If old school meets glamorous were a restaurant, it would be Anthony’s Runway 84. Fort Lauderdale’s aviation-themed landmark has been around for over four decades but recently got a makeover. The airplanes have been replaced with Goodfellas.
“If you remember that scene from Goodfellas when Henry Hill ushers his girlfriend through the back door and kitchen of the Copacabana to a prime table set up on the fly right in front of the stage, that’s the vibe that inspired us when we reimagined Anthony’s Runway 84 as an old-school supper club worthy of the Rat Pack,” says Marc Falsetto, CEO of Handcrafted Hospitality and partner of Anthony’s Runway 84. “The restaurant represents its rich 40-year history in a stylish, chic and sophisticated way and the atmosphere is always electric with conversation, live music, stellar food and cocktails and VIP service.”
The redesigned venue, which took eight months to complete, features a live music lounge with a grand piano and gorgeous crystal chandelier, a new bar and dramatic entranceway. Seating 190 guests, the restaurant now offers dining outdoors on the al fresco patio, in the bar, in an intimate circular mini lounge or the private dining room.
The Fort Lauderdale staple not only revamped its aesthetics but also its menu. Falsetto tapped a trusted chef with a lengthy list of accolades to develop new dishes for the eatery. “[Robbyns Martinez] strives every day to be as innovative as possible and is always evolving menus to change with the times and stay on top of the hottest trends,” shares the restaurateur.
As the corporate chef for Handcrafted Hospitality Group, Martinez now oversees the culinary operations at Anthony’s Runway 84. Falsetto and Martinez have opened multiple restaurants together, like Rok Brgr, Pizza Craft, Tacocraft, Public House, Henry’s and Apothecary 330. The chef has won several awards, such as Best Burger in South Florida from Channel 10 News, Best Burgers in America from Paula Dean Magazine and Best Burger in Florida from Business Insider.
While the establishment is known for its larger-than-life Sunday Feast (meatballs, sausage, braciole, pork rib, rigatoni, San Marzano Sunday sauce and a scoop of ricotta), it has other crowd-pleasing items, too. There’s the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka and the Caesar Salad prepared tableside, for example. And the restaurant’s service “is old school and classic,” says Falsetto.
To really make your visit worthwhile, try one of their specialties. The Chicken Vodka Parmigiana is made with crispy prosciutto, peas and vodka cream sauce, while the Veal Chop Danielle, named after Falsetto’s wife, is a 16-oz first-cut veal chop Parmesan with spicy vodka sauce, mozzarella, peas and crispy prosciutto.
When it comes to cocktails, those served here are fit for a “Goodfella.” Try the Mile High Club (Macallan Rare Cask, Kahlua, Grand Marnier and orange bitters, which are French-pressed tableside) or the Anthony’s Paper Plane (Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, passion fruit and fresh lemon).
The Copacabana vibes don’t stop at the design and decor. The entertainment will also transport you to the Rat Pack era. “We feature a live band and a Vegas-style show nightly that performs all the old school classics like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, etc.,” Falsetto says.
“Anthony’s Runway 84 is not a normal restaurant,” Falsetto adds. “It’s a full experience and the only true supper club in town. It’s ‘never just dinner.’”
The Dish: Veal Chop Danielle
Ingredients:
For the house-made spicy vodka sauce
- ½ cup sliced shallots
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup DOP tomato
- 2 tbsp crushed Calabrian chili
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup pecorino Romano, grated
- ½ cup vodka
- For the house-made Italian bread crumbs
- 1 Italian bread loaf
- Virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic
- 1 cup pecorino Romano
For the veal chop
- 20 oz domestic, milk-fed veal chop
- Flour
- Egg wash
- Italian bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup spicy vodka sauce
- ¼ cup sweet green peas
- ½ cup pecorino Romano, grated
- 2–3 fresh mozzarella slices
- 2–3 dry-aged prosciutto pieces
Method
For the house-made spicy vodka sauce
Add shallots and butter to a pot on low heat and allow the shallots to cook slowly. When the shallots are cooked, add vodka and butter to the pot and bring to a boil to burn off the vodka’s alcohol. Lower the heat and add tomato paste and hand-crushed DOP tomatoes. Then, add salt, pepper and Calabrian chili. Add heavy cream and let it come to a simmer before stirring and adding grated pecorino Romano. On medium-low heat, let the sauce cook for 12 more minutes.
For the house-made Italian bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut a whole 2-day-old loaf of Italian bread into cubes. In a bowl, toss bread cubes with virgin olive oil. Place bread onto a baking tray and cook at 250°F for 45 minutes or until golden and hard. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool down. Then, grind the bread in a food processor until it’s crumbled. Place the bread crumbs in a bowl with the other ingredients and mix until combined.
For the veal chop
Trim the 20 oz veal chop and pound until paper-thin. Then, dip the veal chop in flour, egg wash and Italian bread crumbs, in that order. Once coated, add vegetable oil and butter into a pan and cook the veal chop until it’s golden brown. Remove chop from the pan and let it rest for 1 minute on a paper towel to remove any extra oil. Then, put the veal chop on an oven tray and top it with spicy vodka sauce, sweet green peas, grated pecorino Romano, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few pieces of dry-aged prosciutto. Bake in the oven for 2 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!
