I love just about anything Italian or Eastern European, probably because there are so many people of those ethnicities who came here to work in the coal mines here.
Mary's ravioli and Mrs. Sevenski's cabbage rolls are two of the best things I've ever eaten. I can come very close to Mrs. Sevenski's cabbage rolls, but I'll never be able to duplicate Mary's ravioli.
Mary had her tiny restaurant in an old railroad dining car, which was attached to a local tavern in a small mining town. You had to enter the restaurant through the tavern. Her dinner menu was simple...spaghetti or ravioli, bread, and slaw or lettuce salad. She took orders in the dining car, then served the meal in the tavern.
The tavern was picturesque, full of old Italian men and their families. Children were welcome. They served ice cold Stag beer on draft, and when you were there, it tasted great. It was all part of the ambiance.
Mary was no sweet little old lady. She was a foul-tempered woman who slammed your plate on the table and never smiled. Without words, she let you know you were durned lucky to get what you got.
But, oh, what you got!
Her sauce was truly amazing, obviously cooked slowly for a long time, but it was only a condiment to her pasta. To serve, the pasta was dipped onto a plate with a little of the cooking liquid (I think she cooked it in chicken broth), with a moderate amount of the sauce spooned over the top, and over that, freshly grated parmesan. I have no idea what was in the ravioli filling, except that it did contain meat.
Mary passed away some time ago. She kept her recipe to herself, never even sharing it with her daughter. When she went, her ravioli went with her. What a shame.