Foodie Friday: Cafe Milano Seaford

SEAFORD, Del. – If there’s one guarantee about Italian food, it’s that it will leave you with a full belly.

A Family of Talented Cooks

Cafe Milano in Seaford is a family-owned and operated eatery in the business of pizza and pasta you won’t soon forget. The Gulpa family knows a thing or two about friendly service and flinging out scrumptious dishes.

Dad Augustine, son Chris, and other family members, are talented cooks. Chicken Francese and chicken marsala are just two offerings that keep the customers loyal.

Chicken Two Delicious Ways

Both cuts of chicken get a coating of flour and egg. Then, the cutlets simmer in a saute pan.

The Francese sauce begins with freshly squeezed lemon juice, white wine, chicken stock, and butter. “We’ve got to make the sauce a little thicker, so we add in flour and water,” Chris explained as Augustine cooked.

Meanwhile, the marsala starts with prosciutto and onions. Then, come the mushrooms and marsala wine. Finally, flavor-packed chicken and beef stock.

The duo of dishes are plated over a bed of pasta and covered in their respective savory sauces.

“We have to make sure we get all around the edges (of the plate) and the spaghetti soaks up all the sauce … That’s where all the flavor comes from,” Chris said.

“This is comfort food for me.”

Nothing against the Francese, but the marsala was calling Foodie Friday host Hannah Cechini’s name.

“This is comfort food for me. This is something that my family would make at home. I mean, it’s marsala. So, the mushrooms are going to be one of the stars of the dish. They add a really beautiful umami … I think the prosciutto is a big part of the reason why there is so much flavor,” Hannah said.

For Foodie Photog Mike, the Francese is a new favorite.

“The moment they described the dish and said it had butter and lemon, you had me on board … The fresh lemon juice squeezed in there with the butter really just livens up all the pasta,” Mike said.

A Pie that Brings Us Full Circle

Back in the kitchen, Chris gets to work on a pizza that brings the meal full circle. “It’s mostly all of our toppings put together,” he explained.

Chris starts the House Special pie by dealing with the dough, spreading the sauce, and sprinkling the cheese. Then, the works: sliced meatballs, pepperoni, sausage balls, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and black olives. One more coating of cheese and the pie is thrust into the belly of the oven.

“The sliced meatball is very deep-cut family Italian. You don’t see this in a lot of places. It has such a great unique texture. There’s a nice crunch on both the onion and the pepper, but they’re both cooked well. And just a little bit of spice on the pepperoni,” Mike said.

It all comes together to make a killer pie.

“This is like meat lovers and veggie lovers unite. It’s a lot of ingredients, but the dough does its job here. The sauce is really delicious,” Hannah said.

Cafe Milano

Cafe Milano is located at 800 South Market Street, Seaford, Del. You can call them at 302-629-9403. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.