Ed. Note: PaPa Pia is closed. In its place is Agave Maria.

It's Friday, the sun is shining, and I was feeling a little indulgent around lunchtime, so I walked down to PaPa Pia on Union Ave. for some pasta.

Penne Alfredo from PaPa Pia, Memphis, Tenn.

I had the lunch portion of penne alfredo. It was great - the portion was insanely reasonable, and the alfredo sauce wasn't too thick and cheesy. There were chunks of fresh tomatoes scattered on top.

PaPa Pia's is a casual Italian restaurant on Union Ave. downtown. I like them for lunch because they've got smaller, more manageable (and less expensive) portions of their entrees.

I can't say the same for dessert, though. The piece of ricotta cheesecake I ordered was massive.

Ricotta cheesecake from PaPa Pia's, Memphis, Tenn.

I couldn't finish it. I tried, but it was so amazingly rich that I gave up when I got down to the last inch and a half. I just couldn't do it. What you can't really tell from the photo is that the top of the cheesecake is a quarter-inch thick layer of chocolate ganache.

PaPa Pia's is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Go There:

PaPa Pia's