With Italian restaurants, you learn as you eat, starting with the name, which could be a family name, a place, a restaurant item or a menu description. Let’s review some family names such as: Maestoso or Cesarina, places like Firenze or Positano and a menu or equipment item like Dolce Pano Vino or Il Fornaio.

Then there is the menu selection which could be challenging. Do you like a meaty sauce? Look for Bolognese. A very popular appetizer is Bruschetta, a toasted garlic bread topped with tomatoes. Rigatoni is my favorite pasta. It’s large and hollowed. The ribs on the outside of this pasta catch the red meat sauce packed with olive oil, Italian herbs, sautéed mushrooms and sweet onions.