Atlantic City, NJ Restaurant Devotes Exterior Wall to Anthony Bourdain

I really love the job that Ronald and Julie Aspell are doing in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

They don’t just own and manage great, local, iconic restaurants … they do it with such heart.

I love their passion.

I learned earlier today about an exterior wall at Tony’s Baltimore Grill that is devoted to a mural of the late Anthony Bourdain.

I learned about it from Bert Estlow, who posted the following on the “I GREW UP OR LIVED IN ATLANTIC CITY, NJ“ Facebook page:

Nice tribute at the old joint. — at Tony's Baltimore Grill, wrote Estow.

Back on July 9, 2024, Tony’s Baltimore Grill wrote the following on their (much appreciated by me) Facebook page that Bourdain would certainly have appreciated during his life that was cut short.

This isn't just a reminder of the wild shxx we deal with it's also a reminder that there are lots of people who are sad and suffering out there. it costs absolutely nothing to be kind. You just don't know what weight someone might be carrying. It's very easy to write off dine & dashers or people who Leave reviews like this as "asshoxx customers". But that's not really whats going on here. These behaviors are a symptoms of something else. I am only able to see things this way now because my spouse has filled my heart with so much empathetic love that when these things happen, I have no other choice but to take a step back and wonder how many times MY poor behavior towards others has been a symptom of something I had been struggling with. You can add this to an encyclopedic sized list of reasons why the Baltimore Grill continues to feed my belly & nourish my soul.

We’re very fortunate that during the current downturn in Atlantic City that there are good people like Ronald and Julie Aspell and Bart Blatstein … who are willing to invest millions of dollars in Atlantic City.

Atlantic City, New Jersey always has another comeback in “her.”

Atlantic City will recover from this downturn will, too.

NOTE: After publishing, we received this amazing narrative from Tony’s Baltimore Grill about why they did the Bourdain mural. Here it is:

We chose to put the Anthony Bourdain mural on the back of our building on STENTON Place on purpose.

We don't know for sure how many, but we do know that lots of people have driven or walked down that back alley carrying the weight of something else on their shoulders. Wether Its caused by addiction or a loss of purpose or direction, we all know the unbelievable pain of feeling uncomfortable in our own skin.

The news of of Anthony Bourdain's death shocked the world. we've asked ourselves the following: How could a person with the "worlds greatest job", adored by millions, worshiped by every cook waitress and bartender to ever live, have a fate such as this.

All we can come up with is that he would have traded positions with ANY of us to not feel the way did and not the other way around. It's important to remember that just because someone looks ok, it doesn't mean they are.

Tony Bourdains mission was to unify people through food. To further the idea that food is the common thread that binds us all, regardless our imperfections & differences. He also understood, like many of you, that the Baltimore Grill is more than just a pizza place.

Our mission w/ this mural is the to make the invisible visible and to remind people that they aren't alone, even if they feel like they are. no matter how desperate things may seem, the warming embrace of the Baltimore Grill is just around the corner.

We couldn't have made this happen without @create48 &@scottiemarsh