Da Mimmo

Da Mimmo, the Italian restaurant is a destination for many famous people travelling through Baltimore and a place where celebrities dine. The walls of its Roman Cocktail Lounge are adorned with photographs of Dustin Hoffman, Ben Veeren, John Travolta and Tom Selleck among other stars from the world of sports and entertainment.

Started by Mimmo Cricchio and his wife Mary Ann in 1984, Da Mimmo serves original family recipes handed down from generations past and creations gathered from chefs all over the world. When Mimmo passed away, Masood Masoodi the executive chef wanted to carry on the tradition of serving classic Italian food. Masoodi is so committed to this endeavour, that he recently spent three months in the kitchen of the famous Le Sirenuse, in Positano, South Italy learning new recipes. The result is new offerings of risotto alla pescatore, involtini di vitello and souffle di melanzane.

In true Italian style, the menu is segregated into antipasti, zappa or soups, salads, pasta, vegetable and dessert sections. Despite Shakespeare's observation on the unimportance of a name, when you order pollo, vitello, manzo or pesce, the pedestrian fowl, veal, beef and seafood take on a romantic and exotic flavour. And the crowning glory is they are lovingly cooked to perfection.

Some of the restaurant's signature dishes are veal chop Florentina, flatteringly cut at two and a half inch thickness, butter fried, and char broiled with extra virgin olive oil and a dash of rosemary, garlic and sage as also the popular swordfish Mediterraneo, fresh centre cut swordfish broiled to perfection with a touch of olive oil, lemon juice capers and onions.

The creamy lobster tettrazzini, open faced seafood ravioli and the tenderloin veal in black truffle Barolo wine sauce with brandy and black pepper are other mouth-watering options. Music fans would be keen to try the tortellini Pavarotti, created in Luciano Pavarotti's honor when the opera star dined there.

In the two decades since Da Mimmo started, it has won numerous prestigious awards for its cuisine and service, most recently "Favorite Restaurant in the State of Maryland" by the Restaurant Association of Maryland in 2008. The three dining rooms and the tented parking area have catered for large conventions of almost eight hundred. The complimentary limousine pick up and the free parking area add to the experience of warm Italian hospitality and great food.