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Luke Palladino returns to casinos
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Luke Palladino returns to casinos
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| Photo | NJ Monthly |
| the dining room at Luke Palladino in Northfield |
Last we spoke to chef Luke Palladino, he had just traded the glamorous life at Borgata, where he operated Specchio and Ombra since the casino's opening, for a simple 30-seat BYOB in Northfield. This mainland city is just 5 minutes by rickety causeway from Margate, two towns at opposite ends of a marshy bay and turtle sanctuary, but mentally, it's a world away from the resort's summer bustle. It's a quieter life, and that’s what Palladino wanted when he opened his eponymous hermitage Luke Palladino (1333 New Road) last year.
So if a lifestyle change was Palladino's goal, why's he heading back to the casino this summer?
"It's funny," the Italian-American chef says. "Craig [LaBan] is reviewing us this week and he said the same thing to me." It's a fair question, the ink still fresh on a deal with Harrah's (777 Harrah's Blvd.) to install a 200-seater in the space that formerly housed Polistina's, a ristorante whose spelling of tapas ("tappas") is all you need to know about its virtue. "I took a break from casinos," Palladino continues. "I don't know that I shunned them altogether, but this is a nice opportunity. Harrah's is a good company … they're making lots of changes, and we're certainly happy to be a part of them."
Luke Palladino at Harrah's Resort aims to open by Memorial Day Weekend, the chronological finish-line new seasonal restaurants race to reach. (If you don't get open by then, might as well wait till July 4.) Local designer Scott Eccard, who outfitted Northfield in dolphin-grays, compelling monochromatic photos and burlap upholstery is projecting that modern warmth on the Harrah's space, but Palladino points out, "While it'll be the same feeling and style, I don't want this to look like a big Northfield." He doesn't want it to look theme-y, either. "This isn't a 15th-century building. We're not going to put fake bricks in the wall and make people think they're in Montalcino." Plenty of other casinos have that market covered.
For food, expect the regional Italian, Jersey farm-flavored cooking Palladino has always strived to celebrate. If last summer's memorable meals at Northfield are any indication, this season will see a riot of heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, corn, squash blossoms, soft-shells, beans, berries and more. Dude's pasta is to-die, too. (Sottocenere agnolotti in foie crema? Yes please!) Sourcing from small local farms will be more of a challenge for 200 seats than 30, but with Cookie Till, owner of Margate stalwart Steve & Cookie's and longtime local-ag champion, Palladino is working to form a growers' consortium. "There's a whole group of local growers that are getting better at what they do," he says. "Once summer starts, things grow so prolifically here, I don't think [sourcing locally] is going to be a problem at all."
There will be no changes at Luke Palladino Northfield. The chef, whose presence at the BYOB has been a fixture, still promises he'll be there every night, splitting his time between Northfield and the Harrah's outpost. "With traffic, I'm only 15 minutes away." We apologize in advance for clogging your roads.
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