Liverpool, N.Y. — The marinara sauce at Santangelo’s Restaurant in Liverpool is a thick red sauce with chunks of chopped tomatoes. It bursts with simple flavors of tomato and basil with a slight acidity. It clings to pasta as if it were hanging on for dear life.
In Isaac’s Platter ($21.99), it features prominently by providing cover to a variety of items in the sampler dish. A housemade ravioli was stuffed with creamy herbed ricotta cheese. The circular pasta pillow was massive, about as big as the palm of your hand. It was joined by a link of mild Italian sausage that was full of savory fennel and pork flavor, and a large all-beef meatball that was cooked in sauce before serving.