Back to Scarsella’s five years after our first visit and one day after their 58th anniversary. Many things have changed since our first visit, many, many things actually. What has not changed? Scarsella’s. Only two things seemed any different at all, outside of our company, and both were to Scarsella’s credit. The service was much more attentive than I remembered and the homemade cavatelli were absolutely spot on this trip.

The meatballs are still great, the salad and bread remain functional. Their sauce is still the archetype of Italian simplicity. Clean, straightforward and tasty.
 

We had a couple of seafood options (Friday at an Italian restaurant). The house made clam chowder was Midas touch rich, excellently seasoned and filled with warm tender clam bits. The fish special comprised a sturdy, thick, and mild cut of whitefish in a crunchy cornmeal crust. No faulting either of them.

Steph ordered the zucchini special along with the cavatelli. The long thin strips of breaded veg reminded us of our favorite dish at Angenetta’s in Canfield. Sarcella’s breading had every bit, if not a little better, flavor than Angenetta’s (high praise) but it failed miserably standing up to the sauce and became a mushy thickener for the sauce instead of a crunchy covering for the zucchini. I ordered the sausage dinner. The sausage itself was fine with onions and peppers, but what really stood out in the dish were the house rolled fettuccini noodles. The texture and taste of the pasta was stupendous, my favorite part of the whole meal as it soaked up that basic but wonderful gravy. Gotta love the place.
 

Good, But There Is Better Bread In Town
 

Salad Will Do
 

Super Classic Meatballs
 

Zucchini Parm Rivals Our Favorite In Ways
 

First Seafood Was Exceptional Chowder...
 

...Followed By Firm & Crispy White Fish
 

The Sausage Was Fine...
 

The House Fettuccini, Extraordinary
 

Scarsella's
 Youngstown, Ohio        Date of Visit  11/20/10              No Known Website

Another Family Italian restaurant in Youngstown and we are just beginning to scratch the surface layer. Located close to Boardman on Market St., Scarsella’s offers a very classic Italian menu. The building itself could use a bit of attention, not all that unusual for a Youngstown establishment. The interior is cramped, and the structure, decorations, and facilities could all us a good buffing or overhaul. Again not unusual. I had only been here a couple of times before and what I remember most is the sauce. Time to find out why.

Wouldn't Be Italian Without It
 

We ordered a provolone appetizer and greens to start. The cheese is breaded and fried and it’s hard to go wrong with fried cheese. Unless the sauce is a fail. The thing about Scarsella’s sauce is it is one of the most nondescript sauces I have had in Y-town. It is not chunky, it is not herbaceous, there are no strong spices, it is not sweet or acidic. It is simply bright tomatoey deliciousness. In many ways the gravy here sums up everything at Scarsella’s, simple but really good. The greens were exceptionally flavorful with a nice shot of heat balancing out the bitterness.

For entrees we ordered lasagna, homemade cavatelli, and chicken parmesan with homemade spaghetti. The dinner salad won’t get anyone excited. I didn’t try the lasagna but by all reports I will probably order it on our next visit. The cavatelli were underdone this particular evening which was a real disappointment as I had the cavatelli the first time we tried the place and it was exceptional.

The chicken parmesan was the least complex version of this staple I had ever tried. Chicken breasts, simply breaded, doused with that great sauce and sprinkled with grated parm. No provolone. Nothing really standout in the breading. Nothing extravagant. I gotta tell you though, it was tasty. The homemade spaghetti was stupendous. Perfect al dente and it gripped the sauce like it was dying of thirst and was the best part of the meal.

Scarsella’s doesn’t do everything perfectly. They certainly don’t do anything extravagantly. But unless they miss something during service, it is likely going to taste very good. If you are taking the tour of the abundant Italian restaurants in the Youngstown area be sure to add Scarsellas. The sauce may not stand out for any particular reason but it is perfectly, nondescriptly, delicious. I wonder if they sell it by the gallon?

Even the To Go Container Comes with
Awesome Sauce!!!