Rehoboth Foodie

A couple of miles west of Fenwick Island on Rt. 54 there's an interesting little enclave of restaurants that the Foodie feels obligated to bring to your attention. Not that he wants you to leave Rehoboth, mind you, but if you one day find yourself trekking the southern feeding grounds, the Foodie does not want you to be undernourished. One of the newbies down there is a little place called Mio Fratello. They bill themselves as an "Italian Steakhouse," with a busy bar filled with locals. Though Mio Fratello tries to be fine dining (what with the white tablecloths and all), the noisy bar in the dining room and the over-amplified "Team Trivia" game made any attempt at "fine dining" futile. Other than that, the food is pretty good.

On the last visit we started with the lobster ravioli. Though it was, in fact, delicious, it was much too small a portion to justify the $12.95 tariff. All it left me was wanting more. I also had the Chopped Antipasto Salad which was OK, but not "finely" chopped as the menu promised. Others at the table had the Sauteed Broccoli Rabe (bright and citrusy with the lemon, and actually quite good) and the Caesar Salad (also pretty good, with the Pecorino/Romano cheese adding a nice bite).

The star of the show that evening was the Eggplant Parmesan. Constructed almost like a lasagne with mozzarella and ricotta, it was particularly firm and flavorful--and a generous portion too. Well worth the $13.95. I got the Chicken Parmesan, with the chicken pounded nice and thin with a particularly flavorful crust. I suggest ordering the sauce on the side for dipping or drizzling so as not to allow the crust to get too soft. A happy little surprise was the pasta side--gnocchi! Well cooked but still firm, they were a nice shift from boring spaghetti. Others at the table had the Veal Parmesan (prepared like the chicken, but not quite as thin and crispy), the Veal Saltimbocca (with the side of spinach risotto earning honorable mention) and the Chicken alla Siciliana (almost an "Oscar"-like presentation with prosciutto, asparagus, a wine sauce--Marsala, of course--and melted mozzarella). Overall, Mio Fratello's red sauce bordered on the sweet side (not a personal preference of mine), but not nearly as sweet as other places I've reviewed.

The service was OK, if not a bit frenetic. The hostess was doing a good job running orders for the servers, and I suspect they might have been shorthanded, or hadn't anticipated the almost full-house they had. Hopefully the service issues were a temporary situation.

I am curious to try their "steakhouse" offerings, and several of them sound pretty good (especially the filet stuffed with crabmeat, wrapped in bacon and served au poivre). Has anybody out there had that? If so, please post a note below and share your thoughts.

We would have had dessert, but we high-tailed it out of there when the "Team Trivia" started. Though the game is fun, it just didn't seem to fit with the ambiance that Mio Fratello appears to be trying to achieve. Keep in mind that your Foodie was a professional musician for many years, so it takes a lot for him to cover his not-quite-so-delicate ears. If they're going to do the game regularly, the bar needs to be more separated from the dining room.

Mio Fratello is about 2 miles down Rt. 54 from Coastal Highway in a little cluster of stores on the left. If you're making a special trip, give 'em a call just to make sure: (302) 436-6400. (L., D.) Price range: Moderate +.