Style: Local haunt meets date-night spot serving Italian comfort food. Flat-screen TVs, a handful of tables and a granite bar up front give way to a spacious dining room. The scoop: West Orange natives and siblings Nicholas Giambattista and Andrea Giambattista-Barbaro, along with their spouses, are first-time restaurateurs with deep roots in the area.

The menu: To start, fried zucchini fritters deliciously ooze ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan. The terrific stuffed avocado is filled with crab, shrimp, tomato and red onion, then drizzled with balsamic. Mains are varied: house-made pastas, braised short ribs, garlic-herb seared salmon. A slew of salads can be topped with chicken, shrimp or steak.