PITTSBURGH -- From the time you enter Gran Canal Caffe in Sharpsburg you feel like you are part of the family.

Owner Antoinette Bonaventura greets you at the door and shows you to your table. Her husband, Michael, is in the kitchen preparing a variety of Italian food.

We started with baked artichokes romano. It was delicious. Six artichoke hearts baked in a light batter. I’ve been here before and know that the pasta dishes are cooked perfectly. So my choice the traditional spaghetti and meatballs, my friend went with the linguini with red clam sauce. Both dishes are served with salads. I chose the lemoncella dressing and it was great. The main courses came out piping hot and were full of great basil and garlic flavors. The meatballs were large and all meat – no fillers. We were thrilled with the number of clams in the linguini dish.

Chef Michael comes over to each table to make sure everyone is enjoying their food and as far as I could see he was receiving rave reviews. The décor is simple and the menu featured pasta dishes, and of course veal and fish choices. Reservations are suggested.

This Italian find get 4.5 dots out of 5 from this .com critic. Gran Canal Caffe is a hit with me. 1021 North Canal Street, Sharpsburg