New and Old AC

Madison Greenetz February 7, 2019

The best part about the northeast is by far the fact that we have mastered the art of

making America’s favorite food, pizza. The art of pizza making is said to have begun in Italy in

1889, and with the arrival of Italian immigrants to America in the 19th century pizza places

started popping up all over in the northeast and eventually across the country. Today as

Americans, we are introduced to pizza at a young age and almost everyone can recall having

pizza parties with friends and family throughout their lives. I decided to look deeper into two

pizza places in Atlantic City, one which has been a part of the community since 1927, and the

other that began planting its roots in 2009.

On the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Iowa sits the large white building housing Tony’s

Baltimore Grill. The family friendly old school Italian restaurant serves food until eleven at night

and drinks 24 hours a day. The wooden interior features a tiny juke box at every table and a

large one by the kitchen at the end of the bar. Children enjoy fiddling with these old

contraptions and their parents can reminisce on times when many diners and eateries used to

possess one of these. The quaint restaurant employs a mature staff who greets you pleasantly

and seems to care about the restaurant, its patrons, and its history as well. Every employee is

said to be a third or fourth generation worker employed in the same place with pride as their

families.

Tony Baloney’s, on the opposite side of the city close to the inlet was created around

2009. It’s located in an old house with spray paint near the front door. The interior is quite

small and the choices for pizza or subs are really unique. Coaxing a younger crowd, rap music
plays loudly over the speakers and the menu has wild combinations of food including a mac and

cheese pie or a tikka masala sub. The menu has so many interesting options pulling inspiration

from different cultures. It really “suggests[s] a democratization of taste” (133) which may draw

attention from all over but contributes to the issue of multiculturalism as a tourist attraction

and “homogenization of food across place” (133). They have moved away from traditional pizza

creating a new and exciting take on what we all know and love. While the neighborhood is a

little on the sketchy side, the pizza shop brings in people from all over who have heard about

Tony Baloney’s through their YouTube channel or Facebook page as well as word of mouth.

Since the draw for this pizza shop is directed towards a younger crowd the staff is also very

young, but also slightly curt.

These two restaurants exemplify what old Atlantic City Italian is versus new. Although

Tony Baloney’s remains in an area which has not quite been gentrified, the restaurant seems to

draw the type of crowd which could have the potential of doing so. They have the “creative

city” (131) vibe with a sign denoting that they accept Stockton swipes as payment. When

speaking with the co-owner Fred Pugh from Tony’s Baltimore Grill about Tony Baloney’s, he

practically scoffed at the idea of having any relation. He believes that when Baloney’s came to

town they were banking on the names being so similar that they would draw some of the loyal

patrons down to the inlet thinking they are connected. Coincidentally, Tony’s Baltimore Grill

began with a store down in the inlet in 1927 not too far from where Tony Baloney’s is now

located, but they were bought out of the area for an Urban Renewal project.
 Tony’s Baltimore Grill proudly serves classic Italian dishes that they have been making

for the past ninety years and will continue to do so just the way they were made all those years

ago. Although this does not necessarily draw in large crowds of tourists on its own, the name

has stood up to the test of time and will forever be a part of the Atlantic City lifestyle. Once

they moved to their new location in 1966, it seems they profited just as much as if they stayed

in their original location, or possibly more. Wood paneling and the kind staff draws you in and

make you feel cozy and right at home. The authenticity of the restaurant has proved time and

time again that no new swanky pizza joint will run them out of town. Fred Hugh says that they

are trying to keep up with the times in small ways including a recent remodel with new flooring

and new booths. The addition of five flat screen televisions brings in a crowd for sports games

and they offer free food on important game nights as long as you are drinking. This local homey

feel keeps neighborhood families repeatedly coming to the point where even if the bartender

can’t quite remember your name, they know your drink and your favorite dish.

That sort of family style comfort is lost on a place like Tony Baloney’s who rely on

newcomers and tourists to bring in most of their revenue. With the recent inclusion of a food

truck which travels the tristate area they have really begun to spread their name farther than

Tony’s Baltimore Grill could possibly do. This innovative take on food has blown up over the last

decade or two with food truck festivals and the ever shrinking attention span of the American

public. Although food trucks have been encouraged “as a way to revitalize or market

neighborhoods” (134), they do not necessarily bode well for the neighborhood after all. When a

food truck sets up shop in a neighborhood that would otherwise offer simple fare, many

patrons will choose the fancy food truck offering interesting takes on cuisine. This in turn
causes the already established place to lose business. The menu that Tony Baloney’s offers

which puts a twist on traditional pizza, while delicious, could certainly compete with the local

pizza shops in the area when their food truck rolls along.

While Tony’s Baltimore Grill has not yet jumped on the food truck trend they have

opened a satellite restaurant in Linwood at the Exchange. The Exchange is a mini food court

which offers several different types of cuisine all in one place. They are working on keeping

themselves in style for the younger crowd and the ever changing identity with food. Moving to

a new area could have been an attempt to avoid the “exclusionary characteristics of

foodscapes” (130) where Tony’s Baltimore Grill could only be found in one part of Atlantic City,

now it is available to a wider range of people.

Overall the two Italian restaurants are different in many ways but have established

themselves in Atlantic City in special ways. The longtime family restaurant, Tony’s Baltimore

Grill, opens its doors to all of those hoping to enjoy a home-style Italian meal in a welcoming

atmosphere. Offering only the classics with a lot of love, this restaurant exemplifies old Atlantic

City at its finest. On the other hand Tony Baloney’s delves into different ways of cooking up the

classics. This creates a place where a younger crowd can meet and brings in a fresher take on

food but also a homogenization of different cultures.