What's going on?

October 20, 2008

Tramonto, Gand parting with Cenitare;

Wheeling restaurants open for now

Posted by Phil Vettel at 3:30 p.m. CDT

"The honeymoon's over," says Rick Tramonto of his (and business partner Gale Gand's) association with Cenitare, the restaurant division responsible for the duo's restaurant concepts in Wheeling (Tramonto Steak & Seafood, Osteria di Tramonto, et. al.).

Not long ago, the plan was to replicate these restaurant concepts nationwide, but the economic downturn and related tight credit environment has scotched that idea. And now, Tramonto says, it's time to say, "it’s been swell."

"I can't go into super detail, because the lawyers are involved," Tramonto says. "But the last three years have been great, and I'm proud of the work we’ve done there."

Not that any of the restaurants will close any time soon. The licensing agreement (that is, the Tramonto name) continues through the end of the year. At which point, Tramonto says, Cenitare might keep the restaurants but lose the restaurant name; might sell the properties outright to another operator (Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises has shown interest) or might shut the whole thing down.

"We might just move on," Tramonto says. "I own the steakhouse and osteria concepts. I really want to open a Tramonto's Steak & Seafood in downtown Chicago, and with all the operators who have expressed interest, I think eventually it will happen.

"But at the end of the day, we're fine, we're good, we're still at Tru, all that," Tramonto says.

Thank You

To All:

I would like to take a minute to thank everyone who came and supported my work and cooking at Osteria di Tramonto, Tramonto Steak & Seafood and the RT Lounge, in Wheeling IL.

As one chapter closes, many more are to come........ I look forward to seeing you all again at Tru and at my events. Stay tuned for more exciting things to come. I'm sure that the press and blogs will keep everyone informed on what's going on.

Between now and the end of the year, I'm focusing on promoting my new cookbook "Osteria" which came out October 14th. Check it out! I'm also in the middle of writing 2 more books, which will be out in fall of 2009 and fall of 2010.

God Bless, and thank you all again for your love and support.

Chef Rick Tramonto

New Book Deal

July 11, 2008
This week I inked the deal on my next cookbook. I love writing cookbooks, because the process gives me an opportunity to capture a snapshot of where my cooking was at a particular point of time. From “Amuse-Bouche” and the Tru cookbook to my upcoming Osteria cookbook (to be released this fall), they all document a particular restaurant or cooking style.

This next one is written, obviously, from the point of view of Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood.So I’m really excited about “Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends,” because when it is all said and done, I love steak. Though I live in Chicago (where steak is king), I have always been a huge fan of the American steak experience and the passion of meat cookery. I just outlined the book’s chapters, and some of the recipes I will include for home cooks are dry-aged New York strip, bone-in ribeye and London broil. I plan on discussing how to choose a fine cut from the butcher and the ins and outs of marbling, color and texture. I will also include recipes on all the sides that go with a great steak dinner, as well as appetizers, soups and even desserts.

So why call it "Rick Tramonto’s Steak with Friends"? Well, the answer is twofold. First, the “friends” can be considered the ingredients and dishes that accompany a great steak dinner, beyond the cut of meat itself. The second meaning, and what I want to really discuss here, is the “friends” being people who truly enjoy a great steak, or any meat for that matter, including veal, lamb, pork and chicken.

Some of you may remember a certain little incident that played itself out in the press a few years ago and coincided with a political movement in the city led by a certain alderman that made a certain product illegal to serve in Chicago restaurants. Yes, of course I am talking about foie gras! Though the ban has been repealed, the main platform in my stance against it was that if foie gras goes (which is an easily targeted product that only a small percentage of the population even enjoys to begin with), what will be next? That is the red-button issue for me: having someone else try to dictate what I serve my guests or eat myself (environmental issues aside, as a chef I consider myself a steward of the Earth and understand the implications of over-farming, over-fishing and the inhumane treatment of animals). I respect the opportunity for people to choose whatever diet that they like to sustain themselves. My restaurants, for example, can prepare a vegetarian meal or even a vegan dinner given the proper notice (even the steakhouse, though we never get that many requests for that kind of thing there!). My point is that as a chef or operator, we all go to great lengths to accommodate our guests. It has always been my vision to find the best ingredients and cook them, grill them, season them, serve them up and let the customer enjoy. We create repertoires of recipes to appeal to any type of guest that walks through our doors, because at the end of the day, all of those guests are our friends and yes, that even means those who don’t eat steak!