When I first heard about Cafe Campli, it was from my friend Lane Harlan. She had met Sam and Paul Mincarelli when they were both working at a restaurant together here in Baltimore. She said I had to meet them because they were doing something very special and she knew I would love it. And, as she often is, Lane was right.
I emailed with the couple about a week before the opening and they invited me to come in and chat. Mind you, this was days before the opening and they just seemed so ready. Maybe it was because they had been dreaming, then planning, then working and fine tuning their dream. They knew what they wanted to be – a comfortable neighborhood place where you could pop in and get a really good, somewhat simple, yet satisfying meal. The restaurant is modeled after the small cafes in their favorite place, Abruzzo, Italy. It’s where Paul’s family emigrated from and there is a town called Campli that inspired not only the restaurant’s name but also the food. Abruzzo is a particularly wonderful place because it enjoys proximity to seas, mountains and pastures, which to me sounds like heaven.
I’ve been to Cafe Campli three or four times and each time I have left so happy. They take such care with you and you feel at ease, never rushed. Everything is made in house (including fresh pasta) and the menu changes seasonally. My favorite dish is the Alla Lanterna – lemon-butter spaghetti alla chitarra (the noodles are like guitar strings with little ridges, not perfectly round), roasted garlic, cauliflower & garbanzo puree and anchovy breadcrumbs. So good. It’s so light and there is a perfect mix of varying textures and bright flavors in the dish. I have a hard time not ordering it every time. HERE is the current menu.
On the drinks side, you will find a lovely selection of Italian wines, beers and house cocktails, including a very nice non-alcoholic drinks menu. They also have a huge selection of amari, which they will happily walk you through. A little glass of amaro is a very nice way to end your meal.
Cafe Campli is such a gift for Lauraville and the surrounding neighborhoods. Lauraville is a community that enthusiastically embraces and supports businesses in the area and the businesses become a vital part of the neighborhood. This dynamic makes it the perfect spot for Sam and Paul’s restaurant – it’s a place to pop in, hang out, have a meal, just like how Paul described places in Campli to me that first time we met. To me, food is about people and creating community first, before the food. Then, the relationships develop over food and I think that’s beautiful.
By the way, these two met at Friendsgiving. It seems fitting that an event centered around delicious food brought them together. Thanks, Sam and Paul for being a part of this series.
Cake or Pie? And what kind?
Sam: Cake! Smith Island.
Paul: Pie, ideally something flaky and citrusy.
Your most prized possession?
Sam: It feels weird to call our dog a possession, so let’s call him my most prized little buddy. We have an Aussie named Cesare (Chez-a-ray) who is the sweetest creature, so lovable, soft and happy. I swear one day he’s gonna speak.
Paul: My passport.
What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?
Sam: Good oysters (Dylan’s!). We shucked them ourselves a couple of times during the pandemic. After someone who will remain nameless stabbed the shucking knife through his hand, I thought, maybe it’s best to leave this to the professionals.
Paul: That first round of drinks before, what I know will be, a long, enjoyable meal.
What’s your favorite to cook at home?
Sam: I like to see what we have on hand and conjure up a preparation that (I hope) will result in a decent meal. I’ll take stock of what we have before I walk the dog, and ponder over it during the walk. I also love making Neapolitan-style pizzas in our backyard, where we have a brick pizza oven.
Paul: For better or worse, it’s Sunday Gravy. I haven’t made it at home since we opened Cafe Campli (now I get to make it at work a few times a week) but I miss the experience of it! The smell of slow-simmering sauce on a lazy Sunday afternoon is unparalleled.
What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?
Sam: Water, room temp, on the nightstand. And then coffee with cream or oat milk. Grapefruit juice. Sometimes a dirty matcha latte. I require a lot of beverages.
Paul: A double espresso in my home kitchen, and then several double espressos at work. Cappuccinos are for the rare day off.
What’s your personal motto?
Sam: Everything is connected.
Paul: “In the service, one must choose the lesser of two weevils.” Not only owing to it being from one of my favorite movies – Master & Commander – but there’s a certain tangible wisdom there: life is full of decisions, often between two bad outcomes, but it’s important to maintain a light spirit.
What’s your favorite holiday and why?
Sam: Halloween! I begin decorating in September. I love the colors of fall and the smell in the air. I’m a bit into the woo-woo of life, the unknown and unseen, and these things are closer to us during this time of year. Plus it’s fun to dress up in costume and give out candy to the neighborhood kids. I have killer costumes planned for Paul and me this year.
Paul: Easily Thanksgiving: a holiday of pure hedonistic expression without the commercial trappings. Thanksgiving is how I learned to love cooking, and I have to credit my brother for instilling in me that joy since we were tasked with manning the stove each November. It was always something I looked forward to.
Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?
Sam: We pass this way only once. My mom says this and it’s a reminder to make the life we want to live, to pursue what we think will make us happy.
Paul: Before changing careers and managing a new restaurant in Mt Vernon, my friend Alexis gave me some advice that she always followed before a new job: don’t think about what you want to do, think about what you want to learn. That made a huge change in my perspective and any trepidation I may have had.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Sam: It’s a tie between becoming an architect and opening a restaurant. It took years of education and practice to finally feel like a bona fide architect, with a solid knowledge base and skillset, and I love design. I still work part-time for an awesome firm (shout out to SM+P Architects in Mt. Vernon). Opening a restaurant was something I’d dreamed of even before I met Paul, but it didn’t seem possible until we pursued it together. It’s been a winding road and the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, so seeing it become successful and our customers happy is a great feeling.
Paul: Everything Cafe Campli. We have the best staff who show up every day and make it such a fun environment, and our diners “get” it. Seeing a full dining room of smiling faces, bottles of wine, and bowls of pasta is something that will never fully sink in nor get old.
The last text you sent?
Sam: “We def need to have drink options.”
Paul: “Beautiful, thanks” regarding a delinquent liquor delivery that’s finally en route.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sam: Being in Italy with Paul and – one day – Cesare too. Hiking on a wooded mountain path in the Apennines, or lounging at a beach club in Pescara. Of course, paired with seasonal food and local wine.
Paul: A day at a beach club on the Adriatic in Pescara with my wife.
What do you love most about food?
Sam: That scene in Ratatouille where the curmudgeonly food critic takes a bite of ratatouille and is immediately transported back to a childhood memory of his mom making him the same dish after he hurt himself. Food is a basic human need, yet the reasons for eating vary greatly between providing sustenance to healing us, to even allowing us to experience the sublime. And that to me is remarkable.
Paul: How food tells a story. Not just how cuisines can tell a country’s history and geography, but more intimately, how food can express generations of family history. There’s a certain expression a lot of our guests make when that Sunday Gravy hits the table: they are immediately transported back to their grandmother’s kitchen. It’s a special thing to see.
What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?
Sam: Stony Run Park.
Paul: Definitely the Baltimore Museum of Art, which has a criminally underrated collection. It’s a great place to disconnect and be inspired.
Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.
