Family returns to operate airport restaurant

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Oct 24, 2004 | by Cahalan, Steve

Members of the rock band Chicago were among those who, raved about the Italian sausage sandwiches that Tony arid, Colleen Balsamo served at their lounge, Mr. T's, at the old LaCrosse Municipal Airport terminal.

But you don't have to be a member of a classic rock group to be happy that Balsamos' popular Italian sausage sandwiches and Italian meatball sandwiches are back - on the menu at Vinnys Runway restaurant and bar - which will open sometime this week at the airport terminal. The La Crosse Common Council recently approved Tony Balsamo and his son, Jason Ninny" Balsamo, as the new operators of the airport's restaurant and bar. The airport had been without an eatery and bar since Amelia's closed June 30.

Airport Manager Dan Wruck said he is "very much" looking forward to Vinny's Runway opening. "The restaurant adds a lot to the whole service that's provided at the airport," he said.

"The timing seemed right, and I wanted Vinny to have his own place," Tony Balsamo said last week. "He has a lot of talent, and this is a good place to show off his talent."

Vinny, 26, has been cooking since he was in high school, and has been a professional cook for five years. He was executive chef at the Forest Hills restaurant from January 2002 until September, when he left to start Vinny's Runway. Before that,

he cooked at Fayze's and at the La Crosse Country Club.

Vinny will manage the airport restaurant and bar.

His father will help run it, and his mother will do the book work. She and Vinny's sister, Nikki, operate the LaCrosse Dance Centre, which offers dance instruction. Nikki also is a dance instructor at Viterbo University.

Tony and Colleen operated Mr. T's lounge at the old airport terminal from 1978 until 1989, when the new terminal opened.

They also operated The Brave Bull, an Italian and Mexican restaurant, at 304 Sand Lake Road in Onalaska, Wis., from 1983 to 1986. "We closed it because it got to be a little too much, operating both places, and we wanted to spend more time with the kids while they were growing up," Tony said.

All of the soups and sauces at Vinny's Runway will be homemade, he said. For their tomato sauce, the Balsamos still use. the recipe of Tony's mother, Maria. She was a chef in Madison for about 40 years, Tony said.

Vinny's will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Some appetizers include chicken quesadillas, buffalo wings, cheese curds, nachos and onion rings.

Some of the sandwiches on the menu include Italian sausage, Italian meatball, hamburgers, Philly melt, barbecue pork, Italian sub, chicken and fish. The dinner menu includes jumbo shrimp, pasta and meatballs, alfredo pasta, stir fry, filet mignon, country-style ribs and salmon fillet.

Besides people flying to or from LaCrosse, the Balsamos hope to attract area residents who just want to go out to eat. They will validate airport parking lot tickets for people who eat or drink at Vinny's Runway, so they won't be charged for parking when they leave.

The Balsamos also will contact local organizations to see whether they'd like to have lunch meetings at an airport conference room, with food made and served by Vinny's Runway.

And they may see a celebrity once in awhile, as they did years ago at Mr. T's in the old airport terminal.

"I met a lot of people over the years" at Mr. T's, Tony said. Such as members of the rock band Chicago, which performed in LaCrosse in 1983.

"I had my picture taken with (author) Mickey Spillane," Tony said. He also remembers talking to Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS for an hour when the band traveled to LaCrosse to perform, and visiting with members of the New York Knicks NBA team.