"Pistol" Pete Quarelli always wanted to open a Pistol Pete's restaurant and bar in an Atlantic City casino. Next year on Memorial Day weekend, Quarelli's pie in the sky will become a reality when he debuts Pistol Pete's Bar-B-Cue & Rodeo Saloon in the Wild Wild West Casino at Bally's Atlantic City.
Quarelli, who owns Pistol Pete's Steakhouse & Saloon on the Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville, has reached an agreement to lease the former Tex-Mex Gold Rush restaurant located under the Virginia City Buffet.
"Anyone who went to the Gold Rush knows what a beautiful restaurant that was," Quarelli says. "When I walked in there, I couldn't believe how stunning it was. We are really looking forward to opening at Wild Wild West. We know we are going to be a perfect fit."
Because Gold Rush's design fits Pistol Pete's theme, only moderate work will have to be done over the next 10 months. The biggest project will be to open the main wall and replace it with a bar that will feature plasma TVs.
"It will be like it's a casino-floor sports bar," Quarelli says. "You'll be able to look right in from the casino so people will be really drawn to it."
Quarelli will also take advantage of the center of the room where the ceiling rises into a dome.
"There was a private room right in the middle of the restaurant, so we're going to tear those walls down," Quarelli says. "If you look up at it right now, the dome looks a little like the spokes of a wagon wheel, so we're going to make it look exactly like a wagon wheel and offer a light show that makes it look like the wagon wheel is spinning."
Under the dome, Quarelli will install a mechanical bull that will be open to the public. He will also occasionally hire professional bull riders to perform on the bull.
"It's all about a fun atmosphere with great food," Quarelli says.
Pistol Pete's will offer a lunch and dinner menu created under the guidance of Willie Lewis, the former Claridge Casino executive chef who serves as a consultant and chef for Pistol Pete's. The menu will be close to what Pistol Pete's offers in Pleasantville with the same low price point.
"It will be affordable, great food, which is what people are really looking for right now," Quarelli says. "So many restaurants in the casinos are high-priced; we are not going to do that. We are going to offer homestyle meals and real Texas hickory barbecue - ribs, pulled pork, corn on the cob, collard greens - that people want. All of this is a tribute to teamwork, from Chef Willie to the people at Bally's. They could have gone in the direction of a national chain, but the people at Bally's and Harrah's really pushed to give a local guy a shot. It's a dream come true."
Of course, you don't have to wait to try Pistol Pete's. The Plesantville location is open seven days a week, featuring a spacious, Western-themed bar downstairs and a remodeled steakhouse upstairs. Call 609-484-1000.
Drink pink at Borgata
If you're feeling bad about how much you have been partying lately, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa gives partiers a way to drink and feel good about it as it debuts its "Drink Pink" campaign in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Enjoy pink drinks throughout the month of October at Borgata's bars and restaurants, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer through Borgata's Heart & Soul Foundation.
The special menu will feature four signature drinks priced at $10, including the Pink Lemonade Martini; the Pink Melon; and Fleming-Jenkins Victories Rose wine by Olympic champion and breast cancer survivor Peggy Fleming, which Fleming and her husband started in 2005 to raise funds to support breast cancer research.
Boogie Nights, Resorts team with party store
How hot is Boogie Nights at Resorts Atlantic City? So hot that a local party store is devoting a section to the retro dance club.
Fro-Me-A-Party, located on Fire Road in Egg Harbor Township, will debut its Boogie Nights section on Thursday, Oct. 1, offering items like leg warmers, oversized star-shaped sunglasses, giant wigs and other '70s and '80s inspired merchandise.
"Though the timing of this partnership is certainly perfect for our Halloween parties, it's an ideal one for us year-round," says Resorts Sentior Vice President of marketing Kathleen McSweeney. "People dress up for Boogie Nights every weekend in '70s and '80s outfits and are just having a lot of fun with it. When we discovered that many of the costumes were purchased at Fro-Me-A-Party, the next logical step was to work with them and maximize the cross-marketing opportunities. "
"People have been coming into our store for the past year searching for new accessories to wear for dancing at Boogie Nights, and the merchandise has been flying off the shelves," says Brittani Froumy, manager of Fro-Me-A-Party. "This partnership allows us to expand on an already successful product line. When people think of Boogie Nights, we want them to think of us."
The section is in conjunction with a promotion for "Booo-gie Nights II," a costumed masquerade party at the club on Friday, Oct. 30, and a vampire-themed masquerade party on Halloween. For the weekend, casino employees will wear costumes and cardholders will receive a Boogie Nights T-shirt when earning one point through casino play or a long-sleeved Boogie Nights T-shirt when earning two points.
Morton's dinner
benefits Food Bank
Morton's The Steakhouse, located inside Caesars Atlantic City, will host a benefit chef's dinner for the Community Food Bank on Friday, Oct. 9.
Held in the Boardroom at Morton's, its executive chef will prepare a special menu tableside, explaining each ingredient and demonstrating Morton's preparation and cooking methods. Morton's General Manager Michael Flannelly will join the chef tableside, pouring a selection of Casali Di Bibbiano wine that has been paired with each course.
Courses include Boston sweet corn and lobster chowder, tomato, mozzarella and prosciutto salad, sliced tenderloin tips with bacon and blue cheese with baked tomato, and dessert is double chocolate mousse.
The dinner menu was selected from the restaurant's new cookbook, "Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen." A portion of proceeds from the book also goes to the food bank.
Tickets for the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is $85 per two guests. Seating is limited to 36 people. Call Maria Lewis at 609-449-1044.
Celebrity sightings
On Monday, Philadelphia Eagles Brent Celek, Victor Abiamiri, Trevor Laws and Reggie Brown joined ESPN 97.3-FM radio hosts Mike Gill and Pete Thompson for their weekly 3 to 7 p.m. remote broadcast from Ego Lounge at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort. Last week, the hosts were joined by New York Giants Aaron Ross, Danny Ware, Ahmad Bradshaw and Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards. They all celebrated Ross' birthday at Il Mulino after the broadcast.
Dusk, the new dance club located in Caesars Atlantic City, ushered in Nicky Hilton's 26th birthday last weekend. The socialite and fashion designer was presented a birthday cake, and Jamaican American reggae fusion master Sean Kingston performed. Hilton was also seen at Caesars' Mia, which is operated by Philadelphia restaurateurs Georges Perrier and Chris Scarduzio.
