Mio Fratello
What does it mean to be an ‘Italian Steakhouse,’ as Mio Fratello proclaims? Let’s start with some relevant ethnic facts: between 1900 and 1915, three million Italians immigrated to the U.S., the largest nationality migration during any period in American history. And bring with them native recipes and grandma’s dishes they did, transforming what Italian food means to America ever since. Cheap imitations followed, and today, pizza and chain Italian restaurants are the most prolific of all imported American cuisine, with Italian still the most “ethnic” food in the country. But Italian cooks quickly learned that Americans love their hunks of red meat, and it was only a matter of time before two Italian immigrants, Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi, opened a New York restaurant named after their hometown, Parma, later changed to ‘The Palm’ after the New York registry office misunderstood their pronunciation, adding steak as the main course. In the early days, whenever an Italian restaurant patron ordered steak, the owners rushed to a local butcher, adding the cuts to the Italian-inspired menu offering fresh ingredients – a mainstay of Italian cooking. Today, Italian steak restaurants offer classic Italian dishes with classic American steak – there is no such thing as an Italian-style prepared steak in U.S. restaurants – and Mio Fratello is no different. On most days, only two beef cuts are offered: ribeye and filet, and the rest is classic Italian fare with a red sauce flare. The American style Italian dishes are simple and good; nothing too fancy and nothing excellent. Mio Fratello is not high-end dining, but the prices (especially in the Delmarva region) suggest the kitchen should pay more attention to fresh ingredients than is presented. Dishes are not less than the mid to upper $20s, and while sides are plentiful, still, the casual diner may expect more attention to flavor and taste. Mio Fratello has great potential given its popular location, bountiful parking, white tablecloth appeal, and price range, but has a catering and mass audience feel to its cooking (it offers catering and a large private room for private buffet style events). The restaurant’s casual Italian food is presented in a casual family environment that appeals to seniors as well, and nobody will leave hungry. Still, Mio Fratello has been a popular Italian food destination for years, which says something about the local dining expectations of an Italian restaurant or the dearth of quality Italian food in all of Delmarva.
38016 Fenwick Shoals Blvd.
Selbyville, DE 19975
302-436-6400
