I just caught up with Ricardo Espinosa, and I'm not sure where to start. Hologram nightclub concept? Fitness food restaurant? Downtown diner?
I'll start with Tony's Diner because that one is up and running. (Tune in later here on the blog for hologram and fitness news.)
Located at 8 Park Avenue, next to First Mariner Arena, Tony's had its "soft" opening Monday. It is owned by Luna del Sea proprietor Tony Assadi. Espinosa is chief operating officer for the restaurant group that owns both, Camden View Inc.
"A small diner with a 21st-century touch," is how Espinosa described Tony's. "It's not just, come and eat a bunch of food on a plate. We're keeping the [traditional diner] value but we're giving them a gourmet taste on the plate."
Clams casino, "gourmet" hamburgers, pastas, chicken, shellfish and steaks are on chef Michael Castes' menu. Castes had been executive sous chef at Westin and Doubletree hotels.
Espinosa said the cheapest thing on the menu is the $4.99 BLT. The most expensive, the $24 rib eye steak. Breakfast fare is available all day, all night.
The diner is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 a.m. to midnight. Eventually, Espinosa said, they hope to keep the place open until 4 a.m. on weekends.
Sun photo of Espinosa by Christopher T. Assaf