Mi piace il cibo italiano!

Location: 

Petti's Pizza & Restaurant  

29303 Euclid Avenue

Wickliffe, OH 44092

(440) 944-1028 ‎

When I was young, my father worked just down the street from Petti's, and we would often make the drive there to meet him for lunch. Any time we were out, especially for doctor/dentist appointments, my mom would take me over there to see my dad and get some awesome Italian food for lunch. I always made sure to behave extra good so that I'd be guaranteed this trip!

It's been two years since I've been there, but the last time I went was with my mom after we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's pretty close by (about 10 minute drive) so I knew we had to go. It looked different inside than I remembered, much smaller and brighter, but I suppose when your head is at table level, everything seems gigantic!

Once again, it's been so long since I took these photos/ate here that I don't specifically recall the entire meal. I remember scarfing down everything on my plate, including a salad and several rolls, and I was still hungry - never fear, however, there was a lot of food - I just happened to be pregnant at the time and didn't know it! Hahaha!

I do remember that we were there on a Friday and it was packed. They had a few good specials going on, and our waitress was hilarious and awesome. Petti's has been run by the same family for generations, and probably 80% of the staff is family/related.

All in all, I'd say that if you're in the Cleveland/Wickliffe area, check it out! If you are from Columbus and have ever been to Villa Nova, it's a similar atmosphere, room size, menu, etc.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)           

Cleanliness: 5

Value: 5

Accessibility: 3

Friendliness: 5

Menu: 5

Is this what Italy looks like?

 

Like being at your Italian Gramma's house

Big plate of ravioli!

Good photo of one meatball and one piece of Italian sausage.

My mom got the Lake Perch and some roasted redskin potatoes.

She puts ketchup on lots of things...

Happy (belated) Easter!

Location:

Dimitri’s

1830 Snow Rd.

Parma, OH 44130

(216) 741-3399

Dimitri’s in Parma has been in the Midtown Shopping Center at Broadview & Snow for as long as I can remember.  Nearly every time we go to Cleveland to visit family, especially for holidays, Dimitri’s is on the list for the main meal.  It’s an older place, smack dab in the middle of a strip mall, but when you walk through the doors you’d never guess what awaits you inside.

The atmosphere is dim due to old school wood paneling and oil cloth table covers, although there are lamps and lights everywhere.  This place is always crowded and they have what seems to be the smallest foyer ever in the history of foyers.  Once you are on the way to your table, however, the vastness of Dimitri’s can be shocking.  There are tables down the middle, there are booths on the sides, there are more tables in the back and past that, in the way-way-way back, is what may have been a banquet room that now has more tables.  In the very center of the restaurant, in view of every table (except the way-way-way back tables) is a giant chalkboard listing the daily specials.  Oh, and I forgot to mention!  In the very front of the place is a tiny bar with a few TVs where you can sit & wait for your table or just hang out and have a drink.

This year for Easter myself, my parents, my aunt and my uncle went to Dimitri’s for Easter.  They had a special Easter menu featuring chicken, pork, ham, steaks, and fish/seafood.  For one price (depending on your choice) you received drink, soup, salad, entrée, and dessert.  Total price for the five of us was $81.06, not including tip.  That’s roughly $16/person, not bad for a full course meal!  The portions are huge, even the salad and soup are pretty big, and endless rolls were available as well.  I had the chicken paprikash with dumplings, a dish that Dimitri’s is known for, and it was delicious.  My father and uncle had a pork roast with mashed potatoes and stuffing, my aunt had the chicken paprikash as well, and my mother had fried pork roast with home fries and escalloped apples.  The salads were standard, lettuce/tomatoes/onions/croutons, the soup was chicken noodle with plenty of veggies and big fat egg noodles, the rolls were breadsticks or plain dinner rolls, and the desserts were a choice of Boston cream pie, rice pudding, lemon meringue, sherbet, chocolate cake, or coconut cream pie (plus more, but I really can’t remember them all!)  The only complaint I had about the whole experience was that they seemed to be slightly understaffed for such a big day.  Our waiter, Mike, was very good but he had at least 5-7 tables to serve by himself (including drinks/delivery/orders/etc) and I really think they should have had more people walking around to refill drinks, bring more rolls, clear out dishes, etc.  Mike did a really great job despite his heavy load though!

By and large, I’d say that no matter the occasion, day, time or year, Dimitri’s is always a good choice.  The prices are reasonable, the servings are huge, and the staff is beyond friendly.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)

Cleanliness: 3 (it’s clean but it’s starting to get pretty run down, especially the restrooms)

Value: 4

Accessibility: 5

Friendliness: 5

Menu: 5

(The very last picture was supposed to be the chocolate cake, but my mom inhaled it so fast that I barely had time to get a pic!  Mmmm... cake...)