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T A European Flavor Restaurants across the state draw on European heritages and traditions
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Salina Lindsborg
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Manhattan Woodbine
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Cecilia Harris P H O T O G R A P H Y
David Mayes
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he Italian proverb “A tavola non si invecchia” translates to “You don’t age around the table.” It represents a love of food—and the fellowship of family and friends who share it. For Tony Dong, the saying also represents his success in building two successful Italian restaurants in his home state. A native of Concordia, he combined family recipes with what he had learned working at an Italian restaurant in Chicago when he opened Martinelli’s in 2001 in downtown Salina. In the summer of 2020, he expanded by opening a sister restaurant in Manhattan, Nico’s Little Italy. At both locations, customers are greeted by the aroma of Italian foods and welcomed as family by staff members. Dong says true Italian cuisine is simple, with many dishes made from only a few quality ingredients. He points to Martinelli’s bestseller as an example that might surprise some people. “Easily, hands down, what we sell the most of is our chopped salad,” Dong says. “I think it’s pretty simple and has a dressing that people enjoy.” That house dressing is made from basil, oregano, fresh parsley, lemon juice, various sugars, and a mayonnaise base. “The next one would be a fettuccine alfredo,” Dong adds. “People are familiar with fettuccine alfredo, the broccoli and the noodles with the alfredo sauce we make, and you can have it with or without chicken, and they love that. After that would be spaghetti and meatballs. If you know anything about Italian foods, you know fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti and meatballs; it’s comfort food.” True to traditional style, portions are prepared for sharing. “We are based on family-style Italian dining, where you would come to the restaurant, and the portions originally were set up to be split among three, four, five or six people, which is where you get the family-style portions which are really, really large,” Dong says, adding that he soon learned everyone at the table may want to order different entrees. To solve the issue, the restaurant offers three different portions, one for a family to share, a ½ order for two people to split, and a ¼ order for one. And what Italian meal would be complete without wine? “We have got a pretty good selection of different wines,” he says. “Being an Italian restaurant, we have a lot of Italian wines on the menu. A classic one is Chianti that comes in one of those wicker baskets. We like selling those because they are kind of fun.” There are differences in the menus between the two restaurants, but the concept of traditional, simple, quality food meant to share and enjoy with others guides both locations. “We want people to leave here having a good experience,” Dong says. SALINA martinellisonline.com / 785.826.9190 MANHATTAN nicoslittleitaly.com / 785.775.1101
Above The bruschetta is a popular appetizer at Nico’s Little Italy. Opposite Dishes such as the spaghetti and meatballs are often served family style at Nico’s Little Italy.
