Italian cuisine and family go together like spaghetti and meatballs, as evidenced by Colorado’s Miceli family and their Mici Italian Restaurants. Writer Ron Stern recently visited a new location to see why we all get to benefit from some family time.
Mici Italian Restaurants Offer Coloradoans Generations-Old, Affordable Family Meals in a Fast Casual Atmosphere.
Michael Miceli grew up in Florida where he has fond memories of his father’s Italian cooking. Friends and family were always getting together around the table enjoying memorable meals prepared by Jerome Miceli. The aroma of garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and a host of herbs always seemed to fill the house with what was a foretaste of the future. Having traveled all over Italy, his recipes gleaned from Tuscany, Sicily, and Cortona were used to create a host of quality, affordable, fast-casual, Italian restaurants in Colorado that bear the abbreviated family name.
My wife and I were looking forward to our visit at one of their newest locations in Centennial, Colorado at University and Arapahoe in the “The Streets at Southglenn” outdoor mall. The decor has a modern touch with open and airy seating, a white and mint green color palette, floor-to-ceiling windows, and blonde wood tables.
We were warmly greeted by Co-Founder Michael Miceli who sat down with us to tell a little about his story. He and his family opened their first Mici restaurant in Downtown Denver in 2004. Using mostly his father’s tried and true family recipes, they decided to go beyond standard Italian “fast food” to create the kind of meals he remembered from his childhood.
Starting with fresh, quality ingredients they take the time to make their sauces and other entrees from scratch. Although more expensive to use, they import Prosciutto di Pharma and Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy. Making the perfect pizza dough is a 48-hour process that involves a combination of the correct air, flour temperature, and water temperature until everything is just right for baking. Their gluten-free marinara sauce is cooked slowly with the best tomatoes and herbs until it reaches peak flavor. Meatballs are a tasty flavor combination of beef and pork, making them light and fluffy. As Miceli puts it, “If you can’t make great spaghetti and meatballs you shouldn’t be in the Italian restaurant business.”
Together with four other family members, Mici has created a playful menu that incorporates some of their names and locations where they have lived.
Here are a few of the top signature items at Mici Italian Restaurant:
Antipasto Salad: This comes plated in a large bowl chock full of salami, ham, pepperoni, green olives, tomatoes, artichokes, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, mozzarella, mixed greens and hand-made Italian dressing. This is the perfect appetizer for game night or getting together with friends. ($12.49)
Tortellini Alla Micel: Made with patriarch Jerry’s favorite Parmigiano-Reggiano cream sauce together with Prosciutto di Parma, and green peas over cheese tortellini. We both really enjoyed this rich entrée which was quite filling. That didn’t stop us though from finishing it off. ($13.99)
Spaghetti and Meatballs: Uses Miceli matriarch Rosalie’s cooked just right marinara sauce which is simmered for hours and is topped with a giant hand-rolled meatball. The sauce is not overpowering and had a nice depth of flavor. It came served with some freshly sliced bread. ($13.49)
Pizza Mediterraneo: I am a big crust guy and this was just what the doctor ordered. Our 10” pizza (also comes in 16”) was laden with spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, black olives, garlic, fontina, and mozzarella cheese. It has just the right amount of crunch at the edges. Perfectly delicious! ($9.99)
Although they don’t make their own gelato, they have some of the best around on-site from Glacier Homemade Ice Cream and Gelato. Try their Cherry Stracciatella which was sweet, smooth, and mouth-pleasingly creamy.
Mici has already garnered many awards including 5280 Magazine’s Reader’s Choice award for “Best Italian, Best Pizza, Best Meatball and Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant” for Top of the Town for the past 10 years.
We were both impressed with the overall quality of the food, affordability, amiable service, and the fresh taste of our dishes. I have had my share of mediocre Italian cuisine and what I found here rivaled many of the top restaurants I have visited.
The family’s simple motto: Real Family, Real Food, Real Italian has propelled Mici to success with 10 stores now open in Colorado plus one in Arizona as well as Texas. “Our goal is to have 150 nationwide in the next five years,” says Miceli. While you may not have an Italian family who loved to cook, take heart, this would be the next best thing.
To learn more about Mici Italian Restaurant, including locations, menu, and to order, visit their website, here. The new location is at 330 E. Arapahoe Rd. #909 in Centennial. The phone number is 720-734-1400.
-Story and photos by Ron Stern, The Global Gumshoe
Please note, Ron was hosted for this particular visit, but as is always In Good Taste policy, that does not influence our opinions which remain honest and true for our readers.
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