When I made my reservation at Floriana Restaurant in Wilmington for January 28th, the forecast called for rain. Expecting to need my big old umbrella, I instead considered sitting on the balcony. I was prevented from doing that by wind rather than rain because it was all clear skies and sun.

I am a regular at Floriana, often taking advantage of their Sunday brunch special. I enjoy the atmosphere and the friendly staff. On this occasion, I went there for dinner.

I started with Fried Brussel Sprouts which were cooked to a perfect crisp. They absorbed the flavor of the sherry vinaigrette without being soggy. Thinly sliced pancetta was mixed in with the brussels, but only lightly added to the flavor which allowed for a good balance of salty and sweet.

In classic Italian fashion, this menu included arancini. Arancia means “orange” in Italian. When these balls of rice are fried, their orange-ish brown exterior resembles a little orange. Arancini, little oranges. These arancini had an excellently crispy exterior. Fried foods are often very heavy and these appeared to be. However, once the exterior was broken, they turned out to be very light. They were rich with the flavor of butter and scamorza (a southern Italian cheese).

The Seared Scallops had a perfectly soft texture. The salt and pepper that seasoned them was featured strongly, but did not overpower the dish. They were placed around a bed of baked fingerling potatoes and sundried tomatoes, which made for a filling and well rounded entrée.

Lastly, Floriana has a rigatoni dish which they call Sunday Gravy, which I had on this unexpectedly sunny Sunday evening. It’s a great way to finish off a meal— containing pork belly, Italian sausage, and tomato sauce with a dollop of ricotta on top.

As someone who returns to Floriana week after week, it should come as no surprise that I highly recommend a visit.