Not much massa, err, dough, is necessary when stopping in for a scoop of amaretto-flavored gelato or a primavera pizza at Massa, an Elmwood Park Italian cafe and gelateria. On a seven-page menu, only one item (a half-gallon bucket of gelato, $16.99) makes it past the $10 benchmark. Here, you'll enjoy a range of salads, panini sandwiches and pizza in a modern European-cafe setting.

The inside is small with a few four-top tables and flat screens. Honey walls and orange neon lights brighten the place void of chic attributes outside an exposed ventilation system. If at first glance you assume this spot isn't for you, head to the back area, where reviews hang on the wall; one of the reviews cites the shop's desserts as the most decadent in the tri-state area.

Those enjoying renowned specialties like fried dough ($4.99-$6.49) or the spaghetti & meatballs (vanilla gelato run through a spaghetti press, strawberry topping, sprinkled coconut shavings, topped with two mini chocolate ice cream scoops, $4.79) include a range of guests. Couples lingering over from Inari Sushi, the cafe's sister business next door, order a cup of pistachio-flavored gelato to go. Groups choose from six choices of iced coffee drinks ($3.09-$5.09) and sip them on the alfresco dining area beside an arrangement of pink petunias.

The child circling the restaurant charming strangers with incoherent conversation will eventually become the older kid in with both his parents and his wife. If not, maybe the child will morph into the number of teenagers in for cool treats flickering away with a digital camera. As the cafe's website suggests, everyone can find their place at Massa. Buon appetito!

Centerstage Reviewer: David-Anthony Gonzalez