It was a close battle, but Seablue: A Michael Mina Restaurant Executive Chef Anthony Amoroso defeated Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto on The Food Network's "Iron Chef" that debuted Sunday.

"It was strange watching myself on TV," Amoroso says. "It was like when you were a kid the first time hearing yourself on a cassette tape and you say, 'I don't sound like that.' Yes you do."

Amoroso was recently named chef for the restaurant at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

The secret ingredient was one that put a smile on Amoroso's face when it was announced in Kitchen Stadium: branzino, which is also known as Mediterranean sea bass, a fish that the James Beard award winner has worked with extensively.

Amoroso's five dishes were: a crudo with avocado mousse, pickled pearl onion and basil gelee; tartare with a candied blood orange, oil-cured black olives and mint; smoked branzino with horseradish cr�me fraiche, capers and Granny Smith apples; a trio that included pickled, saut�ed and fried branzino, one with chorizo caramel and poached quail egg and another with littleneck clam bellies and almond milk; and a Pernod pot pie with sungold tomatoes, baby fennel and heirloom potatoes.

Morimoto seemed to pull out all of the stops, using hot rocks, shabu-shabu (hot pot) and also wrapping his main course in a banana leaf.

"I never really got to see close up what he did," says Amoroso, who won with a score of 49 to 47. "And I didn't know the point totals even though I expected it was going to be close. It was interesting to see what he produced and the amount of effort that went forth on his side makes me feel even better about winning. He certainly didn't lack for bringing toys. He wasn't short of techniques."

Amoroso and Seablue are considering offering a tasting menu based on the "Iron Chef" win to offer the customers at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa restaurant.

"I think that people would really love some of those items," Amoroso says. "We're working on it."

Amoroso never really thought too much about going on the network's top-rated show, but when the producers came after him, he had to consider the opportunity.

"It actually took me a couple of weeks to answer them because I was scared to death of it," Amoroso says. "I was totally flattered, but I was also really apprehensive and nervous. Being able to do anything good in 60 minutes is pretty tough. You can't even paint a door in your house really well in 60 minutes. But after I TiVo'd a bunch of them and watched them, I said, 'What the heck. I have to give it a shot. It's the ultimate honor.'"

After pondering his options of which Iron Chef to battle, he chose Morimoto.

"I figured I would go for broke," Amoroso says. "I think he's the most experienced and has the most pedigree and is the guy everyone really doesn't want to go against. So I figured if I was going to do this, I was going to give 100 percent and go down swinging or come out looking like I beat the best."

The Jersey City native is no stranger to working alongside amazing chefs, particularly Mina, who hired Amoroso to helm his Michael Mina restaurant at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where he earned a repeat Michelin Star. Amoroso also worked with Michael White and Rick Moonen at White's acclaimed Fiamma Trattoria & Bar at MGM Grand in Vegas and Moonen's Oceana and Branzini in New York and rm at Mandalay Bay in Vegas.

Vogue food writer and James Beard Award winner Jeffrey Steingarten, Asian food writer Akiko Katayama and Italian culinary specialist Mario Rizzotti were judges in Kitchen Stadium.

"They are tough," Amoroso says. "They are not nice. When they are talking to you, it's scary. You're going to hear stuff that you don't want to hear. They say a couple of things that make you feel better, and two seconds later they say something that brings you down again."

Replays are scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.