“Welcome to Mima Vinoteca – our menu reflects the freshest ingredients that the market will offer us.” So the menu greets all customers at Irvington’s popular Italian hot-spot on Main Street. Owners John Leggio, cousin Dana Santucci and her husband Armando, with Dana’s brother Robert and father, Phil, have joined forces to highlight the cooking of their “mimas”-- the Sicilian term of endearment for grandmothers.

To feature Italian regional specialties, the Leggio family, originally from Palermo and Ragusa, Sicily, dug deep into their grandmother’ favorites: the Sunday special recipes, and the secret preparation for each pasta dish. Mima Vinoteca’s customers are certainly lucky they did. The restaurant, which opened in January 2008, joins the Leggio family’s other popular dining establishments: Zuppe in Yonkers and Tramonte, in Hawthorne, which have both made their marks as authentic, classic Italian restaurants in Westchester, favorites for both lunch and dinner.

Cicchetti – fun, little snacks that are so popular in cicchetti bars throughout Venice – are a wonderful way to whet your appetite while deciding between extensive choices on Mima’s menu and specials list. Marinated carciofi (artichokes) are redolent of a delicate vinaigrette, fresh tasting, crunchy and distinctive, as are the peppers agrodolce, with just the right sweet and sour flavor that distinguishes much of Sicilian cooking. A specialty at Mima is the Salumi and Fromaggio (cured meats and cheeses) board. Diners can customize their choices as well as the number of selections. I wouldn’t miss the porchetta, thinly sliced and infused with a hint of rosemary, or the robiola from the Piedmont region. A signature “piatti picoli” or small plate, is eggplant polpetti, a small “meatless meatball” made with sautéed eggplant, riccota, and parmesan, rolled in panko and fried to a delicate crisp exterior, retaining a smooth, creamy inside that melts in your mouth. The polpetti are served on a San Marzano tomato-based sauce, finished with basil oil.

Executive chef Daniel Van Etten’s hand made pasta features spaghettini, a Roman style carbonara, and a revelation if one is used to the creamy, heavy American style. Chef Van Etten’s hand- rolled pasta comes bathed in pancetta, diced onions and peas. It is tossed with egg whites and olive oil, then finished with an egg yolk on top that, when mixed into this steamy combination of tastes, “cooks” into the sauce and complements the dish to perfection. John Leggio, ever eager to share narratives about Italian food, explained that the term “carbonara” refers to the black pepper in this pasta dish. But, the term originates with the coal miners working in the mines and eating their ghoulash-like daily pasta, with the ash or soot that settled onto their lunches. “Ours has plenty of freshly-ground black pepper – no black ash here,” John assured me.

Veal involtini, another Sicilian signature, is a revelation at Mima: thinly sliced and pounded veal, rolled with a mixture of pine nuts, currants, bread crumbs, parsley and cheeses, served with a delectable combination of braised escarole and borlotti beans, napped with a reduced sweet wine sauce (vin cotto). An abundant order of braised short ribs is served with parmesan mashed potatoes; orata (sea bream) is served with a lemon fennel gremolata –finely diced parsley, garlic and lemon zest - a black olive puree and leaf spinach. Specials may include a pasta topped with juicy swordfish chunks in a pomodoro sauce, or a grilled meat, such as ribeye steak. Watercress, organic lettuce or arugula salad each has multiple ingredients that compliment the fresh leafy taste of Mima’s greens.

Sicilians love their sweets, so allow room for dessert, because Chef Etten is also the pastry chef, and his home-made desserts are a perfect way to complete your meal at Mima. Bombolino – fried fresh ricotta – little balls of dreamy delight when dipped in caramel sauce, is a perfect choice for the table to share.

Mima Vinoteca’s all-Italian wine list, selected by Zuppe’s sommelier, Randall Restiano, covers every region in Italy, with 25 wines by the glass. All wines offered by the glass can also be tried as a half glass for sampling or food-pairing. That way, customers can try a variety of wines, in either a mezzo or quartino size. Daily wine specials are listed as well. “Taste the Food and Wine of Sicily,” a wine tasting in September, sold out immediately, so the Leggios are planning on having seasonal and regional wine-tastings in their charming back room as a regular feature. The name “vinoteca” is John’s creation, combing the traditional “enoteca,” or wine bar, with “vino,” and Italian vino is clearly a commanding feature at Mima’s. No wonder the bar is hopping every night.

While Mima has maintained the familiar atmosphere of the former tenant, Red Hat Bistro (which is thriving at its new location at the river’s edge), archival family photos adorning the warmly hued umber painted walls, new rustic Tuscan wood tables, commanding wine bottle rows, and a highlighted, glowing pressed tin ceiling enhance the interior charm. A favorite touch is signature napkins – moppinas. “Moppina” is Sicilian for dish towel,” John says, “Our grandparents used only one for the entire table; they were poor and everyone used the same moppina. Don’t worry, when you come here, you get your own moppina.”

The Leggio family has a legendary presence in Tarrytown, Ossining and Briarcliff, but Dana is quick to add, “We feel so fortunate to have come into Irvington when we did. We’ve have made wonderful friends already, the feedback from our customers has been so positive. Folks just love to walk in, and even during snowstorms, we’re busy.”

John Leggio, voted Best Host in Westchester Magazine, seems to know everyone who comes into Mima. While on a first name basis with many, if he meets you for the first time, he still makes you feel like a long-lost relative or friend. “People come to see John; he welcomes them into his home,” said Dana Santucci, who graciously hosts lunch. “That’s what we wanted Mima to be. We want our customers to come join us in our family kitchen.” And they do, happily.

Buon Appetito e Salute