The spirit of Salvatore “Sam” Nicolosi is alive and well at Nicolosi’s Italian Restaurant, which the Sicilian immigrant originally opened with his wife, Francesca, on Goldfinch Street in Mission Hills in 1952. Here, at its thrice-relocated home on Navajo Road, he is captured in vintage photographs while the intoxicating aromas and flavors from his recipes for red sauce, ravioli, pizzas and more continue wooing customers.

Back-east transplants craving a taste of home are especially in for a treat. As a native Buffalonian, rarely do I come across the kind of small, cup-shaped pepperoni that addicted me to pizza at an early age. To my delight, these crispy-edged coins of strongly spiced meat carpeted the “Sicilian pepperoni” pie we ordered. Even better, they resided among a fresh layer of melty mozzarella and ribbons of fresh basil — and with an enjoyable crust that was both airy and chewy.