Two Delaware Restaurant Rivalries

In Delaware, people take their food seriously. Some types of food and cuisine are accepted for what they are. Other types, however, provoke a rabid response when discussed and, depending on with whom you are chatting, those responses will vary.

Two of the largest rivalries in the state are a pair of sub shops and a pair of Italian restaurants. I decided to find out for myself if I preferred one over the other or if I was going to be that rare Delawarean who remains neutral.

Rivalry One: Casapulla's Sub Shop vs. Capriotti's Sub Shop

Casapulla's Sub Shop, Various Locations

In 1956, Luigi and Anna Casapulla, fresh off the boat, bought a small grocery store on a quiet side street in Elsmere. Realizing that he could not compete with the new, larger grocery stores, Luigi began to make subs and steaks from the Italian meats he had in his store.

Although there are now seven locations (five in New Castle County, two in Sussex County), the Elsmere store still retains that sense of an old Italian grocer. It is clearly family behind the counter and they know the majority of the customers who walk through their doors. In addition to the subs and steaks still on offer, there are a multitude of other choices from which to choose. And, there are still plenty of groceries on hand to pick up while you are there.

The small Italian sub is seven inches which is more than enough for a meal. It contains genoa salami, capicola, peppered ham, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and oregano. You can choose to add pickles, hot peppers, and sweet peppers. All of this goodness is stuffed into a homemade roll that is soft on the inside, but crunchy on the outside.

It is an excellent sub, reasonably priced. I always get two meals out of it.

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, All Over the Country

Although the company is officially based in Nevada now, the original Capriotti's was a sandwich shop opened in 1976 by a pair of siblings who named their Wilmington Little Italy based shop for their grandfather. Over the years, it has grown until now there are now over 110 locations around the country. When a branch finally opened in Washington D.C., Joe Biden was the first customer through the door.

They are most famous for their Bobbie sandwich. Basically Thanksgiving dinner in a sandwich, it is a wildly popular choice that has been called "The Best Sandwich in America." It is too much for me, but I know people who go out of their way to get their hands on one.

I prefer the small Italian sub. At eight inches, it is more than enough for two meals. It contains exactly the same ingredients as Casapulla's above and it is also served in freshly baked bread. It is a very good sandwich.

Final Decision: The subs are, I hate to say it, pretty interchangeable. This is not being disparaging as they are both delicious. Capriotti's is slightly bigger; Casapulla's is slightly less expensive.

Which ever one you choose, you will not be disappointed.

Rivalry Two: Mrs. Robino's Restaurant vs. Ristorante Attilio

Mrs. Robino's Restaurant, Wilmington

In 1939, Tresilla Robino started feeding her neighbors, fellow Italian immigrants, using three tables in her kitchen. In a very short time, there was a line outside her front door and she decided to open a restaurant. In 1940, she bought the building that still houses the bar and the kitchen and the restaurant has remained in her family ever since. It has expanded over the years to include properties next to it so the dining room is now in what was once her next door neighbor's living room.

Mrs. Robino's menu is to the point. A few appetizers, a few soups, a few salads and then a preponderance of pastas and sauces. There is also the mandatory chicken and veal dishes with a few specials thrown in for good measure. Most people who eat here, however, come for the pasta.

The pasta itself is homemade and delicious. Perfectly cooked, the pasta is silky with the perfect bite to it. Unfortunately, the sauces don't really live up to the promise. The marinara sauce is a perfectly acceptable sauce to have, but it doesn't shine. The white clam sauce, which is what I order when I come here, is good but the clams are from a can and there is A LOT of garlic. I like garlic and I live alone, so I am OK. If, however, you are iffy on garlic or you have to kiss someone goodnight, think twice.

The best thing served here is the bread. Homemade, it is soft and fluffy in the middle with a beautiful crust on the outside. I always bring home a piece or two to toast up the next morning and slather with butter. Perfect with a cup of coffee.

Ristorante Attilio, Wilmington

Perched on its Lancaster Avenue corner since 1985, Attilio's is a Wilmington landmark. The menu has not changed much over the years and it still only accepts cash to pay.

Attilio's has a broader menu than Mrs. Robino's and its specials tend to be items that one may not necessarily expect to find on a traditional Italian restaurant's menu. But, whatever it is you choose to eat, you will not be disappointed nor will you go away hungry.

I tend to do smaller dishes when I come here. The broccoli rabe, which is technically a special but is almost always available, is outstanding. Perfectly cooked with just the right amount of garlic and cheese, my family tends to add it to our pasta dishes. The other dish not to be missed are the smelts. I get them every time I come; sometimes I come just to have them for dinner. The best fried fish on the planet.

The pasta is excellent, always cooked very well and with good seasoning. The sauces are more often than not very good as well. My family tends to swing between the marinara and the white clam both of which are served hot and with more than enough to take home for another meal.

Final Decision: Although these two restaurants are less than half a mile apart, they each have their loyal following and they each maintain a sense of what was once a thriving Little Italy section of Wilmington.

Mrs. Robino's wins the bread category easily and the rest of the food is very good. But, I admit to going to Attilio's more often. I love the smelts and the broccoli rabe, neither of which I have ever found at Mrs. Robino's.

When all is said and done, however, you are guaranteed a good meal and a fair price at whichever one of these classic Italian restaurants you choose to visit.