Let's Eat

December 10, 2008

Engine 15 Pub is a hot spot

Owner jumps out of the fire and into the frying pan with restaurant venture

By CHRISTIAN MANAHAN
Staff Writer

EGG HARBOR CITY - During his 28-year career as a Newark firefighter, Tony Francavilla was the designated cook for Newark's bravest.
He said he received praise from fellow firefighters for the meals he prepared, to the point that guys were telling him to open his own restaurant when he retired.
“They would say to me, 'C'mon, Tone, you gotta open a restaurant,'” said Francavilla, who became a firefighter in 1974. “It was always a dream of mine, too. I'm Italian, so I love to cook.”
He retired in 2001, making his Manahawkin summer home his permanent residence. He eventually followed through with the idea of becoming a chef, and on Oct. 23, he and his business partner and longtime friend Joe Smith opened a restaurant on the 200 block of Philadelphia Avenue, in the building recently vacated by Old Bay Restaurant.
As a tribute, Francavilla named the restaurant after his last firehouse assignment. He said he wasn't nervous at all about going in the restaurant business.
“I ran into burning buildings for a living; this won't scare me,” he said Monday. “I'm very confident this will succeed.”
He said he knew immediately that the location was the perfect place to begin his business venture.
“When I walked in, it just struck me as the right place,” he said. “It had the right ambiance.”
He redid almost the entire interior and covered the walls with posters of well-known firefighter movies such as “Backdraft” (1991) and “Ladder 49” (2004), as well as firefighter memorabilia.
The employees wear blue T-shirts decorated with a firefighter's emblem.
Francavilla said firefighters have a certain “mystique,” and the restaurant plays that up.
“Everyone loves that mystique,” he said. “Firemen are so well-liked by the public.”
He brought in a whole new menu, making sure items are priced reasonably. It features recipes that he compiled during his career as a fireman. Fried calamari and buffalo wings are the top sellers, and there is an assortment of sandwiches and pastas.
“We offer a good old-fashioned family meal at a decent price,” he said. “Our fish is picked up on a daily basis, and soups and bread are baked on the premises.”
The bar menu features a series of “burger and beer” combinations.
“We came up with the idea of burgers of the world,” he said. “We created burgers with a country's theme and paired with a beer from that country.”
“The Mexican,” for example, is a burger topped with cheese and jalapeños and served with a Corona.
In tribute to those who proudly serve and ensure the safety of their communities, police, fire and rescue personnel who present an identification card receive a 10 percent discount off their bill, excluding alcoholic beverages.
“It is just my way of giving back to them,” Francavilla said. “Opening an establishment dedicated to civil servants such as firefighters, police officers and EMTs has been my lifelong dream.”
 

If You Go
Engine 15 Pub
236 Philadelphia Ave.
Egg Harbor City
(609) 804-8320
Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Credit cards accepted
Gift certificates available
Reservations optional


Customer Favorites
Fried Calamari ($7.95) Served with marinara sauce.
Buffalo Wings ($6.95) Eight buffalo wings prepared any way the customer requests, served with bleu cheese.
Fisherman Platter ($13.95) An assortment of tilapia, shrimp, clams and scallops, served broiled or fried with choice of potato, rice or vegetable.
8 oz. Rib Eye Steak ($14.95) served with Jack Daniel's sauce and choice of potato, rice or vegetable.
Cavatelli Alfredo ($12.95) Sautéed with broccoli rabe, sausage and creamy parmesan sauce.