For more than 55 years, Mama Santa’s has treated everyone who walks through its Little Italy doors like family. That means generous portions of Santa Ignazzito’s original Sicilian recipes at prices that won’t break your nonna’s change purse. And while the decor hasn’t changed much through the decades — dark paneled walls accented by green, white and red globe lights — neither has the attention to each dish. Pina, the wife of co-owner Anthony Starvaggi, makes a thousand meatballs every week with a mix of ground beef, breadcrumbs made fresh in-house, Parmesan cheese and parsley. For the meatball sandwich ($3.75), they’re baked until golden on the outside yet still moist on the inside, covered in sauce that’s simmered all day, and fit nicely inside a Presti’s Bakery roll. Now, that’s amore. Also Try: Ignazzito’s great-granddaughter, Nancy Schaffer, still hand-rolls dough for the perfectly crunchy-yet-chewy pizza crust ($9 for a large cheese). The cheese ravioli ($9.95) has an amazingly light filling thanks to a blend of ricotta, fontina and Parmesan. 12301 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, 216-421-2159, mamasantas.com
