La Villa Pizza & Family Restaurant

By Frank D. Quattrone

No one has ever said that all Italian restaurants—even those that specialize in pizzas—are all the same. Each one has its own identity. Each one has its own source of pride. And each one can boast of something that sets it apart from the rest. That certainly goes for La Villa Pizza & Family Restaurant. Established in 1998, the Morrisville, Pennsylvania, eatery celebrates its 25th anniversary during the second week of June by offering every pizza on the menu at half-price. But quite honestly, La Villa’s chief mark of pride is its legendary Chambersburg tomato pie.

What? You say you’ve never heard of it before! Come, come, now. According to Chef-owner Gino Lenti, a native of Cosenza, a city in Calabria, Italy, the Chambersburg pie is named after a neighborhood in Trenton that, for most of the 20th century, was the Italian section of New Jersey’s capital. Unlike the thin, crispy crusts of the more traditional square pie, topped with homemade tomato sauce and little to no cheese, the Chambersburg pie can be pretty hearty fare.

Chef Lenti says he prefers his tomatoes more sweet than acidic and has developed his own sweet tomato that ripens naturally. Are his crusts crispy? Unless you specify otherwise, you bet.  La Villa’s basic Trenton Tomato Pie, for instance, is topped with light mozzarella, chunky tomato, garlic, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil.

But its so-called “Villa’s Tomato Pie” goes the Trenton pie an extra mile or two, as it’s topped with house-made chunky sausage, fresh mushrooms, red onions, garlic, and—ready for this?—Italian long hots peppers. That’s a mouthful.

The night of our visit, by the looks of it, virtually every table and booth, including ours, had at least one patron who had ordered a tomato pie. Lenti says that these square pies are made on a special pan imported from Italy and that he sells almost a thousand every week! Now, that’s surely a mark of distinction.

Even the pizzas at La Villa have their own distinct taste. There are the more traditional gourmet white pizzas, like the Buffalo Chicken Pizza, and gourmet red pizzas, like the Cheese Steak Pizza. But where else would you find new offerings such as the Mare (the Italian word for sea), a white pizza topped with sautéed clams, shrimp, parsley, garlic, and mozzarella cheese? Or the Dried Fig, a white pizza topped with figs, crumbled bleu cheese, prosciutto, light arugula, garlic, and a balsamic reduction? We had the latter during our visit and found it utterly delightful.

The loquacious chef-owner says he is really happy that La Villa is doing so well these days. It’s partly the Chambersburg tomato pies. But it’s also his hugely successful Italian Night, an ever-changing $60.00 eight-course meal he offers on the first Monday of each month. The courses usually feature some variation of (1st) calamari, (2nd) bruschetta, (3rd) tomato pie, (4th) grilled eggplant, (5th) antipasto Italiano, (6th) broccoli rabe, (7th) braciola with a side of pasta, and (8th) dessert (usually gelato or house-made tiramisu) with coffee.

Italian Night, as the chef explains, played a big role in establishing La Villa’s popularity. At first, La Villa, whose location is a bit off the beaten track, got off to a slow start. Lenti opened the restaurant with his partner, cousin Natale Presta, who co-owns Trios Tomato Pie in Glenside. See a pattern here?

But then a confluence of circumstances turned the tide for the fledgling restaurant. First, a local community group requested access to La Villa’s parking lot to host a summertime fireworks display, which drew quite an appreciative audience—just about the time Chef Lenti decided to specialize in his now famous tomato pies. Shortly thereafter came the initial Italian Night, which received such rave reviews in the Courier Times (in 2006) and other local papers that customers began pouring in. It's been a smooth ride ever since.

Guests can choose from an extensive menu that also features a variety of strombolis and calzones; pasta (like Penne alla Vodka), seafood, veal, chicken, grilled, and vegetarian Italian entrées (like Eggplant Rollantini); specialty hot sandwiches (like Meatball Parmigiana), burgers, gluten-free items, hoagies, wraps, panini, and more.

The colorful main dining room is filled with painted scenes of sunny Italy, including a stunning floral mural on the ceiling hand-painted by an artist with the name—I’m not making this up—Julia Caesar!

The owner of a traditional family restaurant, Gino Lenti is often accompanied by his wife Clelia and daughters Mara, 23, and Giada, 15, who serve as hostess or servers at various times during the week. Daughter Alessia, 9, Lenti jokes, is not quite ready to join the family business. But guests will surely enjoy the wide variety of Italian favorites at Morrisville’s unquestioned Champion of the Chambersburg Tomato Pie.

La Villa Pizza & Family Restaurant is located at 21 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Morrisville, PA 19067; 215-736-3113 or 215-736-3116; www.lavilla-restaurant.com. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Available for catering and takeout.