Located on the Corner of Illinois and 2nd Street in downtown St. Charles, Mio Modo offers a modern take on Italian cuisine. With its stark white brick walls and modern lighting, Mio Modo marks an evolution of the classic Italian restaurant, delivering a fresh contemporary aesthetic. As a result of their name change from the original Mia Francesca to Mio Modo, the latter meaning “My Way” in Italian, I visited the restaurant last Thursday to get a taste of their evolution.
Among the mélange of appetizers offered at Mio Modo, the calamari fritti offers a tender taste, with its tough substance adding a solid flavor to the dish. Meanwhile, the Nonna’s meatballs give a strong, defined texture to chew on, though their large size can make them a bit of a chore to get through at times.
One of the many entrées offered, the Bucatini alla Carbonara, provides a unique adaptation of traditional Italian pork by mixing it with egg. This creates an unconventional flavor in the dish, offering a more rich texture than could be normally expected in Italian pork.
The innovation at Mio Modo doesn’t stop with the food, either. With its sleek white walls and soft lighting, there is a clear modern filter on the classic Italian eatery at Mio Modo, that depicts itself as both of the here and now and the past. This, combined with the refined atmosphere of the establishment, puts Mio Modo as distinctly in the present.
Though it may not fit the stereotypical appearance of an Italian restaurant, Mio Modo puts forward a unique evolution on the cuisine. With its fresh innovations on the traditional Italian style of restaurant, Mio Modo is well worth a try. I would give Mio Modo a rating of four stars out of five.
