Cilino’s – A True Taste Of Italy In Small Town Iowa

Cilino’s. The restaurant name was the first clue. We had stumbled upon a real Italian restaurant on the main street of tiny Wellman, Iowa.

IMPORTANT INFO: At the time of this posting Cilino’s in Wellman is CLOSED on Mondays and Tuesdays! Be sure to check their Facebook page for any further updates.

Let Me Set The Stage…

I love my sis in law Patricia. She flew in from Denver to spend some time visiting and poking around thrift stores with me. And she’s always up for any adventure I suggest. So when lunch time rolled around I told her my plan. I had heard about Cilino’s from some foodie friends who said I really should check it out. So off we went…in search of Italy. And boy oh boy…we FOUND it…on that dusty little main street in rural Iowa.

I was hooked on the atmosphere as soon as we pushed open that door.

The music playing fit the scene perfectly. Frank Sinatra. Italian vibe. Check.

The place was almost empty, and we were quickly greeted by a smiling server.

We learned later that the restaurant is open for lunch but they’re mainly open then to prepare for the dinner rush they get every evening. So luncheon customers are appreciated but they’re not their “bread and butter” customers. 

Soon we were greeted by Randy, Cilino’s owner and chef. And that’s when I realized how passionate this Italian descendant is about preserving the recipes he grew up with.

Meet Randy. And this is his family tree.

That’s his Nonna. (Italian for Grandmother.) And the little girl in the photo? It’s Randy’s mom!

Why Come To Wellman, Iowa?

My first question was a pretty obvious one. How did he and his wife Jennie end up in small town Iowa?

Turns out Jennie was born in Wellman, but her family moved to Los Angeles when she was a small child. Randy was a Southern California native who pursued a career in law enforcement. One day Jennie decided she really wanted to recapture the small town life she remembered as a child. So that’s when a move to Iowa became a reality.

So now we knew why they moved to Iowa. But what about the restaurant? Where did that passion for food come from?

Randy beamed with pride when he pointed out the photo of his grandparents. He shared stories about Sunday dinners around the Cilino table. I got a vivid picture of the entire Cilino clan of aunts and uncles, cousins galore and the matriarch of the family…his Nonna and his grandfather…placing heaping bowls of pasta and other Italian delicacies on that big table. And everyone one knows that most precious ingredient in every one of Nonna’s dishes? LOVE. It became very obvious that love was the main ingredient in that kitchen!

Nonna’s recipes have been handed down for generations, and Randy is continuing the tradition. He asked Patricia and me what we wanted for lunch. In fact he was offering a “Senior Special” that day. A $5 lunch! We had our choice of Chicken Alfredo, Eggplant Parmesan, or Meatball with Pasta. 

(Full Disclosure…When Chef Randy discovered that I am a food and travel writer he provided us with several complimentary menu items that day but, as always, the views expressed here are my own.)

The Cilino’s Menu…Our LUNCH

Patricia and I had a hard time deciding what to order. The smells of garlic and tomato sauce wafting from that tiny kitchen were intoxicating to say the least.

After much deliberation, I ordered the Eggplant Parm and Patricia ordered the Chicken Alfredo. As Randy headed to the kitchen to prepare our lunches he asked if we would like to try the crostini with homemade sauce. (Who in their right mind would say no??)

Wow. That plate set the stage for what was to come.

That’s when I discovered that every single dish prepared in that kitchen is made with the freshest ingredients. From scratch. Randy even has his bread baked locally…specifically for his restaurant! And that glistening tomato topping? I was tasting fresh tomatoes, the garlic, the herbs, and the extra virgin olive oil. Freshness personified.

After one bite of this…we knew we were in for a foodie feast!

As we waited for our main course I strolled around to check out the cozy dining room.

Check out the gorgeous original tin ceiling in that old storefront building.

Lunch Is Served…With A Smile

It wasn’t long before our lunches were delivered by our smiling server. My eggplant parmesan was amazing, and that homemade “gravy” brought back memories of my trip to Italy. I tasted sun ripened tomatoes, basil, olive oil and garlic. Delicious. And the tiny side salad was the perfect accompaniment to the al dente pasta and eggplant lunch size serving. 

Patricia’s Chicken Alfredo was also well received.

Her fettuccine looked delicious…and she loved the looks of my plate too. And before we knew it, Chef Randy reappeared with two more small plates of those pastas . He gave each of us the dish the other was eating so we could compare notes. We both agreed…both dishes were delicious.  Al dente pasta…cooked to perfection. And the homemade sauces tasted complex and rich. (Nonna would be very proud!)

As our perfect lunch was ending, Chef Randy reappeared with one more surprise. A serving of his amazing, homemade panna cotta…and two spoons. 

The creamy dessert topped with the fruit drizzle was the perfect ending to our amazing lunch.

It’s true that Patricia and I had no idea what to expect when we pushed open that old door on main street in Wellman, Iowa.

But the family recipes and the love of a grandson for his family and his roots are exactly what my “Road Less Traveled” searches are all about.

UPDATE…Cilino’s Has Also Taken Their Menu “On The Road”…

Randy and his wife have now taken Cilino’s “on the road” to open a second location in Grinnell, Iowa. They have opened a “pop up” restaurant in Hotel Grinnell, scheduled to run until April 1st, 2020. (We hope to sample both the restaurant and the beautiful old hotel one day soon.)

Another Lunch With Family

Since that delicious summer lunch with Patricia I have returned twice to dine at Cilino’s in Wellman. Once for lunch with Peepaw and his brother Grant.

That day I simply asked Chef Randy to serve me any dishes he wanted me to taste. It was a great idea since I got to sample many new dishes he was testing to add to his ever changing menu…and to his “pop up” location in Grinnell.

I tasted his creations like this roasted asparagus…

And this pasta dish, loaded with chicken and roasted vegetables…

How good were those dishes? A picture IS worth a thousand words Dear Readers!

It was another wonderful lunch, and more family memories made.

Next? A Cilino’s Dinner With Friends…

Recently, Peepaw and I returned for dinner. Dinner with high school classmates. We’ve known most of these folks for more than 50 years! (Oh…the tales we could tell!!!) 

Our group chose many different drinks and foods that night. Appetizers like the Italian sausage and peppers. And baskets of garlic bread, made with that delicious, locally baked bread. 

And for entrees?   Spaghetti and meatballs for some of us.

And others chose to share one of their delicious pizzas.

Our fun filled evening on that little main street in Wellman just proves one of the sayings posted on the wall in that cute little eatery is very, very true.

If You Feed Them…They WILL Come.

Again and again.