There's a 1940s-Style Supper Club Opening in Glenside This Summer

Dino's Backstage & The Celebrity Room co-owner Michael Kelly-Cataldi sang a little ditty over the phone during today's interview, and seconds later, replicated the shriek of an espresso machine's steam wand. "There will be none of that during a show," said Michael, "This place is being done from a performer's point of view."

On Wednesday, June 8, Michael and Dino Kelly-Cataldi will open their Glenside, PA supper club — a throwback concept of the 40s and 50s, made modern for 21st century sensibilities. The crystal-chandelier'd dining room, its tables swathed in white linen and walls decorated with murals and photos of Philadelphia's supper club past (table pictures at Palumbo's, The Latin Casino, Sciolla's Supper Club), harks back to a time when it was about "going out and dining, not just going out and eating" — a place to grab a drink, enjoy a full meal, and then stay for a show, be it casual live music, cabaret, or whatever act Michael and Dino book for the night.

Dino comes from a restaurant background. Philly restaurant historians might remember a late 80s Port Richmond restaurant named Napoleon Cafe, which moved to Center City in '96, before NJ transit system PATCO sucked the life out it, barricading its entrance with a chain link fence for construction purposes. Now, Dino is back in the game with a brand new kitchen and a dining room seating close to 150 people, if you include the outdoor patio. Expect a menu of "finer dining" Americana classics, heavy on the steaks (look for the return of the Châteaubriand for two), seafood, and entrees with a slight Italian lean, "It is called Dino's after all."

Look for The Celebrity Room in the back. Decked out in old-school entertainer portraits of yore, and fit with a piano and zebra-print carpet (all in good taste — Dino and Michael own Kelly-Cataldi HOME, a home furnishings and design store right across the street), The Celebrity Room will be Dino's entertainment venue, fully equipped with theater-grade sound, guest dressing rooms, and an intimate seating arrangement of up to 55 people. Ticket prices will depend on the act, but suppose around $20, and a little higher for national names. And for the show-goer's of our region, rest well knowing that Michael, a professional singer and performer himself, knows a thing or two about the merits of an unobstructed performance experience. No whirring frozen drink machines, no whistling espresso-makers, no groups being too chatty — just the show and the people who paid to enjoy it.

Hours will go from Wednesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to close, with brunch on weekends. Live music will play as long as the doors are open.