Broder's Cucina Italiana
The aroma of sizzling mozzarella and spicy sausages fills your nose as you walk into this neighborhood restaurant. Broder's is a little Italian deli with everything from pizza to pasta, from salads to desserts and they all taste amazing. You walk in on a warm summer night and the whole place is hopping with people. You grab a number and wait your turn. When you get called it is a quick rush to grab the last slice of cheese pizza before someone else gets it. The cheese pizza is my absolute favorite. In fact, it is probably one of the only things I ever order there. I step up convinced that I am going to try some thing new, but the huge round pizzas on stands right at eye level suck me in and I tell the employee that I would like two slices of cheese before I even know what I am saying. They throw your pizza on a plate, you order your drink, and the next challenge arises: finding a place to sit. On a busy night the place is so packed that my mom used to have me sit at an empty table to save us a place. Somehow, despite the packed area, I can't remember ever not finding a place to sit.
The tables are stuffed in so you feel like you are eating at the same table as the people next to you, but it is all part of the charm of the place. It is truly a neighborhood place. Every time I go there, I see someone I know or recognize. Or even if you don't know anyone, you may end up talking to the family next to you as they borrow napkins or just say hello.
My family has gone to Broder's for as long as I can remember. When my mom didn't feel like cooking and we all couldn't agree on a place to eat, we always could agree on Broder's. They have so many different items to offer there is something for everyone. I remember when my mom would be out of town and my dad (who can't cook for the life of him) would ask us if we wanted to go to Broder's. Come to think of it, he still takes us there to avoid cooking! Who wouldn't? I know that someday I will take my own family there.
By now, I have even traveled through Italy exploring real Italian tastes. When I came back, I still felt the same way about Broder's Italian food: it is the best on this side of the Atlantic. There may be fancy Italian places all over the place, and we can now walk into an Olive Garden or Fizoli's and see the same menu in Minneapolis as in California, but I don't think any other place has the fun community, buzzing atmosphere, and plain old good food that Broder's serves up every day.