When Tony’s on Main Street first opened in the Magic Kingdom in 1989, I was thrilled as Italian food is among my favorites. But somehow on our 1990 trip, we didn’t make it there. Not even once. This only added to its mythology to me as an exclusive, impossibly romantic restaurant with old-school Italian grandmothers laboring in love over handmade pasta.

My first trip was not until 1994 with my now-husband. I had a good-enough spaghetti, and pretended that I was Lady and that he was the Tramp. Good, clean Disney role playing is damned good for the marriage. 

But it was the rich lasagne that my husband ordered that cemented this now 31-year-old mainstay as a tradition for our family. Recently, I’ve noticed that the quality can be inconsistent, but it’s still some of the best food in the Magic Kingdom.  I first made the lasagne recipe at home a couple of years ago, but a couple of very minor tweaks have brought it up to a more authentic, sublime level (translation: more tomatoey).

Now the funny thing about lasagne is there’s not one single perfect recipe. At least that’s what New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says. And yep, like many of us during these days of quarantine, my husband and I are tuning in to his COVID19 updates/wisdom daily. Today, we shared my husband’s big recliner as Cuomo talked about finding joy in the midst of all of the uncertainty that surrounds us. And of course, that talk turned to Italian food and the abundant joy of family meals.

Way back in 2010, Cuomo famously defended chef his girlfriend’s lasagne after his mother attacked its use of Americanized ingredients, such as tomato soup. At the time, Cuomo said, “Lasagna is like politics . . . everybody gets an opinion. Everybody’s right. Nobody’s wrong.” You gotta love a man who will stand up to mama for his lady every now and then. Especially an Italian one.

Nevertheless, Mama Cuomo would mostly approve of Tony’s Market Square version, with its ricotta cheese and generously seasoned meat sauce.