Not for the first time will I argue that the best Italian restaurants are more often than not run by individuals who put their names and reputations on the line every day and night they’re open. The menus are their own, their purveyors work with them, their staff has longevity and their presence in the kitchen and dining room is as dependable as the consistency of the food.

Such trattorias are still a rarity outside New York, but in Westchester County— immediately north of the Bronx line—there are two admirable examples whose owners are doing the kind of food that distinguishes them from those that play it safe with menus that rarely diverge from old standbys.