Ciao Bella

CUISINE AND ATMOSPHERE: The inside of Ciao Bella is plain, clean and quaint. Lots of pictures of this Italian family's homeland grace the place. Spend five minutes in the restaurant and it's quite clear the restaurant is Italian and Livia Domenico is the owner. She's the one giving orders in Italian to her crew: Daniela, Enrico and Sal. Domenico is polite and kind—but you still get the feeling it would be a major mistake to cross her.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: During a recent lunch, a friend and I ordered garlic knots, a small Ciao Bella special pizza (peperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and peppers) and a lunch portion of penne with meat sauce. The knots and pizza had some things in common: They both look mouth-watering good, taste as good as they look and were baked to perfection, with just the right amount of crispy on the outside of the dough. The seasoned meat sauce on the penne was also tasty and had plenty of meat. Domenico makes all kinds of special Italian dishes, including veal saltimbocca and chicken piccata. She also makes the desserts, except for the cannolis. And you never know what's for dessert. "It's whatever I feel like making — then I make it and put it out," she said.

PRICES: There are specials posted every day. Prices for a meal range $5.50 for a cheeseburger to $13.95 for a dinner order of lobster ravioli. Pizza runs from $6.75 to $21.95, depending on the size and toppings.