Cardiac Surgery - The Boardwalk Journal Magazine

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Featured Restaurant “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six. ” – Yogi Berra Bocca Coal-Fired Bistro If their opening is any indication of what’s to come, Bocca Coal Fired Bistro is going to be a resilient addition to the Margate community. With an opening in early October, Bocca’s welcome was almost undermined by Hurricane Sandy and her devastating effects on the area. Fortunately for Bocca, as well as the residents that have already found their new go-to restaurant, Bocca was mostly unscathed by the storm. Less than two months old, Bocca is already drawing quite the crowd, as well as positive reviews. Diner Kim Heyman offered, “Love it! It’s just what Margate needed. The food and service were both really enjoyable. It’s the sort of place where you can easily bring the family for dinner or happily hang out at the bar for a drink. The menu offers a wide variety of selections as well as price ranges. The kid’s menu is great, too.” Considering the enormous investment made by owners Lou Freedman and Ron Citta—the restaurant is said to have undergone $1.5 million dollars in renovations—it’s less a surprise than just really, really good news. Located at 7805 Ventnor Avenue, Bocca is located on the site of what was once the Sailfish Café, and has since been home to a few other venues that only lasted for a season or two. Bocca has plans to stay. With experienced Executive Chef Robert Pappas, formerly of Blue Heron Pines Golf Course, and General Manager Robert Baldwin, a restaurant manager with vast experience, at the helm, Bocca continues to receive rave reviews on their Facebook page as well as in local papers. And it’s no wonder. From drinks to food to ambience, the folks at Bocca are making a name for themselves. Consider the ambience…with three separate areas for dining, including a formal dining room, a casual pizzeria, and an intimate bar and lounge, the environment at Bocca is universally appealing, for both adults and families alike. Add to that the eclectic menu, and you may want to start heading that way now. While Bocca offers traditional pizzas, it’s the coal-fired ones that will really knock your socks off. From the Saltim “BOCCA” (coal fired roasted chicken breast, spinach, portabella mushrooms, prosciutto, fresh sage, fresh mozzarella and tomato demi glace), to the Casino (chopped clams, peppers, onions, bacon, smoked mozzarella and fresh mozzarella) or the Guido (spicy coal fired Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, sun dried tomato, cannellini beans, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, sharp provolone and fresh mozzarella), each for only $14, to equally inventive appetizers and specialty sandwiches, Bocca’s casual fare is almost anything but. Entrees include items like the Bisteca ala Florentina (open flame grilled garlic, rosemary and olive oil marinated Porterhouse steak served with Tuscan potatoes grilled asparagus, and a homemade steak sauce drizzle) for $42, Short Rib Raviolis (handmade raviolis stuffed with slow roasted shredded short rib presented with seared exotic mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in a rich Lombardo’s sweet Marsala sauce with a touch of cream) for $17, and from the ‘healthy eats’ section, Pollo ala Mattone (marinated and open flame grilled organic free range chicken breast over baby arugula paired with grilled fresh asparagus, red onion and peppers, finished with warm balsamic vinaigrette) for $16. Getting hungry yet? The bar menu is equally enticing. With signature martinis like mandarin orange blossom and cucumber watermelon (among so many others), and a craft beer selection that features Tuckahoe Brewing Company, Blue Moon, and Goose Island, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to go for the drinks alone. Bocca Coal Fired Bistro is open from 11am to 1am Monday through Thursday, from 11am to 2am on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 12 am on Sunday. They also offer free delivery and pickup. For more information, including a printable menu, visit their website at www.boccanj.com or call them at 609.823.FOOD. Note to diners: Bocca is a cashonly establishment. 58 | The Boardwalk Journal | December 2012 December 2012 | The Boardwalk Journal | 59
Anthony’s Out to Lunch Tony’s Top 12 in 2012 Atlantic City A Place We Call Home It’s almost time to say goodbye to the year 2012. Every year seems like it goes by faster than the last. We all shared some great memories and a lot, and I mean a lot, of calories. So here’s a list of my Top 12 (random categories I just made up) for 2012. Stay hungry, my friends. Best New Place: Carluccio’s Coal Fired Pizza, Northfield -In just a short time, Carluccio’s has already become a local favorite. I’m always torn between the Coal Fired Bruschetta Pizza and the Grandma’s Thin Crust Sicilian. So of course, I get both. Best Bargain: Half Priced Sushi at Miyako Japanese Sushi and Steakhouse, Margate -How can you beat some of the best sushi around? By doing half price sushi rolls a couple nights a week, that’s how. We should be ashamed at how much we always order…but we’re not. Best Breakfast: Shea’s Café and Bakery, Galloway -Huge portions, best pancakes, and ridiculous Eggs Benedict. Enough said. Best Appetizer: Mediterranean Mussels from the Mussel Bar, Revel Atlantic City -The freshest mussels loaded with spicy sausage, melted goat cheese, a chili aioli, and a bowl licking, smokey tomato broth. Pair this with one of their Smoked Pork 60 | The Boardwalk Journal | December 2012 Belly tarts to soak up it all up. Best Happy Hour: The Golden Nugget, Atlantic City -Four great casino restaurants in Atlantic City all offering Happy Hour at the same time and at prices we can actually afford? It’s all true. The Fish Tacos at the Charthouse and the $1 Oysters at Vic and Anthony’s are some of the standouts. Best Wings: Pic-a-Lilli Pub, Atlantic City -Everyone likes to argue over their favorite wing joint. And I have tried them all. I even conducted a one day wing challenge just to make an informed decision. So trust me, nobody beats the Pic-a-Lilli in AC. A whole, meaty wing fried extra crispy, and slathered with the best sauce around. Favorite Bartender: Chris Long, Gourmet Italian Cuisine, Galloway -While Jim Biddle of Resorts is the king of AC bartending, I didn’t get to see him much this year. Instead, Chris Long took us on a weekly tour of Gourmet’s 30 plus beer taps during every NFL Sunday. And if someone ever tired of beer (not me of course), Chris was always there with the latest and greatest drink recipe. Favorite Dessert: Tiramisu at Jo Jo’s Italian Grille, EHT & Pleasantville -The tiramisu is still a secret family recipe and handmade by the owner himself. I once went and it was sold out. I cried myself to sleep that night. Newest Lunch Addiction: Vietnamese Food -I am always looking for something different and 2012 was the year of Vietnamese cuisine for me. My secret place is tucked away in the back of the Asian Mall in Pleasantville called Hu Tieu Mien Tay. At least once a week you can find me slurping down a giant bowl of Beef Pho Soup, killing a plate of Shrimp and Pork Summer Rolls, or even throwing down a Grilled Pork Bahn Mi Hoagie. Craziest Sandwich: Triple Pig Sandwich at the Palace Outfitters, Mays Landing -After an entire day of kayaking (drinking) down the river, we stopped in at the “Pizza Palace” as it is affectionately known. I was starving and the Triple Pig was there to save my life. It’s a huge barbecued pulled pork sandwich topped with ham and loaded with bacon and melted cheese. What? Pork, Ham, and Bacon? Or the three wise men, as I like to call them. Favorite Sandwich: The Italian Stallion, Sugar Hill Subs, Mays Landing -Their menu says it better than I can. “Sweet, succulent black By Anthony Previti, Esq. peppered ham, fresh imported prosciutto, imported Italian Genoa salami, imported smoked Provolone cheese, with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, oil and vinegar, on half an Atlantic City roll.” That menu description reads like a Shakespearean sonnet to me. It’s perfect. Oh, and the sandwich weighs about 5 pounds. Best Local Restaurant Meal of the Year: Rama Thai, Egg Harbor Township -Rama Thai has never made me a bad meal. I start with the Tom Yum Gai soup, then devour a whole crispy seabass with a spicy garlic chili sauce, and finish with a slammin’ coffee cheesecake. To me, that is as good as it gets. Tony’s Tip: What were some of your favorite meals of 2012? Agree or Disagree with Anthony? Log onto Facebook, like our page, and let us know at: www.facebook.com/ AnthonysOutToLunch Anthony Previti is a criminal defense attorney who appears frequently in Atlantic County Superior Court and he loves food. If you would like your restaurant featured, please send an email to: OutToLunch@boardwalkjournal.com. Bet you didn’t know – From Youngs Million Dollar to The Pier By Ken Calemmo and Kristine Kodytek Where The Pier Shops at Caesar’s stand today, is one of the most famous Atlantic City addresses of all time: One Atlantic Ocean. When The Pier re-opened in 2006—with over 80 high-end stores and restaurants—it was merely keeping an ageold tradition of luxury and class found on the pier 100 years earlier. John Lake Young, a native New Jersey man born in Absecon in 1853, opened “Young’s Million Dollar Pier” in 1906 at Arkansas Avenue and the boardwalk. The pier stretched 1,775 feet into the Atlantic Ocean and was said to be named based on the cost incurred during its construction. A lot of lure surrounds his name, but Young was a man of minimal means who found work as a fisherman when it was profitable and a carpenter during the off-season (he allegedly helped with the construction of Margate’s very own Lucy the Elephant). After investing in beachfront property, he acquired some wealth and began opening and operating carousals and bathhouses on the boardwalk, leading up to his initial purchase of Applegate Pier, which he turned into one of the most successful amusement piers at the time until it burned down in 1912. When he opened Young’s Million Dollar Pier, he wanted to out-do his previous pier-related efforts—and he did! Million Dollar Pier was the forerunner for “non-traditional” entertainment and amusement in Atlantic City, as well as the country. On the “million-dollar” stretch of boards leading out to the Atlantic, there was an aquarium, concert hall, theater, wireless telegraph station, the world’s largest ballroom—The Hippodrome—and even Young’s private estate, which boasted the unique postal code of “No. 1 Atlantic Ocean.” Young’s mansion was designed with Italy, Greece and the sea in mind. The house was constructed of reinforced concrete and the top floor was an observatory designed for gazing toward the shoreline and vast expanse of the ocean. The décor of the entire first floor was nautically themed and the most popular wall of the house was composed of a butterfly collection surrounded in glass. The luxurious home was perfect for entertaining—something Young was fond of. #1 Atlantic Ocean It was also the “place to be” for the political and powerful. Young was good friends with Thomas Edison, who designed the lighting for his home and exquisite garden. The two could often be found fishing from the pier. In 1910, Young held a dinner for President Taft and the members of his cabinet. Tourists would travel to Million Dollar Pier to witness the acts of many talented performers. Harry Houdini appeared on the boards, The Hippodrome hosted summer-long dance marathons that lasted from May to October and even President Teddy Roosevelt used the pier as a venue for a politically driven speech in 1912. But, ‘Captain Young,’ as he called himself, was probably the biggest showman on the pier. He personally hosted the pier’s ‘Creatures of the Deep’ net hauls attraction where crowds would gather to see what interesting sea life the pier’s nets would hoist onto the boards each day. Though, there is no record of him being an actual captain, Young was a marine enthusiast and took the opportunity to showcase his nautical knowledge during the hauls. Million Dollar Pier remained a successful entertainment pier through the 1970s. The pier was forced to close after a fire in 1981 and would remain closed until a pier retail mall designed to look like an ocean liner, named Ocean One, opened in its place. Ocean One closed in 2002 and was replaced by The Pier Shops at Caesar’s. The Pier Shops are as astonishing to people of the present as the Million Dollar Pier was to tourists of the past. The Pier is four stories high and teeming with dining and shopping options to keep visitors busy for days. The Pier also hosts “The Show,” which is the largest indoor water fountain display located in any mall setting. Every visitor to Atlantic City needs to take a walk—or lounge in the conveniently imported sand and beach chairs—on the third level of The Pier where they will see the most breathtaking views of Atlantic City and the Atlantic Ocean. In keeping with the spirit of John Lake Young, you can enjoy more than just the views—you can still fish from the end of the pier. ken_calemmo@cooperlevenson.com
Page 1 and 2: AtlantiCare # 1 For December 2012 C
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Page 29: YOUNGBLOOD, LAFFERTY &SAMPOLI, P.A.

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