One of the challenges for a long-time Vero restaurant reviewer is finding new things to say about an old favorite where the performance remains consistent from year to year.
So it is with the Scampi Grill, which has been serving first-rate Italian fare seemingly forever in a nondescript building across 11th Avenue from the Patio in Vero’s old downtown.
About the only thing that has changed in the past decade is old timers still call it Mimmo’s Scampi Grill after its long-time chef, while new fans now simply call it the Scampi Grill.
Not that original proprietor, Mimmo, has disappeared. He still can be found many nights bustling around the attractively decorated trattoria performing front-of-the-house duties, greeting old friends, and making new ones.
But the kitchen has been gradually turned over to his son, Chef Alessandro Amelio, who has proven that culinary talent runs strong in the family DNA.
On a recent visit, Mimmo greeted us on a busy Thursday night and ushered us to a table in the crowded dining room (you really do want to make reservations).
Over the years, we have enjoyed a variety of excellent veal and pasta dishes there. But on this evening, we decided to focus once again on scampi dishes (it is, after all, part of the name).
For starters, our party of three voted to share two hot appetizers – the Rhode Island clams ($X.XX), which we have enjoyed many times before, and the calamari fradiavolo ($X.XX).
The little neck clams, sautéed with roasted garlic, fresh herbs, infused olive oil and finished in a chardonnay butter sauce, were tender and tasty, and the veteran server quickly offered to replenish our basket of bread so we could mop up every last drop of the sauce.
The calamari – sautéed with roasted garlic, fresh herbs and infused olive oil, and tossed in a spicy marinara sauce – were an even better choice, and we also mopped up the excellent marinara.
We then turned to salads. While I went with the complementary insalata mista, my husband and our companion both chose a Caesar for a $4.90 upcharge. My small mixed salad of baby field greens, sliced red onion and tomato, was drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. The Caesar salads were good, but not great.
For main courses, I chose the shrimp “al funghetto ($XX.XX). My husband, however, couldn’t resist one of the specialties of the evening, salmon Oscar ($28.95), and when he went off our original only-shrimp-entrées plan, our companion ordered one of her favorites, the chicken Francese ($XX.XX).
My dish consisted of pan seared jumbo shrimp, with wild mushrooms, Vidalia onions, roma tomato, and fresh basil, served over a bed of risotto. Excellent. Our companion’s chicken, sautéed with EVOO, fresh herbs, finished in a white wine lemon butter sauce and served with penne pasta, was equally good.
But the highlight of the evening was my husband’s salmon Oscar, a beautiful piece of hand cut wild Canadian salmon, perfectly prepared, topped with lump crabmeat, sautéed spinach and a light tarragon cream sauce. Fantastic.
For dessert, we decided to share a slice of lemon mascarpone cake — a great way to end the meal.
Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine, before tax and tip, is likely to run you $120.
This cozy trattoria, with paintings by Mimmo everywhere (including the restrooms), has if anything gotten better with the transition in the kitchen. Vero is not lacking for very good Italian restaurants – and the Scampi Grill ranks right up there with the best.
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.
