Diners flock to V&M Italian Bistro
BRANDYWINE HUNDRED – On a frigid Friday evening, a milling crowd gathers outside the front door of Vincenza & Margherita Italian Bistro.
Inside, couples, standing in the foyer or camping on couches near the hostess stand, juggle glasses of red wine in one hand and bulky winter coats in another. Every stool is occupied at the lively bar where a bartender sprinkles a specialty martini with golden sugar stars.
Walking into this bustling restaurant on a weekend evening without a reservation isn't a smart move. We have one, but all 99 seats to be had have already been had.
Even though our reservation was made days in advance, there's at least a 20-minute wait for a table.
The scent of garlic and classic red sauce hangs heavy and ignites the appetite. Wafting aromas of freshly baked bread, on tantalizing display near the front door along with an array of calzones and pizzas, are a cruel tease and can nudge the hungry almost past the point of polite patience.
As difficult as it might be to wait for the lingerers to leave – no one wants to leave a good party early – try to be a good sport.
Vincenza and Margherita Carrieri-Russo, the gracious sisters who run the eponymous restaurant at 1717 Marsh Road with their parents and two brothers, are working hard to ensure a pleasant experience will be had by all.
The family passes around plates stacked with complimentary chunks of warm focaccia for all those waiting. Breaking bread, along with heartfelt apologizes, are the goodwill gestures that seem to soothe.
Residents of northern Wilmington have a huge appetite for new restaurants that can't be sated. If you build it, they will come – and want dinner.
I can't tell you how often people ask about the opening of Goat Kitchen & Bar, the new eatery former Buckley Tavern's owner David Weir has created nearby on Marsh Road. (The anticipated Feb. 1 date has come and gone, but Weir says to keep checking the Facebook page. He also has hinted he might just open the doors one day with no notice.)
And Bella Coast Italian Kitchen & Market on Concord Pike, a casual Italian concept from the Big Fish Restaurant Group, has seen a steady stream of customers since its December opening.
V&M which opened October 2014 in the Marsh Triangle, across from the Graylyn Shopping Center, is busy for good reason.
Dip some of the homemade bread in a bowl of mussels and spicy, full-flavored marinara sauce – it's the must-try dish – and you'll understand what I mean. The restaurant also features a menu of Italian standards such as pasta e fagioli, spaghetti alla puttanesca and chicken parmesan.
Sure, it's easy to sigh – oh, another Italian-American restaurant – and Delaware does seems to have almost reached its capacity for this cuisine. But the Italian chefs, who include family patriarch Vincenzo Carrieri-Russo, Giuseppe Furio and Giovanni Cardillo, make sure there's more here than meets the eye.
Vincenza says the family has been overwhelmed by the positive reception from diners. 'We have been absolutely taken back by how welcoming everyone has been and how vibrant the neighborhood is. We were not expecting it."
The sisters credit their strong family foundation for their success. "Mom is the glue that keeps us together," she says. Their chef-father is "our mentor." Two brothers help keep the front and back of the house running smooth.
The family calls V&M Bistro "a casual dining experience with a fine dining flair."
Indeed, all traces of the restaurant's past lives as a liquor and comic book store are long gone. The tile and lighting in the dining room and wall-mounted fireplace are high-end, the bar has a rich purple and sometimes green glow and the wine display in front of a private room is impressive.
Yet, though a casual atmosphere is stressed, it still seems odd when patrons are handed no-frills, folded paper menus seemingly more appropriate for a casual pizza parlor than a sit-down restaurant.
Prices seem to have been crept up a bit since my first visit four months ago. While I noticed a $16 pasta dish with clams is now $2 more than it was before, it should be noted icy weather and record-breaking temperatures have impacted shellfish prices this winter.
Some people have mentioned to me portion sizes could be more ample, yet I'm pretty sure they haven't ordered the signature veal chop ($31). This formidable dish is anything but stingy.
Vincenza says there have been menu changes since the opening. They've listened to feedback from customers and have made changes and modifications. When few diners seemed thrilled with an authentic Italian dish served in aluminum foil – "it was not pleasing to the eye," Vincenza says – it was 86'ed.
She says the menu now has a more Italian-American presentation, though I'm glad to see grilled octopus served on a bed of fennel and arugula. Among the toothsome homemade pasta, you'll find dishes such as timballo, a "meat lovers delight in a lasagna style pie," topped with both red and béchamel sauces. It's the dish best known from Stanley Tucci's 1996 movie, "Big Night." The mozzarella is house-made and so are the desserts.
Some servers seem green, but if Vincenza or Margherita guide the evening, consider yourself very lucky. The charming siblings describe dishes in loving detail and make a great team. Ask for their recommendations; they won't steer you wrong.
Meatball snobs will be hard to find fault with the trio of beauties served here. The velvety meatballs ($10) are stuffed with Fontina and rest in the tomatoey rich "Sunday sauce."
Skip the bruschetta ($9); there are better appetizers. For instance, you certainly won't go wrong with the mussels ($12) sautéed in garlic and marinara. This dish is about as perfect as you'll find. Grilled octopus is not quite as memorable. While the octopus, the meatiest of seafoods, was tender and served on a fresh and light bed of fennel and arugula, it wasn't dressed with enough olive oil and lemon.
When the restaurant gets crowded, the wheels can start to fall off. There are several standout dishes, though consistency can be spotty.
There was a long wait between appetizers and dinner and, during one visit, when the main entrees arrived, there were problems with temperature.
Pasta with white clam sauce, a dish I thoroughly enjoyed on a previous visit, came to the table lukewarm. Vitello principessa ($27), or veal medallions topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and asparagus in a brandy cream sauce, was returned to the kitchen because it was too cool.
The plate was whisked away and a new, hot one was delivered. The meat was tender, this wasn't a reheat, and the smooth sauce was so rich, you'll feel a little naughty eating it yet you won't want to stop.
Margherita told us the chicken parmesan ($21) is a customer favorite. The breaded patty was moist and very good, but if truth be told, I prefer the jumbo veal parmigiano, served over pasta, in all its Fred Flintstone glory. The French cut chop, known as Lombata di Vitello, is butterflied and tenderized so beautifully, you don't need a steak knife to cut it.
Shellfish lovers will not go wrong with linguini fruitti di Mare ($23), clams, mussels, and shrimp, in the same tasty red marinara as the mussels appetizer.
Try to save room for dessert. The vanilla ice cream with black cherries and the tiramisu have become favorites.
If you want something lighter, the peach sorbeto ($7) served in a scooped-out peach, makes a refreshing end. But even better still could be an after-dinner digestivo such as the limoncello martini with its large scoop of fresh lemon water ice plopped in the center of the glass.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico.
IF YOU GO:
Vincenza & Margherita (V&M) Italian-American Bistro, 1717 Marsh Road, Wilmington, (302) 479-7999; www.vmbistro.com Reservations strongly suggested.
Hours: Mon.-Sat lunch is 11 a.m. to 4 pm; dinner 4 to 9 p.m.; dinner Fri.-Sat. is 4 to 10:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Tasteful finds: Homemade meatballs stuffed with fontina cheese ($10); mussels in spicy marinara ($12); signature veal parmigiano ($31); vitello principessa (veal with jumb lump crabmeat and asparagus in brandy cream) $27; linguine frutti de Mare ($23).