Recently we  traveled to Altoona, PA for a weekend visit with Dan’s mom.  No trip to Altoona is complete without a dinner at Lena’s Cafe, one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the world.  The atmosphere of this family-owned eatery is best described as friendly-causal — wood paneling on the walls, possibly the original old-school restaurant tables and chairs, and some the nicest restaurant staff we’ve ever encountered.  Our Lena’s dining experiences are probably also enhanced by the fact that someone almost always recognizes Danny (how he is known in Altoona) and comes over to say hello.  But hands-down, the very best thing about Lena’s is the red sauce — the owner’s mother’s special recipe.  We’ve never had anything like it anywhere else.  Dan’s red sauce recipe is really good, but it’s no Lena’s. Continue reading “Lena’s Cafe, Altoona, PA”