so good.

Ever been to Cadogan?

No? I have a reason you should go.

Cadogan, a teeny town in Armstrong County just south of Ford City is the home of Falsetti’s Villa. I have a hard time remembering the proper name attached to the place, but if you just say The Villa, I know you’re talking about my favorite Italian restaurant in western Pennsylvania.

We went tonight, in honor of the grandmother of Mrs. Crappy, who turns 97 on Wednesday. I usually can’t make it to the family outings to this place — I live on the other side of the planet, and I usually can’t make it there for the early start time preferred by our elders. But they were gracious enough to delay dinner until 6 — and I started work a bit early so I could make it to the place at a reasonable hour.

This ain’t fancy stuff — just a simple family-owned place with simple food, lots of red sauce, good salads, cheap Chianti … all the good stuff. I had the Villa Casserole tonight — pasta, sauce, two gigantic hot-sausage meatballs, all covered with cheese.

And I was damn happy to have it. As you can see.

Mrs. Crappy had chicken parm and her aunt had something we hadn’t tasted before — penne covered with a sweet sausage red sauce. Oh, my. Dessert? Carrot cake with cream-cheese icing, please. Thank you.

It’s a bit of a trek from the city, up 28 to the Slate Lick exit in Armstrong County. But to me, it’s worth the trip. It should be to you too.