 |
Our
respect for and appreciation of the special times,
unforgettable moments and honored guests who have passed
thru the doors at Pete Lorenzo's have moved us to
capture those images in this online scrapbook. It's an
ongoing process and we hope you will check back often as
we work to preserve and present the memories, history
and heritage that define Pete Lorenzo's.
COSTAS
IN CITY
|
11/21/2000
The
Trentonian
COSTAS IN CITY
Sportscaster
grabs a meal at Lorenzo's Cafe
by Scott Frost, staff writer
With
the sounds of the Philadelphia 76ers
10th-straight win echoing from the TV behind
him, Bob Costas - whose moniker is almost as
famous as his voice - visited one of the older
and more popular restaurants in the city last
night after he spoke at Princeton University on
the subject of the economics in Major League
Baseball.
"They
are a really talented team," Costas said as
he whisked out the door to catch an 8:30 p.m.
train at the Trenton Train Station across the
street from the 68-year old South Clinton Avenue
restaurant. "The East is really wide
open and the Sixers are a really good
team."
Visiting
the area, Costas was the guest speaker for
Professor Gene Budig's Economics of Baseball
class at Princeton University. Budig is
the former President of the American League.
Speaking
on what has turned out to be a steady increase
in Major League Baseball salaries in the last 10
years, Costas was fairly prompt for his 6 p.m.
reservation at Lorenzo's.
"He
put his arms around me and said I was the number
one valet in New Jersey," said Joe Solack,
the self proclaimed "Downtown Hero"
and parking lot attendant of Lorenzo's.
"He was a really nice guy."
The
staff at Pete Lorenzo's Cafe are certainly no
strangers to celebrities' appearances.
Solack
said in his 16 years working in the city, he's
rubbed elbows with a wide variety of celebrities
from Brooke Shields to Steve McQueen.
Guy
Bertone, who's tended bar at Lorenzo's for the
last five years, said former NBA great Oscar
"The Big O" Robertson comes in the
restaurant from time to time when he's doing
business in Trenton.
"You
can tell that he is really down-to-earth,"
Owner Armando Frallicciardi said about Costas.
|
Pete
Lorenzo's Restaurant as featured in: POLITIFAX
|
05/26/2004
POLITIFAX
A
Weekly Electronic Newsletter on Politics in New
Jersey
SCENES FROM LORENZO'S RESTAURANT
Charlie
Stile (The Record) as Chuck Haytaian
singing to Joe Doria to the tune of "Scenes
from an Italian Restaurant": A bottle of
white, a bottle of red / Perhaps a briefcase
filled with green instead. / We'll get a table
in the back / With the leaches and the hacks /
You and me, makin' deals. / A plate of
scoon-geel / A thick juicy steak. / Look!
another lawyer on the take. / We'll meet here
any time we want / At Lorenzo's
Restaurant." And "A bottle of
red! A bottle of white! / Trenton's insatiable
appetite! / We can watch it any time we want!
At Lo-renzo's Restaurant."
|
TRUMP
FOR TRENTON: Donald wheels & deals in city
|
08/01/2002
The
Trentonian
Column
by Charles Webster
Donald
Trump whisked into the city yesterday for a
casual lunch at Pete Lorenzo's Cafe on South
Clinton Avenue.
The Donald dined on a modest 14-ounce steak,
which he didn't finish.
There were no cigars. No alcoholic beverages.
The table ordered water, and the party of five
seemed to enjoy themselves, despite the lack of
alcoholic lubrication.
Trump was quite the host. Entertaining and
charming, he kept his lunch guests entertained
for over 2½ hours.
I literally stumbled upon The Donald's power
lunch yesterday.
Hoping to have a peaceful bite to eat with The
Trentonian's acting city editor Jeff Edelstein
and discuss anything but shoptalk, reservations
were made at Lorenzo's Tuesday afternoon.
The drive over was filled with small talk, but
when Armando Frallicciardi, the owner of Pete
Lorenzo's Cafe, sat us at our table we looked at
each other in disbelief -- instantly recognizing
that The Donald was seated just a table away.
Trump was sitting with West State Street
attorney Joel Sterns -- who is his attorney for
New Jersey matters -- and a member of the Gaming
Commission.
At first Trump kept a hand to his face, possibly
in an attempt to avoid detection, but once
Attorney General David Samson and an
unidentified female joined the small party of
three, The Donald opened up unreservedly.
According to Sterns, Trump was in town to meet
the Attorney General.
"The two men had never met before, and they
had arranged this lunch back several months
ago," Sterns explained. "It was really
just a very sociable lunch for no other
reason."
From our table we could pick up bits and pieces
of what seemed to be a lively conversation.
The Donald was overheard talking about Mike
Tyson and the difficulty the boxer has in
getting licensed to fight.
He was also overheard discussing the success of
a fight cooked up by friend Howard Stern.
Howard Stern Show regulars "Crazy
Cabbie" and "Stuttering John"
fought in front of a packed house at Donald's
Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
Trump was heard to think some future fight might
include Joey Buttafucco -- of Long Island "Lolita"
Amy Fisher fame -- and some well known female
celebrity.
Trump possibly said that Buttafucco could have
star quality, but didn't know how to classify
the celebrity fight to the gaming commission or
athletic commission.
The Donald discussed real estate. Million dollar
figures were tossed into the conversation, and
he even mentioned something about four percent
investments or return or three percent here for
something, but we couldn't figure out what he
was talking about.
About midway through the conversation, we
figured out that the discussion was centered on
Atlantic City.
A brief conversation later with Trump confirmed
our suspicions.
"We were discussing the future of Atlantic
City," The Donald said tersely, suggesting
we contact his attorney for any further
information.
Our original speculation was that Trump might be
talking up a project in Trenton. Why else would
he come to the Capital city, but then our food
arrived and we were quickly reminded that a
great many people and celebrities would travel
an hour or more for the delectable offerings at
Lorenzo's.
"There were no new projects discussed
during the lunch," Sterns assured.
"Nothing specific was discussed -- really
it was just a sociable get-together."
The Donald's table manners were impeccable. He
seemed to understand his celebrity status for
the other patrons in the room, which included
Trenton's Salvation Army Commander Lieutenant
Charles Balcom and a guest.
After lunch, the three state officials left
together and The Donald stayed behind to have
his picture taken with Frallicciardi.
After the photo was taken, The Donald insisted
that a copy be sent to him for his collection.
A quick exit through the door and out to a
waiting car, but not before he was chased down
by Lorenzo's server ... Jacquelyn Bucci, who
asked for his autograph.
"Mr. Trump, can I have your
autograph?"
Lorenzo's owner offered to pick up the check but
Trump refused presenting his platinum card,
which Frallicciardi pushed graciously away.
Sterns later returned and insisted on paying the
bill.
-- Charles Webster is business editor for The
Trentonian. |
[
back to top ]
[ back to homepage ] |
