BRUNOS-RISTORANTE-PASTA.JPG
Vitello a la Carciofi, center, joins the table with fettuccine a la pescatore and a side of spaghetti. That's Italian.
(Gus Chan, Plain Dealer file)
2644 West 41st St. (between I-90 and Clark Ave.), Cleveland.
Most of us are Italian, if only for our overwhelming love of a well-balanced tomato sauce. In that case, Bruno's Ristorante is the center of town in Cleveland, a place where red sauce is king. You don't have to sit at one of their linen-covered tables in this snug dining room and wonder if it needed a little more salt, a little more wine, a little fresher tomato. It's all in there, as they say. Owner Bruno DiSiena was the executive chef at the Cleveland Browns training facility in Berea before somebody decided to move the team out of town. Instead of getting lost in the shuffle, DiSiena opened this restaurant and a catering business. Former players who liked his food -- and still do -- are known to show up now and then, but the celebrity quotient is all on the plate. The place is famous for its lasagna, but any pasta with red sauce will do. There are also chicken dishes, ravioli, gnocchi, veal, a steak and a burger. We especially liked the pasta forno, an ovenproof pan filled with pasta tubes, sausage, melted provolone and, just in case you miss your grandmother topping off your plate, a hard-boiled egg cooked along with it. Make a reservation on weekends or you are cooking sauce at home. Consider, also, getting your car washed next door by Bruno's brother. He'll do it while you eat.
Contact: 216-961-7087.
Online: brunosristorante.org
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Lunches, most $9-$12; dinners, most $10-$20.
Reservations: Advised.
Credit cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa.
Cuisine: Italian American.
Kids: Small pizzas, pastas. High chairs and boosters.
Bar service: Full, except Sunday when they have beer and wine.
Accessibility: One step up at front door. Call ahead for help. Full restroom access.
Grade: * * *