Atlantic City Upscale Italian Restaurant Mia
Gourmet Resto by Chefs & Partners Chris Scarduzio & Georges Perrier
Oct 18, 2008
Well before the scheduled opening of The Pier and long before Philadelphia’s most prolific restaurateur Stephen Starr debuts his seashore versions of Buddakan and El Vez, chefs and partners Chris Scarduzio and Georges Perrier of Philadelphia’s Brasserie Perrier have already brought fine dining to Atlantic City with Mia.
Best known for his Le Bec Fin, a Philadelphia fine dining institution, Perrier is partnering in the latest venture, but it’s really Scarduzio’s baby-literally.
Scarduzio named the upscale Italian eatery after his youngest child and only daughter, Mia. “I find that some chefs lose something of themselves when opening up a second restaurant,” says the Philly native and C.I.A. graduate. “Naming it after my daughter will always keep me focused.”
Menu at Mia
In a supremely elegant setting, Mia offers simple, fresh and creatively prepared dishes such as, for openers, pepper-crusted beef carpaccio with summer truffle, fava beans, chervil salad and Asiago cheese; steamed littleneck clams and langoustines in lemon and pancetta sauce; prosciutto di Parma; tuna tartare served Sicilian style with fresh anchovies, capers and Kalamata olive oil; and the house Mia Caprese salad with toasted pine nuts and baby basil.
The cavatelli pasta is a house specialty and one of Scarduzio’s personal favorites, and shellfish risotto is served with lobster, rock shrimp and crabmeat in a lobster saffron sauce. “A lot of things come from my grandmother, and waking up everyday to the smell of her cooking,” Scarduzio says. “All of the pasta recipes came from home.”
Italian Cuisine, Culinary Institute of America-style
The entrees, too, are familiar foods with twists that showcase Scarduzio’s haute cuisine training: free-range chicken breast with lemon risotto and rosemary jus, mustard crusted rack of lamb in roasted garlic and oregano jus, roasted salmon with scallop vermouth sauce, and New York strip steak with black pepper mascarpone, to name a few. “We want to keep it a little more interesting than spaghetti and meatballs, but we’re not going to try to reinvent the wheel; Italian food in general is very humble,” he says.
Bringing Philly Sensibility to Atlantic City
One of Scarduzio’s main challenges has been adapting to the dining pace of the typical gaming-focused Atlantic City patron; however redolent the flavors and pleasing the décor, guests still want to get in and get out without the leisurely expansiveness of a two-hour meal, and Scarduzio has adjusted accordingly.
“We’re there to try to set the momentum, give the city a boost and show that it no longer has to be a $6.99 buffet town, that there are other options,” he says. As for the real Mia, Scarduzio is tickled to note that, at age 2, she already loves clams. “One day I’ll create a dish after her,” he promises.
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