Dino's in Midtown Memphis a slice of Italian history

Photo by Jennifer Biggs // Buy this photo

Those who don't mind a little heartburn might consider the 3-Way Tamales at Dino's.

Dining reviewers Jennifer Biggs and Peggy Burch visit a long-established local restaurant once a month or so, and write about it. If you've got an old favorite you think we should try, e-mail us.

Jennifer Biggs: It's funny that when we review old Memphis restaurants together, we often end up eating Italian. First we went to Pete & Sam's, then Coletta's on South Parkway. This week, Dino's. While we didn't try it together, I've got to rave for a minute about one of the most heartburn-inducing dishes in town: 3-Way Tamales.

Photo by Jennifer Biggs

Those who don't mind a little heartburn might consider the 3-Way Tamales at Dino's.

Photo by Ben Fant

Italian sausage is served covered with marinara sauce and a side of homemade ravioli stuffed with chicken and spinach.

Photo by Ben Fant

The atmosphere at Dino's is like a trip down memory lane for folks of the World War II era, with memorabilia, old, private booths, an inlay ceiling and antique decor.

What a concoction -- Cincinnati ain't got nothin' on Memphis! It's tamales (made by a neighborhood man, the server told me) covered in spaghetti and topped with a meaty and pretty spicy chili. Take your Tums!

Peggy Burch: I know you well enough to understand that when you call a dish "heartburn-inducing," it's high praise.

And, as you've pointed out before, Memphis has a deep layer of Italian in its

restaurant history. Rudy Grisanti, who owns Dino's, says "Ronnie and Frankie" are his cousins. He's referring, of course, to the guys who have presided over an epidemic of Memphis Italian restaurants that is extending into a new generation with Ronnie's sons Judd and Alex. But when I asked if there were family recipes, Rudy said each of them does his own thing in the kitchen.

And he settled an argument in your favor. Spaghetti gravy or spaghetti sauce? Rudy says real Italians say gravy and the word "sauce" is for amateurs.

JB: Told ya. I love the old Italian places, but I have a beef with all of them, including Dino's, and I'm going to get it out of the way first thing. Why do I always end up with watery gravy? I'm asking the question, but I know the answer, too: It's because the pasta is not properly drained before it's plated. The gravy itself -- at least at Dino's -- is good.

But if you put it on top of wet pasta, you dilute it, and that is when you start calling it sauce. Dino's did this to my ravioli and I'm going to ask nicely, and of all the old places: Will you please thoroughly drain the pasta before you put on the gravy? The ravioli itself was also good, plump little pillows full of spinach and cheese. And my veal parm, hand-pounded in the kitchen, battered and fried, would have been nice had the bottom not been soggy from sharing a plate with the undrained ravioli.

PB: I knew you'd be modest about winning the argument. And you were very demure about using your paper napkin to soak up the soggy parts around your dish. If you like it dry, the toasted ravioli is the way to go at Dino's, anyway. The breading was like pie crust, very tasty. In fact, it was my favorite part of our evening meal at Dino's.

The eggplant medallions with polenta and spinach I ordered came up a little short. There was uno medallion on a mound of under-cooked polenta. But the kitchen was generous with the well-made meat gravy -- look how quickly I adapt to new terms? -- and the spinach was fine, simple and straightforward.

JB: I'll tell you what's good, and didn't require the classy napkin trick, is the pesto Alfredo. The sauce is very rich -- it's Alfredo, after all -- but, boy, that pesto really kicks it up and makes it seem a little lighter. Basil and cream is a great combo, but one I've never thought of. This is the dish so many people in the restaurant were ordering, the one that came in the big bowl with the sliced grilled chicken on top. It really was nice, even a little elegant -- herbaceous and rich.

Dino's also makes a fine Italian sausage, and I do plan to try the sandwich someday. I've long been a fan of the sausage with an order of ravioli. You can also get it with spaghetti. All covered in gravy.

PB: Gravy, gravy everywhere, but not much on my turkey. Which is how I prefer it. I was glad I got the turkey and dressing plate for lunch, mostly because the dressing was nicely done, though pretty free of additions such as celery, mushrooms and other vegetables. And the yams seemed fresh, still with a little skin on them, not too sweet, not too soft and not too hard. I've forgotten what you had.

JB: I had a big serving of very nice turnip greens. Not too smoky, cooked until tender but with intact big leaves, not falling apart or mushy. However -- sigh -- what I ended up with was another watery plate of food because there was pot likker all around my lackluster mashed potatoes and my country fried steak.

I heartily recommend the muffuletta, though, the sandwich that lives or dies on the merits of its salad. The olive salad at Dino's is tangy and crunchy, full of peppers and celery as well as olives.

I want folks to remember that Dino's is there in Midtown, where it's been for more than 35 years, and much of the food is what you remember. You can take your own wine (no corkage fee), and Thursday night is still all-you-can-eat spaghetti ($7.19). Before you order, ask questions, such as: "Could you drain my pasta well?" You won't spend much money to have a good time.

PB: It's also a trip down memory lane for folks of the World War II era. Rudy Grisanti is a devoted collector of memorabilia from the war, a lot of which -- photos, parts of uniforms -- is on the walls in the two Dino's dining rooms. In fact, be warned that this weekend, Dino's won't be open for breakfast because Grisanti will be at a military show in Louisville. Normally, it opens at 7 a.m. Those three days only, it won't open until 11 a.m.

-- Jennifer Biggs: 529-5223

-- Peggy Burch: 529-2392

Dino's Grill

Food:

Service:

Atmosphere:

Address: 645 N. McLean

Telephone: (901) 278-9127

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 19-21) only, restaurant opens at 11 a.m.

Reviewer's choices: 3-way tamales; muffuletta; pesto Alfredo; anything with Italian sausage

Alcohol: Beer; bring your own wine. No corkage fee.

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