Friday, March 11, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: Owner: Piero's no 'mobster place'
Mike Simpson, left, and Kirk Kitts, busboys for Piero's Italian Cuisine, describe on Thursday how agents arrested two retired New York City police detectives.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.
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Add another spicy chapter to the mob lore that surrounds Piero's Italian Cuisine and the ritzy joint's Old Vegas rep.
Ever-feisty owner Freddie Glusman has a beef with Wednesday's raid at Piero's that landed two former New York Police Department detectives suspected of taking part in mob hits.
"Why arrest them in Piero's?" Glusman said Thursday. "They could have arrested them in the parking lot. They could have arrested them at home."
Glusman isn't happy that the feds, one armed with a submachine gun, stormed into his posh restaurant about 6 p.m. to take down Louis Eppolito and Steve Caracappa.
"It's not a mobster place," Glusman said. "Anybody who is anybody eats at Piero's."
"But that's fine. Thanks for the publicity," said Glusman, who showed up minutes after the arrests.
Glusman said only a handful of diners were in the restaurant when the two were grabbed as they approached the reservations desk.
With tongue in cheek, Glusman added that he was most upset that the feds "didn't cancel the reservation and didn't tip the valet."
Prosecutors allege Eppolito and Caracappa, retired New York Police Department detectives now living in Las Vegas, kidnapped and killed Eddie Lino, a Gambino family captain suspected of involvement in the 1985 mob hit of mafia boss Paul Castellano.
Eppolito wrote an autobiography titled "Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob" and appeared in the classic mob film "Goodfellas."
Before it became Piero's in 1988, its predecessor, Villa d'Este, was a favorite haunt of mobster Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang.
In 1994, Glusman allowed scenes of "Casino," another mob classic, to be filmed there, including a scene in which Joe Pesci, who played a character based on Spilotro, tossed Sharon Stone's character down Piero's backstairs.
The Scene and Heard
Hot spots and cool stuff: Jeff Gordon and a slew of NASCAR drivers, plus Freddie Prinze and party princess Tara Reid, are on the VIP list for "Beacher's Madhouse" tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel. ... Steve Garvey signs autographs and poses for photographs at Stars Live 365, noon to 2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. today and Saturday in the Showcase Mall at the giant Coca-Cola Bottle.
May I recommend ...
For the NASCAR crowd, the third-level outdoor patio at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville at the Flamingo Las Vegas, with its stunning Strip view and party scene, guarantees changes in attitude. Come Monday, it'll be all right. First come, first served on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. 733-3302.
Sightings
Peter Falk, George Segal and Rip Torn, being "arrested" during a scene shot Thursday at Sapphire strip club for the movie "Retirement." The arresting officer was local actor Tom Cassell. ... NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, making a delivery order with Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon on Thursday, part of a company promotion at the West Charleston location. ... A lot of happy faces at the Hard Rock Hotel's 10-year anniversary luncheon honoring 163 original employees. Prizes included a custom-built Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Rolex watches and seven-day vacations, including cruises.
The Punch Line
"We have a customer who called in for a reservation and asked, `What time is the raid tonight?' He owns a security company." -- Pat Goodwin, host at Piero's.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
