Every day, an endless stream of airplanes flits between the United States and Europe. One of them, though is carrying precious cargo: a daily delivery of sorbetto and gelato for Gente Ristorante Italiano straight from Milan. This tight connection with Italy shines in the rest of the menu, too. All of the cuisine is directly inspired by owner and executive chef Jay B. Mitchell’s hundreds of visits to the country. For example, he first spied the insalata parma dish on the menu at a Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat beach club. With his risotto, he hopes to re-create the classic risottos served at the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan.

Zagat ranked the comforting Italian cuisine at Gente Ristorante Italiano “very good to excellent,” thanks in part to all this research. “The trick, I believe,” wrote a reporter for Short and Sweet NYC, “is when combining local produce with unmatchable Italian staples, Gente manages to produce the essence of a ‘local’ Italian dining experience in a neighborhood notorious for grab-and-go commuter clientele.”