WORLD’S WILDEST RESTAURANT WINS BEST MEATBALL VOTE
Without a doubt tattooed chef restaurateur, Steve Martorano is our most colorful nightlife character.
Since he arrived in Sin City, his Italian restaurant at the RIO has been winning raves from an all-star celebrity clientele at the same time as generating plenty of controversy. Now though he’s reveling in high-altitude applause from the prestigious.
In its new edition, the editors proclaim loudly that Steve, “may just make the best meatball in the world.” They continue, “It’s no wonder that everyone from wise-guys to blue-haired ladies are beating down the door to Café Martorano at the Rio. His breaded chicken cutlets come with a perfect risotto and the rigatoni with ‘Sunday Gravy’ must have a pound of pork in it”.
The muscular maverick who will be appearing on Spike TV’s “Casino Cinema” on October 29 in an interview with Steve Schrippia has kicked up a new storm by banning mixed drinks with his South Philly dinners - a revolutionary move in our fine-dining city.
“We allow wine and beer,” says Steve, “but hard liquor ruins the taste of the food. Guests can drink booze before or after, but for dinner we’d prefer they enjoy the wine with the food. Yes, we’re breaking rules, but it’s more important to me that people use their taste buds to enjoy the meal. If people don’t like it and walk out, so be it. It’s not about the money, it’s about the taste.”
His unique philosophy for true traditional Italian food keeps a steady stream of stars turning up at the Rio restaurant, including Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Natalie Cole, Ludacris, Tom Jones, Pete Rose,, Dan Marino, Lorraine Bracco, Rick Pitino, Oscar dela Hoya, and Sugar Shane Mosley, Payton and Archie Manning, Baby Face, Christina Millian and the beautiful Gabrielle Union.