Casino Tony Goes

Family pride shines through at the Morrisville, Pa., location of this legendary New Jersey frankfurter institution, which serves the Garden State’s official dog.

By: Amy Brummer

   As ashamed as I am to admit it, I had never eaten an Italian hot dog until recently. To be totally honest, even as a champion of "classic" sandwiches, I have shied away from it, because the idea of potatoes on my sandwich signals major starch overload.
   But it is the official state sandwich of New Jersey, originating more than 70 years ago in a little luncheonette named the Casino in Trenton, so in anticipation of reviewing the restaurant’s second location in Morrisville, Pa., I stopped in one day for a dog.
   The Italian hot dog, which consists of a hot dog with home fries and peppers on a roll, was devised by Canio "Tony" Sbarro, who as local legend has it, was so successful in his business that he was always going to the store to buy ingredients, earning him the nickname "Tony Goes". Somewhere along the line, the dog took on a life of its own, receiving an official designation from the New Jersey state legislature, right around the time that the folks at Casino trademarked their signature version, "the Jersey Dog."
   So one "Jersey Dog" ($4) and one chili cheese dog ($5.50) later, the verdict was in — the thick, creamy wedge of fried potato, seasoned with the flavor of a mellow Italian green pepper was outstanding, but I didn’t like it on a roll with my hot dog — too much competition. But with a half-dozen other hot dog choices to choose from, not to mention, soups, salads and sandwiches, it was hardly a limiting factor.
   The hot dogs themselves (they use Dietz & Watson brand) were tasty and the hand cut French fries ($2.50) excellent, but what also impressed us from the moment we arrived was the warmth and sincerity of the staff. The Morrisville location is owned by Maryanne Maccaroni Scott, granddaughter of "Tony Goes," who works alongside her own daughter and grandson, and that family pride gives the whole place an extra sparkle. When we arrived for our meal, our server recognized us from our last visit and was glad to see we had returned. Throughout the meal, he was attentive without hovering, and made sure to give us an update if there was any lag in our order.
   Tucked into a back corner of the Morrisville Shopping Center, the restaurant has a bright, welcoming entrance with a wall of windows that look out onto a swath of cascading ivy, which lends the room a cool tranquility. Inside, soft hues of pink and avocado are accented by dark wood, and a mix of booths, tables and a lunch counter combine the familiarity of an old-fashioned diner with a more upscale, contemporary restaurant.
   The menu reflects this feeling as well. Mainstays such as antipasto salad ($6.95), spaghetti and meatballs ($8.95), chicken parmagiana ($13.95) and veal piccata ($16.95) share the page with original creations such as beet salad topped with pistachios and gorgonzola ($5.95) and penne Andrea made with chicken, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes ($9.95).
   For our first course, we chose the fried calamari ($7.95) and grilled sweet sausage ($7.95) from a short list that includes clams casino ($9.95), bourbon shrimp ($9.95) and portabello mushrooms stuffed with gorgonzola cheese ($7.95). Both were large enough to be entrees, and tasty enough to make it hard to use restraint.
   The calamari, while slightly bland, had a light, crisp crust and came alive with a good squeeze of lemon and a dip in the light, zesty marinara sauce. By contrast, the sausage was rich with multi-dimensional flavor. Attractively arranged with roasted hot Italian peppers and garlicky broccoli rabe tangled on top of it, the smoky sausages were offset by a ring of sharp provolone and all the components married together beautifully. Luckily it also reheated well, because after a couple of bites, we knew we would have to stop eating if we were to get through the rest of dinner.
   A salad comes with the meal, and our server substituted our individual garden salads for a shared Caesar. The dressing was bottled, and tangier than I prefer, but the greens were crisp and ample and a smattering of Parmesan cheese dressed it up further.
   Service moved quickly, and we hadn’t finished our salads by the time the entrées arrived. Diners can choose from pasta dishes including linguini with broccoli ($7.95) and vodka rigatoni ($8.95) or chicken ($13.95) and veal ($16.95) dishes prepared Marsala, Francaise, Florentino or primavera, to name a few. We chose the Casino combo ($19.95) from the specials board and Gino’s Fico ($13.95), a chicken dish sautéed with mushrooms and figs.
   But, while the latter dish tempted us with its ingredients, we were disappointed to find no trace of the figs. The chicken itself was tender with an adequate cream sauce, and held up better than the chicken in the combo plate, which was dry. A trio of chicken, eggplant and shrimp parmagiana, the elements were heavily breaded and became weighted down in the sauce.
   The upside was that this left plenty of room to enjoy dessert, which I had been eyeing in the case at the front of the restaurant since our first visit. A rich tiramisu ($4.75), dense and fluffy in all the right places was a perfect pairing with a shot of espresso ($1.50). Raspberry almond torte, layered with moist cake, tart jam and rounded out with almonds, made us swoon, though the regular coffee was thin.
   But I felt like we had just scratched the surface of the restaurant, even after eating there twice. Between the breakfast (ricotta omelet!), lunch and dinner menus, there’s plenty to try and it’s all reasonably priced. The genuinely friendly, hardworking service also makes it worth the trip. And if that isn’t enough, just try that raspberry torte.