Two Tonys, Another Tony: TOM FITZMORRIS on NOMENU
Tuesday, June 28, 2016.
To dinner at Two Tony's (or, as its sign calls it, II Tony's). It's a combination seafood and Italian restaurant that spent some time in the building where Café Giovanni is now. It moved to Bucktown, then was evicted by the Corps of Engineers. The drainage guys, who wanted its land for a much-needed pumping station. It's in West End now, near the marina.
II Tony's has always been good, if only now and then brilliant. It does seem to get better with every visit, and that's how things go today. I start with a well-made Italian salad, then a big soft-shell crab piccata-fried, of course, with buttery sauce with artichoke hearts, capers, and herbs. Among the side-dish options that come with this is angel hair pasta agio olio-or, as we call it in most of New Orleans, pasta bordelaise. This is precisely what I felt like eating.
When I enter, a disarmingly small and young-looking hostess greets me. The reason she looks young is that she is young-a tweener, I'd guess. And the daughter of Tony Montalbano, Jr. She is well-spoken and welcoming, with more skill than I find in nine out of ten seaters and greeters, most of who seem to me never to have dined in a restaurant, let alone worked in one.
She does not take me to the table, however. That job goes to her eleven-year-old brother, who is also suave, welcoming, and caring about my needs.
Soft shellcrab piccata at II Tonys.
This young man is, of course, Tony Montalbano III. His grandfather was the original elder Tony of the II. Tony Jr., who has been in the restaurant since it opened, has been in charge of the kitchen all that time. Tony Sr., who was known for his friendliness, passed away some years ago. But that would not change the name. Tony III was much too young to have taken the stack of menus directly from the hand of his grandpa. There has never been a time when II Tony's was short a Tony.
It's not unusual for the management of a restaurant to pass to the next generation. Indeed, in my continuing reading of "Miss Ella"-the story of Ella Brennan and her restaurant family-I learn much about the second generation from its birth onward.
But I wonder how much longer this will persist in the restaurant business. For the rest of my life, I dearly hope.
Two Tonys: TOM FITZMORRIS on NOMENU
Italian Beef Daube!
Italian beef daube
". . . the restaurant now has a mailing list to let regulars know when beef daube is served."
". . . roast beef sliced or in chunks, cooked in Sicilian-style red sauce until it falls apart. Once common in New Orleans Italian restaurants, beef daube is almost never encountered these days. But here it is at Two Tonys! The beef is top round, cooked until it begins to fall apart, and just delicious."
TOM FITZMORRIS on NOMENU.COM
"We start with fried artichoke hearts, served with an interesting aioli of mayonnaise and horseradish. "
"The soup of the day is shrimp bisque, with a bit of tomato added to what is other wise a cream soup. This is spectacularly good. On their way out, several other customers give that same praise to the soup, without my having to ask."
"Our entrees are a big, beautiful, soft shell crab for me, and a salad with paneed chicken for MA."
"Our entrees are a big, beautiful, soft shell crab for me, and a salad with paneed chicken for MA."
"Tony Montalbano is the second of the two Tonys. The first, his father, passed away a few years ago. His own son is not quite old enough to figure into the business, but there are still two Tonys. He points with pride to an old mini kid's ride - a boat which, when you drop fifty cents into the slot, rocks back and forth, as if it were on the nearby lake waves. Ah, innocence."
Two Tonys: TOM FITZMORRIS on NOMENU
"One expects seafood in the West End, and one gets it a Two Tonys, even though the place is better known for its Italian food. This is basic, homestyle New Orleans' Italian for those who grew up eating it this way... there are a place and a need for this cookery, and here they come together."
9. Two Tonys Fried Zucchini
"Made in the style of fried eggplant, but juicier. Also here is a great version of fried artichoke hearts with a creamy Creole horseradish sauce.
Dear Mr Montalbano,
Thank you for everything yesterday. Everybody said what a wonderful time they had and how great the food was. Your staff was so quick to attend to our guests. The food was made to perfection.
We had a lovely time and you made it so easy to coordinate and set up our luncheon.
I look forward to working together again!
Armand Parvazi, MBA
Marketing & Business Development Director
UNO Federal Credit Union
"Dear Mr. Montalbano,
Although we have already sent a more formal gratitude letter, Tom Meyer and I want to thank you, not only for the generous donation of a delicious salad, but also for your kind presence when we met with you and shared the Lakeview Shepard's Center Gala Fund. You even sat and visited with us a while. We truly appreciate your graciousness!
May God bless you as you continue to serve others as an expert chef!
Gratefully,
Board Members of Srs. Angela Marie & Tom Meyer"
IAN McNULTY in GAMBIT WEEKLY
Marinara has anchored the traditional Italian dishes at Two Tony's for 20 years, but lately it also is serving as a possible lifeline for a family restaurant name during uncertain times.
Two Tony's chef/owner Anthony Montalbano Jr. recently began bottling his sauce for retail sale out of concern for the next moves by the Army Corps of Engineers at the 17th Street Canal, the now infamous drainage canal that runs next to his Bucktown restaurant. The temporary pumping station and related earthworks built at the mouth of the canal after Hurricane Katrina now tower over the small restaurant, enclosing it on three sides. The Corps is working on plans for a permanent pumping station at the site, and it's unclear if the project will require the lakefront land on which Two Tony's sits.
No one can argue that a restaurant should stand in the way of the drainage and hurricane protection on which the metro area depends. But much like the operators of the Coconut Beach volleyball complex facing a similar situation on the other side of the canal, Montalbano hopes the job can be done without forcing out his restaurant. A petition is in circulation asking the Corps to minimize the project's impact on the eatery.
In the meantime, Two Tony's marinara sauce has hit shelves as a hedge against the future. Should the property join the pumping station footprint, grocery shelves could be the last stand for this restaurant family's legacy, which goes back 50 years to such former French Quarter places as Montalbano's Seafood, the Blue Angel Supper Club and Eva's Spot.
What can't be bottled, however, is Montalbano's handle on local seafood. Lake Pontchartrain soft-shell crabs that dwarf their peers, grilled amberjack with Creole mustard butter sauce, speckled trout crowned with enormous, taut-fleshed shrimp — these are straightforward dishes full of local flavor, but careful preparation gives Two Tony's its niche among the area's many Creole-Italian restaurants.
Two Tony's has the fried seafood routine down pat but also grills and blackens the usual roundup of shrimp, oysters, catfish and crab cakes for seafood platters. The kitchen uses excellent seafood, so it's nice to be able to taste it all distinctly. Bisques are another strongpoint, and the version made with plump, lightly-cooked shrimp, andouille coins and enough minced garlic to eat with a fork qualifies as a casual masterpiece.
Pasta entrees are the bargain center of the restaurant. The menu ranges from a $9 plate of spaghetti with Italian sausage that's too large to finish to a $17 slab of tuna grilled as rare as tataki, which helps explain why Two Tony's maintains a diverse local clientele. It's as common to hear a family saying grace together before Wednesday dinner as it is to hear a pair of ladies whooping it up with Pinot Grigio at Friday lunch.
If things work out for Two Tony's, its marinara will be a nice sideline business instead of a reminder of another lost restaurant. But I'm not taking any chances. Until things shake out with the Corps, I'm ordering my bisque by the bowl and my seafood platter blackened.
THE DOLPHIN, DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The true taste of Italian delight can be experienced at Two Tony's Italian Seafood restaurant in Bucktown (Metairie).
When you walk into the restaurant, the ambiance is similar to that in an Italian home. casual or dressy, this is the ideal restaurant to bring your boss for a business lunch, your family for a nice dinner, or your "Special Someone" for a romantic dinner for two.
On my visit to Two Tonys, I learned of the great variety of dishes on the menu. Not only do they serve great Italian, their seafood section is endless. The Crabmeat Au Gratin was a rich and flavorful appetizer. The cheesy, yet creamy, Au Gratin is the perfect mix of fresh Louisiana crabmeat and large shrimp. This is an excellent appetizer to start off a meal. As the entree was set on the table, the aroma of the dish made my mouth water. When I took my first bite of the Spicy Shrimp Fettuccine, the taste of basil. garlic, and creole spices were bursting with flavor and were blended with a three-cheese cream sauce. The entree was rich and filling. The fettuccine was a great dish for the meal.
When the owner/chef Tony came out towards the end of the dinner to see how I enjoyed the meal, it completed the unsurpassed New Orleans' style Italian dinner experience. There are many more great dishes at Two Tonys to try on future visits. From the atmosphere, to the service, to the great food, I will be sure to dine at Two Tonys again.
Above are some recent letters of gratitude from our cherished customers. Read the transcribed letters below.
May 25, 2014
Dear Anthony,
The faculty of St. Anthony of Padua certainly had a treat at the luncheon last Friday.
The lasagna was PERFECT!!! The presentation was so nice and the taste was awesome! It received rave reviews.
Thanks for delivering it — but most of all for creating such a delicious meal that made our luncheon a success.
See you soon. (I will probably order lasagna next time.)
Marilyn Duett
______________________________________________
Chef Tony,
Please accept our personal thanks and appreciation for the dinner hosted at your restaurant celebrating our marriage on April 1st. Our guest[s] thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and drink prepared by you and your staff. We also appreciate the attentiveness and friendliness of your staff. They anticipated our every need. We will be sure to make Two Tonys a stop on our next visit to New Orleans.
Tony and Peggy Scott
4/5/16
_________________________________________________
Anthony and staff,
Thank you so much for working with us to make a memorable dinner for our family and friends as we celebrated the blessing of our marriage. As always, the food and service was excellent.
Thank you,
Ashley and Bobby Brulet