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Fairfield County Restaurateur Relies On Family Recipes For Meatball Empire

DANBURY, Conn. -- The old saying, "Do what you know" is something Fairfield County resident Robert Atkinson has taken to heart.

Robert Atkinson, the owner of Mima's Meatballs & More.

Robert Atkinson, the owner of Mima's Meatballs & More.

Photo Credit: Submitted
Meatballs are the focus at Mima's Meatballs & More in Danbury and Ridgefield.

Meatballs are the focus at Mima's Meatballs & More in Danbury and Ridgefield.

Photo Credit: Submitted
Meatballs are served 10 different ways at Mima's Meatballs & More.

Meatballs are served 10 different ways at Mima's Meatballs & More.

Photo Credit: Submitted

He grew up with his mother's meatballs and his grandmother's marinara sauce and now both are on the menu at Mima's Meatballs & More, with locations in Danbury and Ridgefield and soon to be New Milford. In fact, "Mima" is the name his son calls his mom and so it was a no-brainer that would be the name of Atkinson's restaurant. It's her recipe, after all, that the restaurant is built on.

The Danbury location opened in August, 2013; then at the Danbury Mall on Nov. 3, 2015 and in Ridgefield Jan. 6, 2016. A New Milford spot will open sometime in April. 

Atkinson said he likes to think of his eateries, for which he has expansion plans in Westchester and Dutchess Counties, as a merging of three generations. He's elevated the meatball and its Italian dishes by adding gluten-free options as well as sauces such as teriyaki, Thai and sweet and sour.

He is quick to stress the restaurants are more than just meatballs, though certainly they are the focus. Customers will also find salads (yes, you can add meatballs if you want), pizza, mac 'n cheese and zucchini shaved super thin and served like pasta. There's also chicken parmesan, pasta Bolognese and rigatoni.

With a background in fine dining - - Atkinson worked at Ruth Chris Steakhouse in Tarrytown, N.Y. for many years -- he said he was always interested in a "fast casual" place that offered high-end food in an informal setting. At Mima's, he prides himself on the fact that guests order at counter, and are served their food in about five to seven minutes. And that the food is fresh and house-made.

Atkinson added how he was always intrigued with the idea of offering meatballs and fried dough as that's something he ate growing up. "Do what you know, right?" he said. "I love taking a singular concept and turning it into something mainstream. At Mima's, we do meatballs 10 different ways."

Among the more popular entrees: the "Angry Meatball" with arrabiata sauce and mozzarella on a freshly-made Italian wedge and the Buffalo-style mac 'n cheese with meatballs.

Said Atkinson: "Obviously we like to emphasis our meatballs, but we hang out hat on so much more."

Go to www.mimasmeatballsandmore.com/ for more information.

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