In my five years in Denver, I’ve been on a low-key quest to find the kind of cheap, ultra-casual and delicious Italian restaurants I grew up with. It hasn’t been easy. A couple places, particularly Trattoria Stella, come close price-wise, but I was still missing a certain feeling you only get in old, family-owned joints. The kind of places where all the staff are related. I finally figured out how to scratch that itch. (And if you’ve got more or better ideas, let me know: [email protected].)

Step 1: Leave Denver. Go to Lakewood. There you’ll find Café Jordano tucked away in a strip mall at Kipling and Jewell.

Step 2: Accept the wait. Make peace with it. From what I’ve heard, if you show up to Café Jordano for dinner and don’t have to wait a little while, you’ve hit the jackpot. We showed up at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday and waited about 15 minutes.