Yo Cuz!

Chef Steve Martorano’s plans.

Steve Martorano — chef and owner of restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Las Vegas — received something on Friday morning that he’d wanted for two decades: A liquor license for his namesake Cafe Martorano on Oakland Park Boulevard.

“We were real close to another bar, and you had to be a number of feet away,” Martorano says of his years-long battle to serve liquor. “I think Fort Lauderdale finally loos-ened up a bit so businesses could grow.”

Martorano always has had a stellar wine list, featuring Italian and American wines.

“This just opens the door to the young generation in their 30s, who want a martini before dinner,” he says.

Cafe Martorano, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, closes every September so the staff can take a breather and the restaurant can be redone. When guests return at the end of the month, they’ll find a full bar of premium liquor to order from. Martorano will be hiring bar staff who will use only fresh-squeezed mixers and top-shelf liquor brands.

The chef says he routinely loses customers after dinner. As much as they enjoyed his reimagined Italian-American dishes, his nightclub-style music and his retro movie and TV selection, theywanted to party while enjoying a cocktail.

Instead of closing most nights by midnight, Cafe Martorano will stay open until 2 a.m. and serve appetizers from a newbar menu after dinner service. His other restaurants always served liquor.

Martorano also learned that his self-published book, “Yo Cuz! My Life My Food My Way,” has been picked up by Random House. The book, published last year, is a combination of autobiography, inspiration and recipes.

“I was turned down by a couple of publishing companies, so I could only sell it in the restaurants,” he says. “We sell about 400 copies a month out of the three restaurants. They want to come out with a second edition with more stories, more recipes and more food pictures.”

Expect a fall 2013 publication.