Made to Order | Luigi's serves up top-notch stromboli

After a few warm days, the snow returned to the region for a few days earlier this week. Nothing warms us up better than some hot stromboli from Luigi's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, 1353 Park Avenue West in Mansfield.

Former owner Louis Sorrenti found after 20 years, he was ready to sell Luigi's to Phil Holland, a friend and food industry manager. Phil and crew will be celebrating their first anniversary this April. Their Italian fare includes hand tossed pizzas, assorted subs, stromboli and their famous reuben.

Our guests were the Kowalski family, who had told me how Phil's place is connected with Good Fellows Pizzeria and Pub. The two offer a much-appreciated partnership, a casual sports bar attached to a convenient restaurant. With a separate restaurant entrance, you'll be able to take you family out for a meal that will be affordable and comfy.

With seating for nearing 50, Luigi's allows a perfect spot for events, office parties and family get-togethers that allows you to venture over to Good Fellow's to watch the big game.

Phil informed us that along with a dining-in option, all of their food is ready for carry-out, or can be catered off-premise for bigger occasions. Phil got his first training from his mother and grandmothers, just as Chef Andrea and I learned from ours. His Slovakian roots meant he never prepared food for four people, but mostly for 20 or more.

Talking about the quality supplies of meats and poultry he gets in had us excited. His wings are fresh, never frozen and on occasion, sell out. His sausages, DiRusso's out of Cleveland, are sliced lengthwise to act like long strips of bacon upon his pizzas, giving great flavor and appeal. All of his sauces are prepared according to recipes from the past 26 years as he managed many pizzerias in Cleveland.

Although from Cleveland, he grew up in the Mansfield area, even going to school at Saint Peter's. He employs five wonderful people who are all trained to make each dish, pizza and stromboli in the same manner, giving consistency throughout.

Being hard-working individuals helps, as Luigi's is open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. The menu is not a two-, three- or four-pager where you never know what might be good. It's one page and it's all their specialties.

We started off with those fresh wings in a Carolina tangy honey mustard, which was superb and a favorite of Shelly, our guest. The next was the traditional spicy garlic, ramping up a controlled degree of heat, then finally onto the barbecue. Each wing was very meaty, tender, juicy and complemented well by the sauces.

Next up were the garlic knots, in which Luigi's brought us something we've never had. They were tasty bites that had a crispy exterior and plenty of garlicky goodness. The dipping marinara was impressive and lighter that their traditional pizza sauce. Moving on to their reuben, we found out that they are stacked with layers of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss, mustard and horseradish. The reuben was accompanied by slaw, and the perfect pickle with lots of crunch and dill.

Out next came their fresh-cut fries, which with the addition of malt vinegar had us thinking of warm, fair days. Soon a pizza with pepperoni and strips of sausage came out in an authentic New York format. The outer crust is thick, while the inner is thin for folding over. The large pieces were delicious and certainly showed us Phil knows pizza. An additional half of the pizza was suited for Andrea with jalapenos, mushrooms and fresh-cut tomatoes. Each bite was outstanding and brought a happy ending to family pizza night.

Most places that serve a quality half-pound burger charge around $9 to $12, but at Luigi's, it's less than $7. We tried a simple setup of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo. It was overwhelming voted as a winner with the tender, well-seasoned patty in a Kaiser roll.

Our stromboli had the overall top pick, with one side filled with veggies and one with meats and cheeses. It is definitely the best stromboli we've had at any area restaurant.

Five subs also appear on the menu filled with quality meats like genoa salami, cotto salami, bologna and ham. We sampled the well-stacked grilled chicken sub dressed with toppings. Daily lunch specials like today's chicken and dumplings appear as well as lasagna and other customer favorites.

What is so likeable about Luigi's and owner Phil is that he is involved in the community with things like the Wounded Warrior Project, where he donates pizzas. He also teams up with Good Fellows next door for benefits like May 30's Chili and Wing Cook Off, featuring live blues and jazz. All proceeds benefit the Shriners Hospitals helping local families.

Take it upon yourself to give Luigi's a try this weekend. For more information or to order their incredible stromboli, call 419-529-2590.