#2 - Nicola's - In cooking, simplicity is the most difficult element to master, and there is no culture that exemplifies that better than the Italians

Plenty of restaurants hereabouts want to pretend they're in that league, studding their menus with all the current buzzwords and making much of pretentious little service rituals like placing the guests' napkins on their laps for them. They want the trappings of sophistication, but they don't want to expend the money, the effort, or the commitment it takes to...