• 10" tomato pie $14.99

Papa's was a pleasant surprise for me. I was not sure what to expect we had not heard much about it, but it turned out to be a well kept secret. Unfortunately I am not sure well kept secrets always stay in business so if you live in the area, you might want to get there if you have not already. Even if you live in NE and are looking for some good Italian, you might want to hop over it really is not that far.

I really enjoyed my tomato pie. I normally would not order pizza, but it said it was a Trenton NJ speciality and I am currently reading a series of books based there and I just had to try it. I was glad I did it was a great pizza. Was it as good a Pizza Nea? Probably not, but they were two different pizzas and hard to compare. But it was also not the Minnesota style pizza which I do not really like that is smothered in cheese, so that was a good thing. Also I have no idea how authentic it really was since I have never had a NJ tomato pie, but it worked for me.

Overall I would go back and when I do, I hope it is a bit busier than it was when we were there last time.

• Manicotti $10.99

Papa’s is a small family Italian restaurant in North Minneapolis that provides good food at reasonable prices. Their location in North Minneapolis is a limiting factor; not many people will go out of their way to try the restaurant. The manicotti had a delicious tomato-meat sauce. The two generous slices of garlic bread were perfect for soaking up the sauce. The menu described the manicotti filling as Papa’s blend of cheese and spices, which was fully satisfactory. I liked Renee’s pizza, and Papa’s offers a reasonable value on its kid’s menu, too.

If you go, the restaurant holds about 40 people and service is good. There was not much business on a Saturday night at peak hours, so unless things really pick up, reservations are appreciated but optional. I like a lot of things about Papa’s and really want to go back for the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.