Ivyland Restaurant Marks Fifth Birthday

It was about 60 years ago that Tony Mallamaci opened up a small corner bar in South Philadelphia known as Tony’s Place. Famous for their homemade tomato pie, Tony’s Place quickly expanded into a bustling business.

By 1980, people were lined up out the door every Friday and Saturday night, trying to get a taste of the South Philly cuisine.

Now, if you don’t happen to live in Mayfair, you don’t need to worry. The five-year-old Ivyland location is a perfect alternative. Located off of Bristol Road, the site where an old biker-bar with a bad reputation, Ivyland Café, used to be, this baby brother establishment is growing in popularity.

Celebrating its fifth birthday on Saturday, the Tony’s Place Bar and Grill in Ivyland held a small party – which seemed to be more of a surprise party on account of the guests being completely unaware of the event when they came to lunch between 2 and 6 p.m.

Now, before going any further in describing the party and the restaurant itself, there’s something that needs to be explained that only those who have gone to Tony’s can tell you. That insider secret is that Tony’s Place is practically two different restaurants – the inside dining area and the outside patio have two, completely different atmospheres.

“We didn’t plan it that way” Joe Mallamaci said, who co-owns the bar and grill with his wife Suzann. “The clientele decided the atmosphere. When we noticed that certain people were congregating outside and how they differed from the people that liked to eat inside, we cultivated that idea and started designing the two dining areas to reflect what the customers were looking for.”

It’s this reason that makes it easiest to describe Tony’s Place by breaking it in half: The inside, and the out.

During the celebration, the inside’s dim lights, plentiful stained wood and peaceful ambiance made it a perfect place to enjoy a quiet lunch or dinner with family and friends. At one of the large oak tables was a family of 10 enjoying their lunch and even the 2-year-old boy was compliant with the relaxed mood that filled the dining room.

Televisions loom in every corner, trumped only by the 90-inch full pull down projector screen playing a football game. Despite the fact that sports games were on every screen, Manager Beth Williams claims that Tony’s Place is far from a sports bar.

“I found that more people come to be with friends and their families than to watch the games” Williams said, “The TVs are more of just a back drop for their meal.”

The intimacy that’s kept inside could not be more different from the festive vibe on the outside patio. Without so much as a bass beat being heard from the inside dining area, the only clue that there was fun happening elsewhere is drawn from a sneaking glance out one of the few windows that line the far wall.

The outdoor patrons were hurrying up to form lines at the buffet table like a high school cafeteria at lunch. At first, only the rolls and vegetables were going, leaving the roasted hog – laid out on the table like an oddly shaped hot dog – completely untouched. I suppose that people around Ivyland don’t like eating anything that might resemble Wilber.

In time though, the ice was broken when a large man in work boots and a red shirt that read “God Bless America” returned to his seat with what looked like a turkey leg. Seeing how there’s no cute stories with a turkey as the main character, people started filling their plates.

Behind the curtain of this gourmet (and free) meal, was Executive Chef Larry Fullbright.

Serving meals to hungry customers at Tony’s Place for all five years, Fullbright gathered a background in fine dining while working at the Brick Hotel in Newtown.

“I worked there for forever,” Fullbright joked. Since coming to Tony’s Place, Fullbright used his experience to fine-tune the menu and add his own recipes. But nothing can outgun the power and simplicity of Tony’s famous tomato pie.

With a thin crunchy crust and a secret homemade tomato sauce, the pie serves as an ideal snack for sharing over a few drinks – not saying of course that it’s easy to share.

Behind the food was a two man band stationed under a tiki-style, tropical-looking straw umbrella – equipped with a keyboard and a steel drum. By the time they started to play, around 3 p.m., and the steel drum player began banging the warped metal bowl, the happy go-lucky, care-free nature of the patio was in full swing.

The only sound heard over the festive music was a murmur of conversations. With the warmth, laughs, and the cheerful music, it felt as though we were no longer in Ivyland, but at a tropical resort complete with representatives from Twisted Tea – two young women – handing out free merchandise to anyone drinking their product.

“We try to add something new every year,” Joe Mallamaci said, “Last year we added the garden area.” Mallamaci, who worked on the corporate side of things for 10 years, is happy to be getting his hands dirty again working on the front lines.

“It’s a challenge,” he said, “And it’s exciting and rewarding.”

As a Bucks County native, Mallamaci appreciates the location of the bar and grill and in essence, the bar reflects the neighborhood, not the other way around. It would seem that Tony’s Place is really everyone’s place. Customers like Nathan Kauffman and his wife Stephanie, who have been coming to Tony’s Place since it opened in 2006, explained, “We like to come here two to three times a week for dinner. The food is amazing here.”

The couple shared jokes, laughs and lunch and were joined by Ivyland resident Darrah Raysik – who also had a good sense of humor on hand.

This same attitude was shared at almost every table. A fun, “Thank God it’s Friday” attitude. And despite being outside and next to a semi-busy roadway, the only time you’d know it was when a group of 20 or so bikers came roaring by – possibly some old patrons of the Ivyland Café, still searching for a new place to gather.