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Forgive me Fratelli’s. I live five minutes away, but for years I treated you like a red-headed stepchild. Then I read this. Then, about two weeks ago, a friend also recommended we give it a try. We did.

Why the mistreatment? Fratell’s just doesn’t look the part. Well, from the outside it doesn’t. It’s located in a retail spot off 290, near 34th Street. Not exactly Restaurant Row. I know it sounds cliche, but Fratelli’s is a perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.

Without question, this restaurant is easily one of the most underrated Italian spots in the city. The atmosphere is very causal, the service is friendly, and the food is simple and delicious.

No matter what you decide to order, excluding the House Salad would be a big mistake. A generous portion of creamy, subtly sweet dressing covers every spec of greenery. It’s good, and probably the only fairly healthy dish you’ll be ordering.

Fratelli’s has a coal-fire pizza oven. I rarely order pizza, but felt obliged to give it a shot. The crust was tasty, yet undercooked. It needed five extra minutes in the oven. At $11.95, the Pizza Americana was adequately priced. The generous toppings–comprised of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, red peppers, spinach, onions, salami, and Italian sausage–overwhelmed the flexible crust. Again, five more minutes, and this is pizza perfection.

Try the spaghetti bolognese. I never, ever order spaghetti at restaurants. I always make it at home.  But guess who does order it? My 6-year-old daughter. I snuck a bite. D@mn! The sauce was spectacular. Both my daughters goggled it up…with a little help.

Get. the. beef. cannolloni! And if you don’t like it, know this, there’s probably something wrong with you. Think of this dish as an Italian version of enchiladas. The ground beef is pulverized, wrapped in this sheets of fresh pasta, and topped with a creamy red sauce. Three come with each order…I could do four…maybe five.

I’m guessing future visits will lead to the discovery of other wonderful dishes. Sounds like a plan.