Ronnies Golf Hospital

Pro Shop & Driving Range

↘Continued from 78 this to do a house musical or play or do cinema. Unlike many theaters, we built this for us designed to our exact specifications for Spiegelworld.”

A Star is Born

Spiegelworld actually began not too far north in New york City on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport on the East River in 2006 with “absinthe.”

“I always loved the boardwalk … I always love the pier,” Mollison said. “at the time, it was a derelict pier, nobody could care less. you go back there now, and you look at what we helped create: a n entertainment mecca with restaurants. That’s what’s happening there right now, and we are pleased to have been part of it.”

Spiegelworld expanded there to include other shows, a restaurant, hammock garden, outdoor bars, VIP cabanas and a late-night music program. The company eventually toured before opening an enhanced version of “absinthe” at Caesars Palace Las Vegas in 2011 in a 650-seat spiegeltent – which is where Spiegelworld got its name – right outside Caesars’ main lobby before becoming such a hit that a custom-built, more permanent tent was constructed there. Still running, “absinthe” was named the No. 1 greatest show in Las Vegas history by Las Vegas Weekly. Having seen it – and most other long-running shows in Vegas – it’s hard to disagree.

Throughout the years, Spiegelworld returned to New york City with a new show, “Empire,” in Times Square, later touring it to Sydney, a ustralia, New Zealand, Tokyo, Portland, Toronto and Montreal; premiered multiple shows in Las Vegas, including “Vegas Nocturne” at The Cosmopolitan, among many other projects resulting in “Opium” and its outer space theme at the Cosmo in 2018 and its Wild Wild West-themed atomic Saloon Show in 2019 at The Venetian, the latter two which are both still performing.

In a pretty stunning move this past January, Spiegelworld purchased the whole town of Nipton, Calif., - population 15 to 20 - for $2.5 million, stating it will become its new base of operations and where Spiegelworld will “retreat to dream, create and undertake unfettered artistic experimentation.”

Libations Galore

you certainly won’t go thirsty inside – or outside - The Hook.

Right outside the main entrance guests can have a drink and a bite at Cheval de Plongee, a French, tonguein-cheek play on the bar that guests will first find when they walk inside, the Horse Dive Bar – obviously homages to the Steel Pier’s diving horse shows – that will feature a glow from the boardwalk through the stained glass.

Once they get inside the theater, there will be another as-of-nowunnamed bar, plus another inside Superfrico.

Each bar will have unique, themed specialty cocktails … nearly 40 in total, including a yummy, sweet but boozy Cracker Jack-themed one we were treated to on a recent tour.

“a ll of it is themed around this incredible story of what used to be an attraction in atlantic City, and it’s something we decided to look back at because it’s an incredible story,” Mollison said. “It’s an incredible part of history. But no horses will be diving. Both the Horse Dive Bar and Cheval de Plongee will have very different feels. On the Boardwalk you can have a delicious Superfrico chicken parm sandwich as well as an array of cold sandwiches. and, of course, there will be great cocktails on both because that’s the best way to enjoy a Spiegelworld show: With a cocktail in hand … or a beer of a glass of wine.”

Superfrico

Spiegelword’s Italian concept Superfrico is literally hidden backstage of The Hook.

The 150-seat restaurant opened its first location in Las Vegas in 2021, offering Italian, psychedelic comfort food featuring random live performances.

“It has always been close to my heart that when you go to a circus in Europe, they say, ‘Come back to our kitchen backstage and let’s have dinner after the show.’ and you go back and have dinner with all of the actors,” Mollison said. “That’s the modern hospitality concept here that combines entertainment and food and beverage of the absolute quality.”

When you first enter Superfrico, the Backdrop Bar will be the first thing you see and will feature a DJ. Then there are several small dining rooms, including The Dressing Room, some secret ones that guests will have to find when Superfrico opens, as well as the aviary, which will feature an audubon Collection from an esteemed amerian artist.

“I love the idea of being surrounded by the sea … and birds,” Mollison said. “Going to a restaurant … it’s not about the artwork matching the upholstery. It’s about the artwork matching the love of life. It’s very personal to me.”

The kitchen, a chef’s dream come true with all-new equipment and plenty of space, will crank out amazing pizza, square and round; appetizers like hamachi crudo, fried mozzarella, spicy soppressata meatballs and grilled oysters; pastas like shrimp scampi spaghetti, Trapanese pesto gemelli, beef cheek rigatoni and brown butter gnocchi; main dishes such as fresh fish, roasted sea scallops and chicken and eggplant parm; an array of steaks including a 40-ounce Tomahawk; and desserts ranging from roasted coconut panna cotta to banana walnut tartufo.

But Mollison promises atlantic City’s Superfrico will also be reverential to the history of atlantic City, particularly the legendary Hackney’s, which started as a clam shack in 1912 and grew to the largest restaurant in the world, featuring 3,200 seats and taking up a full block of the boardwalk along absecon Inlet by 1929. Even at that size, there were lines down the boardwalk to get in.

“There will be a couple homages to the menu,” Mollison said. “When I saw the old pictures of the staff dressed up as a lobster – what a fantastic piece of history. and who doesn’t love lobster? Why not celebrate that? Hopefully some of the dishes we create here, we can take out to Las Vegas.”

Mollison also said there will be a dining experience that comes in from the loading dock … “but that’s a secret.”

Countdown begins a lthough it is still under major construction, Mollison said both The

Hook, Superfrico and all of its bars will be ready by June 30. Reservations can already be made at Spiegelworld. com.

“This is going to give people an impetus to head to atlantic City instead of New york,” he said. “Come to an incredible restaurant and see an incredible show. There is nothing like this show in New york … no contemporary adult entertainment in this space. Fact check me: Tell me what is the closest thing Spiegelworld does to New york?”

No fact check needed. We believe you. and we know Spiegelworld will kill it in atlantic City.

Scott Cronick is an awardwinning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – "Off The Press with Scott Cronick" - 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also coowns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.