It's a quiet Monday evening in Cleveland's Little Italy, and snowflakes are falling at the corner of Mayfield and Murray Hill roads. Parking spaces that are normally difficult to come by in this ethnic enclave of the city are more available as the vibrant neighborhood recovers from a lively weekend.

A woman's operatic ballad pierces the stillness, and the scent of pasta permeates the brisk air. "Welcome to La Dolce Vita," says Terry Tarantino, sporting a straw fedora and holding the front door to his Italian restaurant.