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AnthonyMartorina

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Anthony Martorina shares his love of the Culinary World through photos and video.

12/29/2025

Escape to Greece with fresh Mediterranean flavors in Naples, Florida! Opa! It’s time to break some plates!

Chef Athinagoras Kostakos is a culinary superstar winning Top Chef Greece. Diners will enjoy dishes with rustic & bold flavors using local & sustainable ingredients.

We started with the breads & spreads platter featuring pita & lavash with tzatziki, spicy feta, charred eggplant & tarama. We also dived into the delicious seafood ceviche with octopus, calamari, shrimp, fennel & toasted chili oil. The charred octopus was flavorful with cipollini onion. I thought the tuna tartare was unique with a smokey & flowery flavor.

I fell in love with the grilled meatballs which were incredibly tender. You must get fired up with the saganaki. The caper dipping sauce for the crispy calamari was amazing. The slow roasted lamb gyros are fun allowing guests to build their own pita with sliced lamb, tomato, tzatziki & onions.

I was impressed with the tasty grilled lamb chops with a side of smoked salt. The lamb shank is a must order with tasty orzo, braised tomato & lamb jus topped with shaved mizithra cheese. My daughter loved the cast iron moussaka with layered eggplant, beef ragu & béchamel.

The seafood here is phenomenal. I loved the incredible seafood linguine with lobster, shrimp & manila clams. You must order the Faroe Island salmon souvlaki which is a traditional Greek dish served with basmati rice. The Chilean sea bass over skordalia & marinated spinach with a ladolemono sauce was fabulous.

For dessert, the bougatsa is presented table side with crispy pillows, cinnamon ice cream, semolina custard & honey caramel. My favorite was the decadent sokolatopita which was a dark chocolate cake with hazelnut praline, chocolate coffee custard & salted caramel ice cream. The warm donuts are fun to dip in the salted caramel, orange anglaise, honey or chocolate coffee custard.

Violí is a fabulous addition to the Naples dining scene. There’s a second location in Oak Brook, IL along with a sister restaurant LÝRA in Chicago. From authentic flavorful dishes to exceptional service. do not miss this gem!

12/20/2025

Happy Holidays!

12/11/2025

Get ready for a unique gastronomical journey. is designed to cultivate connections. Chef Nicolai Mlodinow’s .nm innovative cuisine delivers an unforgettable evening of culinary. This dinner party is a progressive evening exploring bold flavors, ground breaking techniques & eccentric story telling.

The current menu is called Evolution. It explores how food & cooking evolved through human history. It starts in an elegant small room with a cocktail reception. Our 1st bite was hunter gatherer (1,000,000 BCE) a wagyu tartare with orange, mustard & sorrel, followed by fire (780,000 BCE) with a smoked konro bbq wagyu. I loved the delicious layers of beef.

This first room was giving me Disney’s Haunted Mansion vibes. Then the doors flew open, with Chef inviting us into the 16 seat communal dining room with views of the kitchen. I now felt like I was on “The Bear”.

Vessel (20,000 BCE) was the next course. It was a tasty monkfish soup with a fabulous spicy serrano kick. We moved on to farming (10,000 BCE) with alicha, black lentils, snap peas & broccoli shoots.

It was time for bread & cheese (4,000 BCE) with injera, focaccia, labneh, delice de bourgogne & red dragon. I love my pasta, so when we traveled to noodles (3,000 BCE) I was happy. We were treated to baharat chicken, vermicelli, seared scallion dumpling, & s saffron toro spring roll. All 3 bites were fabulous.

Next came the most creative course. It was oil (2,000 BCE) with a Pennsylvania gold chicken & horseradish olive oil rice cream cone. This was my favorite. We then traveled to the industrial revolution (1700 CE) for a barbacoa shokupan uncrustable Our last stops were the 20th century with a creative ‘dippin dots’ & modernity featuring a caviar milkshake. Dinner was set to an incredible soundtrack called the evolution of hip hop.

After dinner, we chilled . It’s their mysterious speakeasy in back with creative cocktails. I had an amazing clear espresso martini, while my wife enjoyed a grappa cocktail dating back to Rome (27 BCE).

If you’re looking for a creative experience, then start your adventure at Class Act!

12/07/2025

Celebrate two centuries of Scottish spirit in Chicago! hosted their 180th annual St. Andrew’s Day Gala. It was a night of tradition that included dancing, bagpipes, whiskey, haggis & a tribute to Scotland’s patron saint. There was even a powerful musical performance by , winner Britian’s Got Talent. It was one of the most magical evenings plus it’s the oldest charity in the city. In the spirit of giving, proceeds from the evening benefited Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care in North Riverside, along with celebrating the accomplishments of fellow Scots, while supporting elder care in the community.

The best part is you do not have to be Scottish to attend. The Board of Governors invited everyone who was Scottish by birth, by heritage or simply by inclination to celebrate Scotland. Luckily for this Sicilian guy, my wife is part Scottish. All of the attendees were incredibly friendly. We met many amazing individuals. I can hardly wait for next year.

There was non stop entertainment amongst the auctions & awards. I truly loved the incredible performances by the & . This set the tone for a beautiful experience.

Exec Chef Scott Gourley
created a phenomenal menu including the best haggis I’ve ever had. What’s haggis? It’s Scotland’s iconic national dish, a savory blend of minced sheep’s heart, liver & lungs with oatmeal, suet, onions, & spices, cooked inside the animal’s stomach. It was served with tatties & neeps, which are mashed potato’s & turnips. Allegedly, I had seconds.

Chef also prepared a salad wrapped in a cucumber ribbon with tomato.cranberries, toasted walnuts, & champagne vinaigrette
accompanied with Scottish smoked salmon. Our main courses included a filet with garlic herb mash, asparagus, & red pepper served with zinfandel jus & chimichurri along with a grilled salmon with quinoa cous cous tabbouleh, celery root puree, roasted asparagus, red pepper & lemon caper sauce.

Cheers to Chicago Scots! The first & oldest philanthropic organization in Illinois serving the needy.

12/04/2025

Step into the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast & be transported to the charm of a Parisian bistro. creates modern French cuisine in an elegant space. Chef Martial Noguier blends French techniques along with Midwest seasonal ingredients delivering a culinary journey. This is a family business. You’ll always find Laurence Noguier happily greeting customers, while making sure everyone is having a fantastic evening. Along with her stellar hospitality, she brings her background in fashion to create a beautiful space. It’s a gem that everyone needs to experience!

We arrived on a chilly night but once we walked in, we felt instant warmth. We couldn’t resist starting our night with classic martinis with blue cheese olives. They were so delightful!

The caramelized onion soup with croque monsieur, gruyere, brioche, country ham & port wine reduction had me in love. Chef’s flavors were unique especially the onions which brought a sweetness to the broth. I was impressed with the gooey cheese pull.

The menu offers a tartare of the day with avocado, fine herbs, lemon piquillo vinaigrette & baguette crouton. We were in luck because today’s special was tuna. The presentation was elegant, as it arrived in a covered glass jar. Again the flavors were incredible!

Chef makes homemade pastas & my Sicilian heart could not resist. I actually wanted to order all of them. We decided to share the handmade ravioli du jour, which was a short rib ravioli in a sauce made with fresh midwest farm vegetables. I was in love with the first bite. I’m going to need a recipe for the sauce. It was life changing.

For entrees, the beef filet tenderloin “au poivre” with hand cut french fries, truffle salt & creme fraiche cognac sauce was incredibly tender. We also tried Martial’s blanquette de veau with duxelle of mushroom, glazed carrot, poached leeks in a chardonnay sauce with a parmesan arborio risotto. It was super delicious.

For dessert, we needed the magical chocolate hazelnut bars with feuilletine, praline & orange grand marnier sauce for the win. I highly recommend Bistronomic for an intimate dinner, while basking in the flavors of France.

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