresher than fresh. The kitchen staff makes each dish to order, and follows Mazza’s strict rule for pasta: Al dente or else!
The Sorrento-born chef has lots of goodies planned for Restaurant Week, including Il Mulino’s renowned Ravioli Porcini served in a cream champagne sauce, and Pollo alla Scarpariello (country chicken sauteed in white wine with garlic and mushrooms). Desserts include a terrific tiramisu (Chef Mazza’s choice), with espresso-infused lady fingers, mascarpone cream and shaved chocolate.
When Chelsea Prime calls itself “the ultimate boutique steakhouse,” that’s no brag, just fact. Under Chef de Cuisine Jason Hanin, the place for prime at the Chelsea Hotel offers not only great surf, turf and cocktails, but a superbly realized ’40s-style supper club atmosphere and, with its beachfront location, the city’s loveliest point of view.
Hanin’s multicultural background (he is both Russian-Jewish and Italian) informs his menu, with appetizers like asparagus-Parma ham salad in a champagne vinaigrette; Maine Diver Scallops with crispy maple pork belly and hickory-smoked caviar; the prime aged 12-ounce Kansas City strip steak; and steamed black bass with spring vegetable fried rice, rhubarb-ginger compote and a honey-citrus vinaigrette.
A veteran of fine dining establishments from Aspen to Turks and Caicos, Hanin has a philosophy that is simple yet exacting: to “create the perfect dining experience for our guests. Everyone who travels to Atlantic City should enjoy fine cuisine. Chelsea Prime offers that.” Find out for yourself during Restaurant Week.
Marjorie Preston is a contributing editor of Global Gaming Business magazine and managing editor of Casino Connection Atlantic City.