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Salvetti Brother's Italian Restaurant
"New York Style Italian Cuisine and Pizzas"
4505 Bienville Blvd, Ocean Springs, MS (228) 875-0120
When Salvetti Bros. first opened its doors in Ocean Springs it appeared that the owners were determined to create an atmosphere that fit every cliche a Mississippian could have about what a New York Italian Restaurant should be. You would walk in the door and be confronted with pictures of Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Marisa Tomme. Dean Martin would be singing "That's Amore" on the stereo and the entire place smelled of garlic. The only thing they missed that would have placed the restaurant firmly in a 3rd rate knock off of The Godfather was old Chiianti bottles with multicolored candle wax streaming down the sides.
Once I brought myself to get past the stereotypes I soon discovered that the food was actually very good. Although I have never been to New York myself, I can attest to the fact that the food at Salvetti Bros. is unlike any other Italian fare offered on the Coast. I will leave the debate about its New York authenticity to those who know better than I.
The fare at Salvetti Bros. is decidedly Sicilian. Thick, flavorful red sauces top a multitude of pastas. I find the tomato sauce to be much less sweet than that which is commonly served in this part of the country.
The Menu is structured in such a way as to allow the diner to build his or her entree to suit their taste. You pick Marinara or Alfredo, add to that any combination of Italian Sausage, Chicken, Meatballs, or Meat Sauce, and then select from several different styles of pasta. Everything from Angel Hair to Penne is available and is cooked "al dente" just as it should be. If you want mushy, over cooked pasta please go to the Olive Garden. Along with the basic pastas are the items you would expect; Chicken or Eggplant Parmesan, and Veal Piccata or Marsala.
They offer nice salads with a multitude of greens with chick peas and several dressings made fresh in house. The kitchen also offers Callzones, Stomboli, and without a doubt the best pizza in Ocean Springs, possibly the entire Coast. Their pizza strikes me as having all the features I have heard used to describe great New Your Style pizza. It is an extremely thin crust baked in an oven that causes it to become crisp and have little black specks on the bottom with a wonderful smokey quality. The sauce is tangy and not too sweet. All the usual ingredients are available along with a few local items such as shrimp. I suspect that the crust and sauce are baked a bit first then the ingredients are added just before baking is complete. This is a nice touch.
One thing that greatly pleases the Covert Diner is the fresh baked bread served with a delightful garlic butter. This butter at one time featured large chucks of fresh chopped garlic, but has been toned down quite a bit over the years.
The garlic content of the butter is not the only thing to have evolved. Gone are the tacky studio 8x10's of Italian-American actors and singers. The decor has been given a local flavor by featuring a series of Gulf Coast murals by local artist Stig Markinson.
Dino can still be heard occasionally on the stereo but now several nights a week they feature a live pianist offering classic standards and show tunes played in a non-intrusive manner. The music is a welcome touch. The musician does have a tendency to play some songs slightly off tempo which has lent itself to a version of "Name That Tune" enjoyed by my daughter and myself.
The atmosphere in the dinning area is quite romantic with the soft music and candle light throughout. The smoking and non-smoking sections are adequately separated.
As for criticisms of Salvetti Bros., it would be nice to see if these guys could stray from their Sicilian roots. I would love to see what this place could do with some of the local seafood perhaps prepared in a Northern Italian manner.
The Diablo Sauce is not nearly as spicy as it was years ago. This may have been the result of requests from timid customers but it was a wonderful dish before and should at least be offered in its original form.
Furthermore, I would enjoy seeing more variation in the Marinara used. It is a very good marinara but subtle changes from the Chicken Parmesan to the Italian Sausage over Angel Hair would be a welcomed treat.
Prices at Salvetti Bros. are reasonable. Entrees with meat in the low teens. A couple can easily have a complete dinner with a couple of glasses of wine for under $50.00.
The Salvettis are building a new restaurant a little further west on Highway 90, still in Ocean Springs. There is no word yet if this will be a second location or will replace the current one. If it is a replacement I hope the positive features of the current establishment will transition well and the new space will provide opportunities to attempt new things. One thing that would be welcome to many Ocean Springs residents would be a delivery service. This would be popular even if limited to only the pizza.
I find Salvetti Bros. to be a very enjoyable place to spend a quiet evening enjoying a good meal.
Accept all major credit cards
Open 7 days a week, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Reservations recommended
Last Updated: 5/11/02
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