The names of the Stations of the Cross in Sacred Heart Catholic Church are in Italian. The shopkeepers at a great bookstore speak Italian. The tricolor waves proudly throughout the neighborhood. Boston’s Little Italy is an authentic, vibrant neighborhood, and today, after a more than a century, still half the people here are either Italian-born or Italian Americans.

There’s a plethora of Italian restaurants to choose from, and they all sound terrific. Across the street from Bova’s Bakery (inexplicably open 24 hours per day; I wondered who needs cannoli that badly at 4:12 a.m.?), I found Monica’s Trattoria. I strolled in, grabbed a seat, and chatted with the waitress, who gave me the restaurant’s story.

Monica is neither the owner nor the chef. Rather, she’s the mother of two brothers of Italian heritage who immigrated from Argentina and christened their restaurant with their mother’s name when they opened it in 1995, armed with her recipes. It started with a bar and 10 tables, but Pat and Frank Mendoza have expanded their business over 30 years. Now, their much larger restaurant features photos of Monica and the family, as well as original artwork, on the white-washed brick walls.

While you’re listening to the likes of Stevie Nicks, Santana, and Sheryl Crow, with Pink Floyd’s “Time” thrown in for good measure, you can watch the cooks in the open kitchen preparing your meal. But it starts way before that—every morning, abiding by their infrangible dedication to their promise of great meals, the brothers are up before dawn, shopping at local markets for ripe tomatoes and fragrant herbs, baking fresh bread, and handcrafting pasta, making sure each batch is perfect. You’ll definitely taste the care in each forkful you savor.

Try This: Your complementary bread comes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and grated Parmesan cheese, perfect to snack on as you await the rest of your meal. A great way to start is with the arancini di Coppia—two breaded and fried rice balls stuffed with beef ragu, peas, and fresh mozzarella. It’s accompanied by a mini-salad of arugula, cucumbers, and halved grape tomatoes with a balsamic vinaigrette. For your main course, taste the love poured into the homemade fusilli with classic Italian basil pesto and a splash of cream.

I’d Love to Hear From You!

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