Taste With Tori: Del Frisco's
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- He's a restaurant manager nicknamed "mayor" but he had nothing to worry about this election day.
Along with another manager they run a fancy Center City steak house.
CBS3's Vittoria Woodill takes us behind the scenes in tonight's "Taste With Tori."
When you walk through the doors of Del Frisco's Steak House you know you're going to have a big big experience.
And it's not all about the ambiance it's also about big flavors and big personalities.
General Manager Carmen Tesdesco and Assistant General Manager Drew Carballo make a dynamic duo.
No capes, just windsor-knotted neckties.
These two local guys with humble beginnings now run one of Philly's busiest high-end restaurants.
"I was the bus boy and dishwasher, I did two jobs," said Tedesco who started in the family's restaurant in Delaware County. "I was 13 running around like a nut."
Now Tedesco is running around Del Frisco's as the general manager.
"We treat everyone as if they were a guest in our home," he said. "A cocktail party in my own house."
Drew Carballo wants to make sure he talks to every diner to make sure they are having a perfect time.
"My job is to make Carmen's job easier," says Carballo.
Carballo is Tedesco's right hand man.
He also worked his way up in the business starting out at "Frank's pizza" in Cheltenham.
"Working at a young age, 13, 14, when you're in a really busy location like that I mean you really learn that you have to do everything," said Carballo. "At one point we'd be on the roof patching tar and the next thing we'd be cooking pies all night for hundreds of people."
Five hundred people go to Del Frisco's on an average night and the hours can be brutal.
Carballo often works 60 to 90 hours a week.
And he works the room like a guy running for office.
Carballo is known as the mayor and says it's because of how he takes care of the customers always making sure they feel special.
And the customers do feel special thanks to Carballo and Tedesco.
"You have a sense of like brotherly love here," said diner Dominic Simirglia.
"Everyone has been great terrific, delightful," Collette Johnson said from her cozy booth.
Of course it's not just Tedesco and Carballo making the magic happen.
In the kitchen, Executive Chef John Stritzinger is making sure those gorgeous steaks are seared perfectly and buttered.
"Our steaks are all prime, there's only a small percentage of steaks that can be considered prime so they're well-marbled and have great fat content," explained Stritzinger.
But let's not worry about the fat.
Enjoy a 32 ounce prime steak called "Wagyu".
It's on the menu for $89.
And don't forget the sides.
The menu lists a rich Lobster Macaroni and Cheese and a creamy Spinach Supreme.
Fabulous food in a luxurious atmosphere.
"I tell everyone here every night we're not serving, we're throwing a party," says Tedesco.
