I'm always a little leery when someone tells me that a restaurant is "like (so and so)." Most times, I end up disappointed.

I'd heard a bunch of descriptions for Piada in South Euclid.

One gave the impression it was a pizza place. Wrong.

Someone said it was a noodle place. Closer.

Another person described it as "Chipotle for Italian food."

Bingo!

A regional chain with locations throughout Ohio and Indiana and Michigan, Piada recently popped up on Cedar Road near Warrensville Center Road, across from Whole Foods. It's easy to find in the Cedar Center North plaza because it sits directly below the shopping center's nameplate, at the end of the driveway at the main entrance.

In a plaza loaded with chain restaurants (Subway, Panera, Five Guys, Starbucks, Chipotle), this one is a hidden gem.

Read more of Managing Editor Laura Kessel's review at Dining Out: South Euclid's Piada delights with tasty Italian food in Chipotle-like setup.

Looking forward to this deal I just bought on LivingSocial. I snagged $20 worth of food and non-alcoholic drinks at Pizzazz in Mayfield Village for $10. The deal can be found here and is on for two more days.

Pizzazz has been pumping out delicious Italian fare since 1975. LivingSocial highlights the "overflowing salads topped with meat, cheese, and its signature house Italian dressing," homemade linguine, asiago-stuffed gnocchi, and "piping hot pizzas, cheesy calzones, and mouthwatering sandwiches."

A quick perusal of the menu shows offerings that are making my mouth water just thinking of them. And 25-plus toppings make the pizza combinations seem unending.

View Pizzazz in Mayfield Village in a larger map

-- Nicole Franz | NiFranz@News-Herald.com | @FranzOrFoe

Local food deal is up now on Groupon for J B Milano’s in Richmond Heights spend $15 and get $30 worth of Italian food and non-alcoholic drinks. You may need to click on All Deals up at the top of the page, because Groupon updates its deals frequently to find the deal. You have until Friday morning at 4 a.m. to buy the deal.

There’s also a deal for Luchita’s Mexican Restaurant on West 117th Street in Cleveland. This deal, which doesn’t expire until the clock strikes 12 on Friday night, is your pick between $29 for a prix fixe Mexican dinner for two ($58.35 total value) or $58 for a prix fixe Mexican dinner for four ($116.70 total value).

The prix fixe menu includes for each pair of diners:

• One guacamole or empanada flight

• Two soups or salads

• One appetizer, such as nachos or flautas

• Two entrees, such as chiles rellenos or pork tacos

LivingSocial also has a deal for John Palmer’s Bistro 44 in Concord Township. Spend $25 and get $50 to spend on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Looks like this deal should be available until sometime Friday.

Happy eating!

-- Nicole Franz | NiFranz@News-Herald.com | @FranzOrFoe

On a recent visit to the west side of town, I tried Danny Boy's Pizza -- and I am incredibly glad the establishment has a location in Chester Township.

Just take a look at the menu and try to tell me that you don't want to eat at least half of the items listed.

I had a difficult time narrowing down what I wanted, but ended up going with the Big Lebowski sub -- seasoned hamburger, baked beans, barbecue sauce and cheddar baked together, topped with fries, pickles, onions and mustard. But I also got to sample my second choice, which my friend ordered: the Sinatra Special sub -- layers of shaved ham, turkey, pepperoni, pizza cheese, fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions, finished with cool mayo and sweet 'n sour dressing. My sandwich was tasty, but his was even better.

The menu also includes an array of salads, melts, pizzas, calzones, foldovers, pasta, ribs and more. Danny Boy's seems like the perfect place to get some grub if no one in your group can decide on one specific cuisine.

And I'm not the only one who thinks the restaurant is good: Danny Boy's has won several area awards in the past 10 years, according to the Our Story page on the website.

Now that my mouth is watering again, I think it's time to plan my next trip to Danny Boy's.

Danny Boy's Pizza
DannyBoysPizza.com
Danny Boy's Chesterland on Facebook
440-729-3726
8389 Mayfield Road, Chester Township
Sunday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (bar open late)


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

I've lived in Cleveland for more than three years, but I've only eaten in Little Italy twice -- and the first time I made it there was last month.

My first trip was a wedding rehearsal dinner at Angelo's Nido Italia Ristorante & Catering, where we were served endless family-style appetizers and entrees. The food was so good that I wish I had known how much was ahead so I could have better paced myself; I was nearly full by the time the main course (Chicken Parmigian) came around. There was a not a single thing served that I didn't like and want more of, and I surely will be making my way back to sample more of the great food (and white wine).

My second trip was over the weekend, when I met some college friends at Trattoria Roman Garden. The free valet parking was quite attractive to someone who hates driving in crowded places, and I liked the homey atmosphere of the dining room. I ordered (and loved) the Eggplant Parmigiano and house red wine. And I found the prices really reasonable, especially given the fact that my entree served as dinner for two additional nights.

After dinner, my friends and I walked across the street to Corbo's Bakery and Cafe. This twentysomething in a bakery felt like a kid in a candy store. I had a lot of trouble deciding but settled on a white chocolate and raspberry torte, which was both sweet and filling. I also bought a chocolate-dipped canoli to take home to my boyfriend, which they filled fresh when I ordered it. (His reaction: "This canoli is ridiculous." In a good way, of course.)

I love the atmosphere of the neighborhood and everything I have consumed in it. It seems like such the perfect place to go on a summer night -- to have dinner on a patio and stroll around while listening to Italian music wafting from the different eateries. I only wish that traffic and parking and driving wasn't a pain; yhat is one thing that will keep me away from frequenting a store of any kind. Although when the weather gets cooler, maybe it will be easier to get around down there (but I'll miss out on the patio dining).

Where's your favorite place to eat in Little Italy?


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

I feel the need to preface this by saying that this is my first ever blog here at The News-Herald since I joined the copy desk a little over four months ago. And what better way to acquaint myself with The News-Herald’s blogosphere than by starting here, in a blog devoted to one of my all-time favorite subjects: FOOD!

Anyway, this tale begins on a not-so-distant Sunday when Cheryl, a fellow copy editor, mentioned that she and Sean had ordered from Teresa’s Pizza one Saturday night. She could not stop talking about how good it was. In fact, she was raving about it while enjoying her leftovers from the previous night’s dining experience. It was the first time I had heard of Teresa’s Pizza, but I assure you it was not the last.

Fast forward to later in the week. A group of staffers started planning to order from Teresa’s Pizza at least a day in advance. Now, I feel it is important to mention that we take our food here very seriously on the copy desk; if we are going to order out, we often devote at least an hour to discussing our options and deciding where to go and what we want. It’s a problem. We know this.

Then, this past Monday, Robin me that she had enjoyed the pleasure of Teresa’s Pizza three days in a row! This seemed totally absurd; however, today when I arrived sans-previously prepared dinner, I should not have been surprised to hear Robin suggest ordering take out from — you guessed it! — Teresa’s Pizza. Considering the hype it had been receiving over the past few weeks, of course I consented. And boy am I glad I did.

At the semi-suggestion of my boyfriend (he got it last time), I ordered a meatball sub. Now, being Italian, I’ve had my fair share of meatballs sandwiches throughout my life. This sandwich, though, was phenomenal. They didn’t skimp on the meatballs like some places do, there was a perfect amount of sauce — which was deliciously flavorful, but not too sweet like some marinaras can be — and the cheese was the perfect compliment. The bread was not soggy from the sauce, the sandwich came hot, and the meal left me wanting more. Not because I wasn’t full, which I assure you I was, but because it was so delicious I didn’t want it to end.

Luckily I was able to steal a piece of pizza (sausage and black olive, a combination Dominic and I adore and is scoffed at by everybody else in the newsroom). This pizza was also absolutely delicious. It had abundant amounts of that same flavorful sauce I enjoyed from my meatball sub, ample toppings and delicious crust—the makings of an awesome pizza.

Now I totally understand my coworkers' obsession with Teresa’s Pizza. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do as soon as you can. You will not regret it. In fact, if you stop by the News-Herald around 7:30 one evening, you will likely find the copy staff enjoying dinner from there as I’m pretty confident we’ll be frequenting this fine establishment on a weekly basis.

-Danielle Capriato
DCapriato@News-Herald.com

Taking advantage of the warmer weather last weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to walk around downtown Willoughby to find a place to lunch. We made our way into Fanucce's Italian Imports and Pizzeria, which opened in November. Immediately we were greeted with the smell of fresh Italian food and friendly faces behind the counter, who told us to take a seat anywhere.

The food preparation area of the long and narrow restaurant is in full view behind a counter and glass, so you can see the staff making your meal. The atmosphere is totally casual, and the staff was professional. I was impressed that they genuinely seemed interested in how we were enjoying our meal.

I loved the real Italian taste of the pizza we ordered. The seasoning in the dough made it seem authentic and not just doughy, like most chain pizzerias. The pepperoni was spicy, and the cheese and chicken tasted so fresh. The best part of the meal was DEFINITELY the pizzafries. Never heard of them? I hadn't either. Put together fries, sauce, sausage and cheese, and you have pizzafries. It's like the Italian version of cheesy fries, and they're much better than their American counterpart. I had never seen pizzafries before, and they're the perfect reason to stop in and try Fanucce's.

My only regret about the visit is that I filled up so much on pizzafries and pizza that I didn't get to try dessert.

Fanucce's offers dine in, carryout, delivery and party trays, and the eatery also has a deli counter with fresh meats, cheeses and other Italian fare. I'll definitely keep it in mind next time I'm getting lunch meat or a pizza.

Fanucce's Italian Imports and Pizzeria
4125 Erie St.
Willoughby, OH 44094
440-946-3939
Fax 440-946-3959
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday
11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com