Upon my return from honeymooning in Italy, I couldn’t eat American-style pizza for a year straight. That’s how long it took for the memory of fresh tomatoes to make room for a cheese obsession. Good to know: Teresa’s Place, like all authentic Italian cuisine, doesn’t rely on substituting grease for flavor. 

When picking a starter, I had the usual reservations about spinach artichoke dip, but my husband thought we could trust the descendants of Teresa Basignani—the newly immigrated woman who opened this restaurant in 1921 as a way to feed her boarders—miners that gathered round night after night. Something about the family atmosphere of the building itself—the hardwood, homey layout, and red, green and white knickknacks scattered everywhere— made us feel that Teresa’s influence was still strong. And, yes, we were in good hands. Miraculously light, the warm dip was packed with the deep earthiness of spinach. 

My husband ordered the seafood lasagna special, which—like certain entrées—comes with soup and salad, both in portions big enough to warrant sharing. The minestrone possessed the soft, divine texture required of a soup, but with a flavor profile closer to that of the tomatoes and herbs used to make up its broth. In short, it tasted fresh—not stewed. The tomatoes and peppers in the salad rang sharply of late summer while the house-made Italian dressing was tangy and unreal. 

Our accomplished waitress moved in perfect timing with the kitchen; every new dish came out with the right amount of time for us to finish savoring the last. I ordered the ravioli, which was rich and meaty and topped with Bolognese sauce, while my husband’s lasagna featured Parmesan-dusted layers of buttery pasta sheets enveloping bay shrimp, crab meat, and a bubbling cheesy mixture of fontina, jack and creamy scallion Béchamel. 

True to the form of the night, the tiramisu as well. The spongy and moist layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers reminded us of dining in Monterosso al Mare—one of the five villages of Cinque Terre. Even wanderlusts can appreciate not having to venture quite so far.

By Dayana Stockdale // photos by Dante Fontana 
Teresa’s Place, 1235 Jackson Gate Road, Jackson, 209-223-1786.