La Famiglia is taking us back to where it all started on Front Street in 1976.
"This is our dining room," says owner Giuseppe Sena. "When you come to the restaurant, you come to our home."
His father, Carlo Sena, moved to Philadelphia from Naples, Italy, and brought his family and his traditions with him.
"My dad was a chef," says Giuseppe. "He started cooking during in World War II. He was a sailor."
The place is still run by the family, Giuseppe and Carlo's grandson, who is also named Carlo.
Fifty years later, Giuseppe says he knows his father would be proud.
"We kept his legacy," he says.
They also kept that feeling of nostalgia.
"The pillars, the marble, the white tablecloths," says Carlo. "You don't see this a lot anymore. We still keep it old-fashioned and classic. We'll never change that. It'll always be the same."
To celebrate five decades, they're turning back the clock.
"We have a special menu that we're offering for the months of July and August," says Giuseppe. "It's a 1976 menu with the prices of 1976."
On that menu, dishes that have been served since the day they opened, like Penne Famiglia.
"It's onions and prosciutto with a little touch of tomato sauce," says Carlo. "Everyone knows that dish. I have so many people tell us that we can't take it off the menu. And our gnocchi recipe is handed down from my grandfather to my father."
Another fan favorite is the mussels and Giuseppe is spilling the secrets to their 5-minute mussels in white wine sauce.
5-Minute Mussels in White Wine Sauce from La Famiglia:
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of mussels,scrubbed
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup of white wine
- 1 cup of fish stock
- Parsley and oregano, chopped, for garnishing
Directions:
1. In a pan, sauté the garlic in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat
2. Add the white wine and fish stock and then, your mussels
3. Sauté for one minute and then cover with a lid
4. Let it steam for 2 to 3 minutes, or until all of the mussels open
5. Toss any mussels that don't open up
6. Garnish with chopped parsley and oregano and drizzle with the good olive oil
7. Serve with bread for dipping or over pasta