My local Shop-Rite has been on an especially big Italian food kick of late, and this week's post is yet another example of this. (This isn't that surprising, given how many folks with Italian heritage live in my state.) Anyway, today I'll be talking about the garlic crostinis from the Di Bruno Bros. brand.
I picked these up mainly because the label on the bag read, "Made in Italy," but this is a further example of a product technically made in another country, but for an American-based business. So that's why I went with the country combo in the title. Moving on, the Di Bruno Bros. company dates back to 1939, when (of course) brothers Danny and Joe Di Bruno began a shop in the city of Philadelphia, PA, in the historic Italian Market. The business mainly imported goods--mostly cheeses, gourmet meats, and specialty items. Most of these were from Italy, not shockingly, but a few were from other nations. The initial store was successful, so the Di Brunos opened up several other ones in the general area, eventually adding a catering service. Most of the Di Bruno Bros. meats are typical Italian fare, such as salamis, pepperonis, hams, and prosciuttos, but a couple are more exotic--a prosciutto made from duck, and guanciale, a pork jowl cut said to be smoother than bacon. Aside from the crostinis I had, the specialty Di Bruno Bros. offerings include chocolate bars, olives, roasted peppers, honeys, cashews, olive oils, and sauces. Also, I learned the probable reason why I just noticed this product recently--Di Bruno Bros. was acquired by Wakefern in October of 2024. And Wakefern is the parent company of the Shop-Rite supermarket chain.
In case you're wondering what crostinis are, they're a traditional Italian appetizer, which usually are pieces of toasted or grilled bread. Toppings are often added to this, such as meats, cheeses, olive oil, or sauces. Looking at photos online, these crostinis appear to be very similar to bruschetta. The history of crostinis is thought to be old, dating back to medieval times, when bread was used in lieu of a plate. The ones I had, as you're about to read about, were not really bread-like, but instead were crackers. So evidently there is a little bit of variation about what officially constitutes a "crostini."
Di Bruno Bros. garlic crostinis: These crackers were yellow in color, rectangular in shape, and about 1.5 inches by 1.25 inches (about 3.5 cm. by 3 cm.). They didn't have an odor. Their texture was dry and crunchy. The garlic flavor was strong. I had some plain, and some with a dip on them. They were better with the dip on them, but still okay plain. Overall they were a decent snack, and I would recommend them. Not spectacular, but pretty good.
The official Di Bruno Bros. website was mostly the typical product lists and such, but it did have a few unusual tidbits. Firstly, Philadelphia-area native Cheri Oteri has a partnership with Di Bruno and offers a "Cher-cuterie" gift box. Oteri is probably best known for her time as a performer on "Saturday Night Live" from 1995-2000, but she also was in such movies as "Liar Liar" (1997), "Small Soldiers" (1998), "Surveillance" (2008), "Bad Parents" (2012), and "Benjamin" (2019). Secondly, Tenaya Darlington, who also goes by the alias "Madame Fromage," joined with Di Bruno in 2013 to make a book about their cheeses, titled "Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese Catalog." (It has very good reviews, too--Goodreads has it as a 4.2 out of 5 based on 78 ratings, and Amazon lists it as a 4.6 out of 5 from 57 ratings.) Thirdly, late chef/journalist Anthony Bourdain did a segment on Philadelphia food for his Travel Channel show "The Layover" which featured Di Bruno Bros. fare. It aired in December of 2012.
