Mangia!

You know the drill. Bottle of red. Bottle of white. We’ll meet you anytime you want in our Italian restaurant. Or we could order some great pies from perennial Best Of winners like Mama’s Pizza (1813 W Berry St, 817-923-3541) or Hysen’s Nizza Pizza (401 University Dr, 817-877-3900) in Fort Worth or Napoli’s Italian Kitchen & Market (309 S Main St, 817-310-0385) in Grapevine and just do #DinnerandaMovie at home.

You can always enjoy fancy Italian for Pasqua (Easter Sunday), but we’ll get to that later. Now, about that movie …

Reel Food: Nonnas

Directed by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) and written by Liz Maccie (Siren, Foxglove), Nonnas is a warm homecooked meal. Starring Vince Vaughn, Linda Cardellini, Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, and an array of other familiar faces, this Netflix movie does not just deliver. It serves as an emotional journey on a plate.

Inspired by the true story of Joe Scaravella, a New York native who, upon losing his mother, grieves in an unexpected way: reliving his fondest memories through the food Maria cooked, a tradition passed down from his Italian grandmother.

With the help of friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) and Stella (Drea de Matteo), Joe (Vaughn) renovates a shell of a venue and creates Enoteca Maria.

Not exactly hot stuff in the kitchen, Joe convinces his mother’s old friend Roberta to cook for him. And this leads to his assembling a cast of four very different nonnas, including Gia (Susan Sarandon), Teresa (Talia Shire), and Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro).

A novel concept without a solid business plan, the restaurant’s opening is stale. The grandmothers spend time bonding and sharing more of their stories, giving depth to their roles and revealing that they had lives, loves, and stories to tell beyond doing for others in the kitchen. This restaurant is symbolic of the fact that these women still matter in this world beyond their youth. They still have purpose. There is always hope.

Then there’s Olivia (Cardellini), who was once stood up by Scaravella and who shows up for him as he brings this homage to his mother to life. Maybe there is redemption for dessert.

Nonnas is a full serving of the idea that family, tradition, love, food, and people do matter. Our value does not expire. Watching this film is like trying out a recipe. You know that based on the ingredients of a stellar cast, it will be well-acted. You also know that based on the plot, this is a feel-good story of unexpected success.

“Based on a true story” means that it has a happy ending, and if that is your glass of vino, you will be very pleased. You may also enjoy the shot of nostalgia that comes from hearing Billy Joe’s iconic “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” near the end. The ingredients here do not always taste innovative, but they hit the spot. And learning a few Italian curse words adds some spice. — Kena Sosa

Ate Days of Pasqua

Now, let’s talk about some fancy dining for Easter weekend. As many Italians identify as Catholic, it’s no surprise that this holiday is super-important. Family feasts often include Colomba bread, lamb, and other traditional foods. Like many others without a nonna of my own at home, I’m looking to make reservations rather than a mess in my kitchen, so I sought out a few choices for Sun, Apr 5.

Located in the Crescent Hotel, Emilia’s Fort Worth (3300 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-661-1855) draws inspiration from Italy as well as France, Greece, Morocco, and Spain while using Texas-sourced ingredients. Easter brunch will be buffet-style and include live music. Featured foods are a carving station with beef tenderloin, honey-baked ham, and roasted rack of lamb; carrot-cake pancakes; a Cobb salad station; peaches and cream French toast; and more. As of press time, tables were still available for the 2pm seating at EmiliasFortWorth.com.

Margie’s Italian Gardens (9805 Camp Bowie West, Fort Worth, 817-244-4301) is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and to that, I say, “Good for them!” So, you’ll need to visit during the rest of Settimana Santa (Holy Week) instead of Pasqua. Margie’s is open 4pm-9pm Tue-Thu and 4pm-10pm Fri-Sat. When one of our critics reviewed the place (“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” Jun 25, 2025), she really enjoyed one dish in particular. “Margie’s perfectly cooked chicken parm has to be the best in the county.”

The peach bellini, complete with thinly sliced peaches at the bottom of the icy glass, was also a hit.

In Waterside, Piattello Italian Kitchen (5924 Convair Dr, Ste 412, Fort Worth, 817-349-0484) is offering its full brunch menu, including brunch entrees, pizza, pasta, and salads, plus a special Easter charcuterie board with prosciutto, soppressata, and house-made ricotta. Seatings are available every 15 minutes from 10:30am to 1:45pm at PiattelloItaliankitchen.com.

And should you find yourself on the East Coast, be sure and visit Enoteca Maria (27 Hyatt St, Staten Island, New York, 718-447-2777), the real restaurant that inspired Nonnas. Grandmothers from around the world are part of a roster of rotating chefs, each preparing the traditional meals from their native cuisines. As the nonnas rotate, so does the menu. The April calendar isn’t live yet with the list of nonnas who will be visiting, but normally seating times are 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, and 7:30pm, with an Italian menu and a Japanese menu at 12:30pm. The Nonna of the Day begins her shift at 2:30pm. Reservations are recommended at NonnasoftheWorld.org.

For our readers who can count (#CheckOuttheBigBrainonBrad), that’s four restaurants, not our usual eight. For more options for Easter brunch, meet us back here in two weeks for our Easter 2026 coverage in the Wed, Apr 1, issue. Meanwhile, pick up Zest 2026 next week, exclusively featuring food, drinks, and shopping for same in a gloriously splendid, glossy-bound cover-to-cover format. Send your ideas and suggestions for this special issue to Marketing@fwweekly.com. — Jennifer Bovee