In the North End of Boston the whole section was at one time immigrant Italians. Now the Yuppies are moving in as the old timers pass away. Their children want out of the crowded tenements. But there are still some grandmothers who carry on with their food traditions and what they learned from their immigrating parents. Over the years they managed to buy the four/five story walk-up. In the first floor they put in a small restaurant with three or four tables. In the back all the cooking is done with the pots and pans that their parents sent to Italy for. The income helped pay for their mortgage and later for the kids to go off to college.
But if you want a dish right out of Italy, you look in the door and if you see only a few tables, that is where you go to eat. The pasta is most likely freshly made right there. And you know the sauces are freshly made every day. You can taste it. What little land came with the property, you will find fresh tomatoes and herbs growing on it. What they don't cook with, they can.
I haven't been to Boston in quite a while, but I have been to that neighborhood, and have eaten in one of those restaurants with just a few tables. Good stuff!
CD