Papa's Restaurant North is difficult to find in the for-better-or-worse area near the Ford Amphitheater on the north side of Colorado Springs, but it's worth the effort for basic but tasty Italian fare.
Don't expect anything fancy here. The spotlight is on New York-style pizza, calzones and an exceptionally friendly, helpful staff.
After puzzling our way around the semi-maze that is Spectrum Drive to Touchstone Way, we found this unassuming spot that could qualify as a hidden gem, except it seems plenty of people know about -- concert/event night or not.
It's not just the menu that hints to the restaurant's cuisine: The plastic, red-checkered tablecloths and large mural suggestive of an Italian village are giveaway clues.
From the half-dozen available starters, we opted for stuffed mushrooms ($8.99) The plate of mushroom caps filled with sausage, onions, oregano and mozzarella was messy in appearance due to the unattractive, but oh-so-good, caramelized cheese. Besides, fungi really aren't that pretty, either.
A side of house-made, tangy, flavorful marinara was included for dipping. I asked to sample the "signature white sauce" and was surprised when a small container of oil and balsamic dressing arrived at the table. I anticipated something creamy and, well, white. It was less a sauce and more a heavily oiled, herby vinaigrette. It was an unexpected alternative to the red sauce.
I wasn't sure what to expect from a Zeppelin ($13.29). The menu once had three choices from which to choose, but two were crossed out, leaving only the meatball variety remaining. The shape refers to the sleek airship of old, but my sandwich was easily identified as a meatball sub.
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The large, juicy meatballs cook for four hours, we were told. Three were covered with marinara over melted mozzarella and sort of smashed into a sliced, toasted hoagie-like bun. This required multiple napkins because there was no tidy way to eat it. A fork (only plasticware here) was also needed to catch what spilled out of the sandwich, which was a lot because those meatballs were not undersized orbs!
A calzone is a nice variation on a pizza, especially since they're basically folded over a range of fillings with crimped edges like a turnover. In the case of the calzone here, which was very large, the two halves hung off the sides of the plate. The Supreme ($16.69) was stuffed with Italian sausage, pepperoni, black olives, green pepper strips, onions, mushrooms and lots of gooey cheese. It could have easily been shared between two. A side of the sauce was included for dipping.
The thin crust, the same as what is used for the pizzas, was dusted with herbs and plump with all of the contents that were lightly coated with marinara.
Because they're difficult to resist in an Italian restaurant, we also enjoyed an order of cannoli ($3.99). This led to a discussion of the correct line from "The Godfather" regarding this dessert. (It's "Take the gun, leave the cannoli," not vice versa.)
Fried pastry tubes filled with a mix of lemony ricotta and chocolate chips were topped with a generous amount of whipped cream. They were light and a wonderful way to end the meal.