Dining With Sinatra

Mr. D’s owners expand westward

Nov, 01-2009 2:50 pm

By Carole Mattessich
Staff Writer

RIO GRANDE – During the off-season at Mimmo’s Italian Bistro in Rio Grande, every Wednesday night is Sinatra Night.

The owners say providing live entertainment is helping them maintain a good-sized crowd, even in light of county demographics and the current economy. As for the customers, on a recent Wednesday evening they said they just love the magic of having “Frank” in the background as they enjoy a meal with family or friends.

The man crooning “Fly me to the moon” each week is long-time Sinatra aficionado Frank Drake, whose smooth delivery had customers marveling at how often he sounded like the real deal.

Drake sings Sinatra “because Sinatra’s the very best,” he said.

“He put feeling in his music,” Drake explained. “When he sang a sad song, you felt sad. When he had an uptone beat, you felt happy.”

Drake said he saw Sinatra perform more than 40 times.

Drake – who performed regularly in Philadelphia for many years, and after moving to South Jersey seven years ago, at Catelli’s in Voorhees and JP Prime in North Wildwood – said he also does this simply because he loves to sing.

“Even though I get paid for it, I don’t sing for the money,” he said. “I’ve loved to sing since I was a little kid.”

“I can’t take credit for it, though, because it’s a gift from God. He’s the ventriloquist, I’m the dummy. I just open my mouth and he puts out the songs.”

If that’s the case, God must love Sinatra, for Drake performed one after another of the famous singer’s greatest songs seamlessly throughout the evening. Sitting at a strategic corner of Mimmo’s, Drake sang accompanied by a DJ-type sound system and apparently without prompts.

“A song can come on that I haven’t heard for 40 years, and I’ll still know every word,” he confirmed.

Drake, who said his North Cape May home is full of Sinatra memorabilia, wears a small gold likeness of Sinatra around his neck, together with a Blessed Mother medal.

He confirmed that he also gets his inspiration from those who listen to his music.

“You get your energy from the people out there,” he explained. “I’m more used to singing in bars, where there might be a lot of people sitting around for the entertainment, whereas here, they’re all eating and talking, but you get used to it and they get used to you.”

Customers seemed very much aware of the evening’s music, though it didn’t interfere with their own communications. Even as they engaged in table conversations, people would stop and listen to their special favorites, clapping their approval at the end. Drake’s rendition of “It Was a Very Good Year” was especially well received.

Many customers brought wine to accompany their meals, and did not appear to feel rushed through their dining experience.

That’s part of the secret of Sinatra Night’s success, according to Domenico “Dominic” Randazzo, a co-owner of Mimmos together with other immediate family members and partner Predrag Citakovic. Among the co-owners are Dominic’s parents, Domenico “Mimmo” Randazzo and Robin Randazzo, long-time owners of Mr. D’s, a Wildwood classic offering pizza and Italian fare for over 50 years.

Dominic Randazzo said family members were pleased when they found an offshore location that could sustain a year-round business, and, since opening this Spring, they haven’t been disappointed with the clientele.

“We’d been looking in Rio Grande for a spot for the past few years,” Randazzo said. “It’s a big shopping area, and there are a lot of businesses, so there’s more traffic out here than there is in Wildwood in the off-season.”

But you have to be realistic and meet the market as it exists, he cautioned.

“In the off-season, we wanted to try something a little different to bring customers in,” he said. “You don’t really find a lot of places that offer live entertainment, so we figured that would be something different and attractive.”

It’s working so far, Randazzo said, with more people showing up each week as they learn about Sinatra Night.

“At a lot of tables, people will end up sitting there for an extra hour, just listening,” Randazzo said, “and that’s fine. In the off-season, we can accommodate that.”

Drake was an easy choice, Randazzo said, because he’s a seasoned performer and “happened to be a really good customer here this summer.”

Randazzo’s mother – who had been welcoming guests warmly throughout the evening – noted that her son was a film major with acting experience, and said ultimately the family might add a second evening of entertainment with something staged in the manner of the hilarious, popular “Tony ‘n Tina” performances, which get audiences involved interactively in a satirical wedding and reception.

“Maybe something like an older sister-in-law who announces to her extended, but close-knit, family that she’s getting engaged to a much younger man,” Robin Randazzo said, evoking favorable chuckles from surrounding diners.

Among the diners one recent Wednesday were Roy and Cindy Laux of Pittsburgh. Owners of a condominium in Wildwood, they were in town for the Fabulous ‘50’s Weekend and decided to give Mimmos a try.

“We eat a lot at Mr. Dr’s, or have their stuff delivered, and someone there had mentioned the new restaurant,” Roy said. “When we saw that they were going to have music, we figured let’s give it a try.”

“He did a good job,” Roy said of Drake. “He’s personable, takes requests. It’s a mellow evening.”

“He does sound like Sinatra,” Cindy added.

At a corner table, Barbara Young, of Court House, Donna Allen, of Cape May, Lorna Porch, of the Villas, and Debbie Eggles, of North Cape May, were enjoying a girls’ night out. The ladies work together at AtlantiCare Surgical Center in Court House.

Young and Allen said they go out at least once a week, and usually end up at Mimmos.

They each have older children, and Porch and Eggles – who each have younger children – don’t get to join them quite as frequently. For this particular getaway evening, when they learned that Mimmo’s offered live entertainment, they said, there was no question where they’d go.

At another table Don and Donna Long, together with their son William Long and Donna’s mother Rose Osborn – all of Wildwood Crest – were celebrating a family birthday.

“This is the first time we’ve been here,” Don said. “I wanted to come over all summer. We didn’t realize the Sinatra entertainment was on, but it was fun. He’s good.”

Osborn said she had eaten at Mimmo’s before and already loved the restaurant, but was finding the music an extra treat.

“I’m a Sinatra fan, absolutely – this is the first time I’ve heard it here,” she said. “I’d already come back for the food, and I’d definitely come back for this, too.”