Married Restaurateurs Offer Personal Touch at Milano’s Italian Grill in Tuscaloosa

Two married entrepreneurs are betting it all on Tuscaloosa after selling ownership of their restaurants in Mississippi and Louisiana to open Milano's Italian Grill just north of the Black Warrior River.

One half of the equation, Tony Makolli, was born in Albania and moved around Europe with his brother Ylli until coming to the United States, where they landed in West Monroe, Louisiana and opened Roma Italian Bistro.

That's where Tony met the other half of the equation, his now-wife Kindal Makolli, who said food service is more than a way to earn a living - it's a foundational part of their marriage and partnership.

"We met in his first restaurant, he proposed to me in his first restaurant and then we got married in that restaurant," she said in an interview with the Thread. "That's how deep the restaurant runs."

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The two have since operated restaurants in Louisiana and in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but sold ownership in them and moved to the Druid City around Halloween to open the new Milano's here.

The restaurant has been open since the first week of November at 1301 McFarland Boulevard in the former home of La Bamba and more recently Vera Cruz.

Tony and Kindal Makolli said they plan to stand out in Tuscaloosa by serving outstanding Italian food without pretension. The dishes are lovingly made with quality ingredients, yes, but they do not want Milano's to be considered "fine dining."

"We don't want to project anything 'fancy' here - we've always said we're nothing fancy," Kindal Makolli said. "We just offer a good experience, a good family environment and good food."

Tony said the environment is key to it all - he wants each customer to feel like they are part of what they're trying to do at Milano's. It's mutually beneficial, he said. The relationships he and Kindal build sitting at tables in the restaurant are sometimes the only things that keep them from giving up after tough days in a tough industry.

"Especially Italian cuisine is known for being personal, where owners create an environment where you're talking to people, you're there and you're having conversations and meeting people," Tony Makolli said. "So when you come in, you'll be greeted and spoken to. You'll meet someone who wants to make you part of this business, this establishment, our community. You'll meet the owner, who will talk to you and take care of you. If there's anything you need to change or switch, add something, hold something, we're going to take care of that for you better even than in your own house."

"We see marriages, we see births, deaths, divorces, graduations, birthdays and it all just becomes very personal to us," Kindal Makolli said.

That level of service has to be complemented, of course, by really good food and the Makollis said they don't cut corners on anything in the kitchen.

"It takes at least eight hours for us to make our bread from scratch and have it ready to serve. We let it double rise, and that's the only way to come to that perfect taste we get and if we did it any faster, it wouldn't be the same," Tony said. "But now we're becoming known for that bread! I sat a table last Sunday and when they finished eating they said I know you're running around and you're shorthanded but we had to stop you and say 'This is the best bread I ever had in my life.'"

From lasagna and spaghetti to veal piccata and chicken marsala, each dish is made to impress but priced lower than a menu at one of those "fancy" places the Makollis try not to emulate.

"We don't have any sauces that are pre-made," Kindal Makolli said. "When you order Alfredo or you go for the Piccata, those dishes are literally starting from the bottom up."

"If we wouldn't eat it for ourselves, definitely we're not going to sell it," Tony Makolli echoed. "We take pride in serving something that's very good quality, something uniquely made."

Above all, Tony and Kindal said they are extremely grateful for the relationships they've already formed with customers and members of the business community in the short time they've been open.

"We want to thank the community because in a month, we have met so many people who have already become so close to us, it's unbelievable," Tony Makolli said. "Kind, helpful people who care about you."

"We're in a town where there's some tourism, you've got students coming in and out, fans visiting for games, but you need repeat business and we're seeing some of our customers come in two or three times a week," Kindal said.

"And we want to personally thank them all, each and every one of them, because those repeat customers are consistently coming in and bringing more people who bring other people, Tony Makolli said. "Word of mouth has been incredible and we've been made to feel so welcome."

Milano's Italian Grill is open every day but Monday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays, when they plan to close at 10 p.m.

For more exclusive coverage of restaurant and retail news in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.