Well known in the area as co-owner of Mia at Caesars, esteemed chef Chris Scarduzio adds his own name to a new establishment at Showboat.
ATLANTIC CITY — In a town filled with superior steakhouses — including most of our nation’s most respected franchises/brands — fresh arrivals need to possess both an existing reputation plus a certain intangible cachet in order to compete.
Scarduzio’s Steak/Sushi/Lounge, the Showboat’s newest addition, appears to have both those prerequisites nicely covered.
Executive chef and owner Chris Scarduzio, a Philadelphia native who also operates the well-regarded Mia at Caesars, has willfully tweaked the classic steak house format to create a new, different dining entity.
For a clue to that winning formula, review the name. Steak, of course, gets top billing. But right behind it is “sushi,” a primary component of his overall concept. And, not for nothing, “lounge” immediately follows. Which is, in a way, the exact reverse order that we experienced Scarduzio’s on a recent weekend evening.
That lounge — which we ventured into first — is spacious, ultra-hip, composed of a curving bar and a cozy seating district replete with comfy, overstuffed chairs.
We predict it will soon become one of our town’s most sought-after locales for drinks and upscale socialization. Which brings us directly to the sushi aspect. When we last visited this dining space it was to sup at former tenant, sushi and sashimi specialist, Oshi.
Our meal was memorable, including some of the very best Japanese fare we’ve ever encountered locally.
As a result, we were more than pleased to see new management had retained that nearly-hidden little gem, now nicely tucked into the right rear corner of Scarduzio’s.
The initial samplings from their kitchen included Kobe sliders, diver sea scallops and cavatelli pasta. The beefy mini-burgers were loaded with sweet, melted cippolini onions.
Topped by gooey Gruyere, the trio of beef, onion and cheese worked it’s usual magic.
Scallops were large discs of pure white meat, barely seared, leaving their interiors cool,still smelling, and tasting, of the ocean.
But that cavatelli, pasta fairly uncommon on Italian menus, was what really made us take notice.
We’ve seen them most often before in rough-hewn squarish shapes, but the Scarduzio’s cut was a twisty sort of macaroni. This textural shape superbly picked up both the spicy tomato butter and sundried tomato pesto paired as sauces.
Really, really good stuff.
Many employees at Caesars Entertainment's four properties in Atlantic City — Caesars, Bally's, Harrah's Resort and Showboat — were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Now they will be getting help thanks to the culinary skills of acclaimed chef Chris Scarduzio.
Got a finicky food fanatic on your holiday shopping list? If so, please allow us to suggest a few local spots to pick up a culinary treat or cooking implement that’s certain to impress.
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A few weeks ago, Showboat added an elegant dining option to its property with the opening of Oshi Sushi & Sake. This week it was a classic burgers and fries joint as Johnny Rockets had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Lorenzo Langford and JR franchise owner Bill White manning the scissors.
Judging by the crowds waiting to be seated at Ginza Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar on a recent Thursday evening, the Egg Harbor Township establishment is a welcome addition to the area's restaurant scene. But that shouldn't surprise anyone who has dined here since it opened in late October. It has so much to offer: polite servers, a humongous menu of Japanese cuisine and diverse dining-style options. Ginza takes its name from the Ginza section of Tokyo where silver coins were minted from the 17th to 19th centuries. Today the area is a flourishing shoppers' paradise with upscale stores. Many Japanese businesses are named Ginza in hopes that they will also prosper. The restaurant is located in a building that formerly housed a motorcycle shop, but one would never know it. Choppers have been replaced with chopsticks, walls are now decorated with shoji screens and other tasteful touches of Oriental art. Just to the left of the entrance is an area with four stainless steel hibachi grill stations, each with ample table space and comfortable chairs. When you sit here, you get dinner and a "show" of artful cooking skills. If you want to partake of traditional Japanese food, eat in the...
FORTY YEARS AGO MOST Americans weren't cognizant of what Japanese food was all about. Today the thousands of Japanese restaurants scattered throughout our country are helping diners to discover the wonders of Japanese cuisine. A recent craving for Japanese fare brought my husband Dan and me back to Mikado II. We enjoyed our first meal there soon after the restaurant settled into its Margate location about 15 months ago. Mikado's dining room is light, bright and airy. Neatly framed Oriental paintings decorate its walls and white paper Japanese lanterns hang from the ceiling. Lining one wall of the restaurant's entrance area is a sushi bar where one can observe managing co-owner and sushi chef (itamae) Henry Zhang as he artfully shapes sushi rolls into delicate morsels. In addition to preparing the hand rolls, Zhang is also one of the restaurant's chefs. He strongly believes that it is very important to use the freshest seafood, meats and produce available and, in order to make this happen, the restaurant's commodities are purchased daily from Philadelphia markets. If you're not familiar with Mikado II, here's the deal. The diverse menu includes 76 appetizers ranging from edamame (steamed soy beans) to tatsuta age (deep fried marinated...
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