Mamma Teresa Ristorante

Giuliano Boselli opened the Somerset Street dining room with his mother and named it for her. Mamma Teresa was Teresa Boselli — Giuliano's mother and the family cook — and the restaurant they opened together in 1970 has carried her name and her food forward without much editing. The red-brick building at Somerset and O'Connor sits inside Chinatown's western edge, a few blocks from the Hill, and the dining room inside it has held the shape of an Italian dinner the city already knew how to use. Her name is the one on the awning.

The pasta page is where the place opens up. Lobster Ravioli arrives in a rosée sauce. Gnocchi sits under creamy Gorgonzola. Tortellini Giuliano — the founder's name on the order — comes with cream, prosciutto, and mushrooms. Cannelloni al Forno is stuffed with veal and spinach, Manicotti Gloria with ricotta and spinach, and Lasagna Bolognese keeps a long-standing house slot. Past the pasta page sits a chicken or veal scallopine section that still runs five preparations side by side: Marsala with mushrooms and wine sauce, Gorgonzola, Fiorentina, A la Mamma, and Parmigiana served alongside spaghetti Bolognese. Fish steps in with sole and salmon. The antipasti side carries calamari, shrimp cocktail, mussels, and smoked salmon, with garlic bread and a Caesar salad sitting at the easy entry points before the pasta. Dessert keeps the kitchen's habits in plain view — Tiramisu Della Casa, Mamma's Cake, Tartufo, Lemon Sorbetto, Crème Caramel — and the names point at who the kitchen still cooks for.