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Scotti's Italian Restaurant, named after the original owner's friend and famous opera singer, Antonio Scotti, was founded by the DiMarco and Scoleri families and has been in its current location for about 54 years. Siblings and current owners Rina, Marco and Pasquale DiMarco are the fifth generation of this family tradition. All three work in the restaurant, cooking, waiting on tables and ringing up checks on an old push-lever cash register. Rina does most of the cooking using the same recipes their great-great grandparents used.
CityBeat: Where did you eat your last great meal and what was it?
Rina DiMarco: Probably at home. My mother is the best cook in the world. She makes the best tomato sauce, the best lasagna, the best spaghetti ... everything she makes is wonderful.
CB: What's the secret to a spectacular marinara sauce?
RD: The spices you put in — garlic and oregano. Everyone thinks it's a complicated sauce, but it's the easiest to make. Scotti's Speciale is probably the most complicated. It has eggplant, celery, mushrooms, onions, capers and ground beef.
Scotti's Italian Restaurant, 919 Vine St., Downtown, 513-721-9484
