It’s summer dining time again, and we’re starting this year’s reviews with a visit to one of the innovators among restaurants offering summer specials – Mimmo’s Scampi Grill in Vero’s old downtown.
Each year, the Scampi Grill’s summer offerings seem to get more expansive. This year, the attractively decorated trattoria in the old downtown is offering five deals, a different one for each night of the week it is open except Saturday, culminating with one of the most popular bargains in town: the Friday “Couple’s Night” special – dinner for two plus a bottle of house wine for $50.
While we have enjoyed that in the past, we knew the restaurant was sure to be packed this past Friday by hungry First Friday gallery strollers. So we decided to visit on Thursday – “Dinner from the Sea” night – and try the three-course seafood dinner for $21.95.
Like all of Mimmo’s summer promotions, there thankfully is no early dining requirement. So we presented ourselves at Scampi Grill shortly before 7:30 on Thursday, and were mighty happy we had a reservation. At 8 pm, the dining room was full. Did someone say something about “off season.”
The Thursday special does not include wine, but we ordered a nice white at a reasonable price to accompany the seafood.
For the first course on this special, you get a choice of three seafood appetizers. I ordered the calamari fradiavolo, and my husband chose the Rhode Island clams.
The tender calamari were sautéed with roasted garlic, Italian herbs and infused olive oil, and tossed in a spicy marinara sauce. They were as good as they sound. My husband, meanwhile, was savoring the Rhode Island little neck clams, also sautéed with roasted garlic herbs and infused olive oil, and finished in chardonnay butter.
It was hard to decide which of these two dishes was better for mopping with the Scampi Grill’s warm garlic bread.
Then for the second course, I chose the soup of the day – an absolutely sensational Italian seafood soup – while my husband enjoyed a very nice house salad.
For the main course, there were five choices: three of Mimmo’s most popular shrimp dishes, the “ultimate vongole,” or the scungilli ala vodka.
I decided to go with the shrimp and artichoke Francese – tender baby artichokes and shrimp lightly egg battered with Italian herbs, roasted garlic, and finished in a lemon caper butter sauce and tossed with linguini. The dish was wonderful.
My husband was similarly enthusiastic about the scungilli, very tender slices of conch, prepared with roasted garlic, pecorino Romano cheese, Vidalia onions and cracked black peppercorn, finished in a light vodka cream sauce. This dish was accompanied by a side of pasta in an olive oil and garlic sauce.
Whether it is with veal, seafood or some other dish, the sauces here are wonderful; unlike those at so many local restaurants, the Scampi Grill’s sauces complement the food instead of overwhelming it.
As we have suggested many times, Mimmo’s ranks right up there with the best of Vero’s Italian restaurants.
If you are a wine lover, by all means try Monday’s half price wine special. Tuesday’s “night of pastabilities” gives you a choice of seafood, chicken, beef or veal for only $15.50. And Wednesday this year is “fresh catch night,” offering a two-course dinner that includes local yellowtail snapper for $21.
But you can’t go wrong with “dinner from the sea” on Thursday. And the Friday couples night menu remains a great way of enjoying the best of the Scampi Grill at a great price.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at [email protected].
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
