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Anthony Zappitelli watches over a large pot of marinara sauce he makes from his mom's recipe at Zappitelli's Pizza in Mentor.
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A former coworker told me Zappitelli’s Pizza at 9570 Mentor Ave. in Mentor was the best place in town to eat spaghetti and meatballs. It wasn’t until I met the owner’s wife, Kristie, in a Dale Carnegie class that I tested her taste – and she was right.
Anthony Zappitelli might make the best marinara sauce around, but he is quick to tell you that he is not a chef.
“Self-taught,” he said, shaking his head at me. “I learned from my mom.” He said he also picked up some cooking tips from the chefs at Redhawk Grille in Concord, of which he also is part-owner.
It’s his mom’s recipe for the Campo Basso-style marinara sauce he ladles over his pasta, both the pasta he makes himself and the pasta he buys freshly made in Little Italy. It’s arguably some of the best marinara sauce I’ve ever eaten and the best argument for ordering spaghetti and meatballs at least every other time you visit.
And the meatballs. Wow! Normally I’m not a meatball lover, but these are wonderful – perfect consistency, excellent blend of flavors. Anthony doesn’t take personal credit. He says it’s simply the superior quality meat he buys from his food purveyor.
The recipe?
“Ground meat, ground pork and spices – that’s all I’m telling you,” he said, shaking his Browns bandana-covered head again and winking, oblivious of the large splotch of sauce on the front of his T-shirt.
I didn’t see any use in asking for his sauce recipe after that. The sauce is available to take home though, for $4.50 a quart. You could try telling your family you made it yourself. If they’ve eaten at Zapp’s, they won’t believe it.
Diners receive hand-written menus of daily specials in addition to the typical menu of pizza, subs, salads and pasta filled with not-so-typical flavors.
Specials really are special – on one visit I had a huge pile of homemade cavatelli and meatballs for $7.75, a savings of more than $3 off the regular price. Plus I had enough to bring home, share with my son and have for lunch the next day. One thing you’ll learn about Zapp’s – no matter what you order you’ll always go home with a box. I’m not sure what Anthony uses more of – to-go boxes or marinara sauce.
Anthony, whom you’ll find in the dining room talking to his repeat customers as much as you’ll hear him in the kitchen, describes Zapp’s as value-oriented with large portions. “One order could feed a husband, a wife and a kid,” he said. “You get more bang for your buck.”
I recently had lunch at Zapp’s with Al DiIorio, the retiring Lake County Fairgrounds treasurer/secretary and part owner of Hellriegel’s, who just happens to be Anthony’s godfather.
Anthony made his godfather a deal he couldn’t refuse, sending us out a complimentary plate of antipasta. On the plate were Italian salami, pepperoni, prosciutto and aged provolone served with warm homemade buns – no horse’s head…
We also tried the Italian wedding soup. It had the usual acini di pepe pasta with carrots, meatballs and chicken, but the broth looked like it was crossed with egg drop soup. We both liked it.
“It was made today,” Al said between bites. When I asked how he could tell, he said, “Just can.” It must be a restaurant-owner thing.
He ordered the veal parm. The proud godfather demonstrated how tender the veal was by cutting it with his fork. It was covered in more of that delicious sauce. And he had so much left over he could have served it for appetizers at Hellriegel’s the next day.
No surprise, I ordered the angel hair pasta with meatballs. Loved it.
On another visit, my companion Jerie Green had the open-faced Italian sausage sandwich special with pepper and onions topped with two huge roasted hot peppers and mozzarella cheese – I think it had some of that sauce on it. It was served with salad for $7.25.
Jerie said she appreciated the red peppers in the salad of romaine, cukes, black olives, pepperoncinis, mozzarella cheese – much more than the hard tomatoes you usually get in the wintertime. She enjoyed the entire meal – what she could finish. I don’t know who she shared it with, but there was enough left over to feed at least a couple of hungry teenagers.
Zapp’s has been in the Johnnycake Square Plaza for more than 20 years. To accommodate the influx of diners who come for dinner from as far east as Conneaut and as far south as Seven Hills (I know of someone who drives from there on a regular basis), Anthony expanded into the vacant space next door about three years ago. The annex’s bright yellow walls are covered in Anthony’s vintage advertising collection.
In the main dining room, the no-nonsense décor in colors of the Italian flag keeps you focused on the flavor of the food. On each of the ’50s diner-style tables are bottles of extra virgin olive oil – EVOO as Rachel Ray calls it – as well as balsamic vinegar and small pepper grinders, a nice touch.
If you’re there for lunch, the friendly and exuberant lunchtime server, Heidi, will take your order. You’ll hear her snorting laughter from anywhere in the restaurant.
There’s no way you’ll have room for dessert unless you share your dinner with four of your closest friends, so bring home a cannoli to eat with your leftovers. Chocolate-dipped and filled with cream and chocolate chips, they are not too sweet yet just sweet enough.
Anthony is also part-owner of the Winking Lizard in the same plaza. He delivers and does catering too. He can be reached at 440-352-1185.
Adventures in Dining is a regular dining feature written by Laura Freeman,
editor of Lake County Business Journal.
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