Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar is a family endeavor, from the owners—married couple Ben and Cynthia Lo Manto and their eldest son—to the decor, which Ben says evokes his grandmother's home. The authentic Italian cuisine also showcases a family tradition, this one culinary in nature.

Enjoy dinner at Vespa to taste some of the traditional family recipes on the menu. Start with the pane and panelle appetizer—the menu says it's "straight from Palermo, Sicily." The dish consists of a sandwich stuffed with a fried chickpea cutlet. You can also dig into arancini Siciliani, another imported recipe of deep-fried rice balls infused with mozzarella and meat. Make sure that you save some room for a thin-crust pizza, a plate of house-made pasta, or one of the Italian meat or seafood entrees at Vespa Italian Kitchen & Bar.

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