“Neighbors have been coming since we opened in 1998. They come when they’re in need of a quick meal during the week and to celebrate a special occasion. We produce as much as possible in house from all the fresh pastas to ice creams and sorbets to guanciale, pancetta, vinegar and pickles. Trattoria in Italian means family run restaurant, which is what we still are after twenty years.”

Trippa, a stew of tripe with tomato, served with grilled bread rubbed with garlic; spring salad with blanched vegetables and shavings of pecorino; saltimbocca all romana: pork loin pounded paper thin with prosciutto and sage, and crispy crushed potatoes.

Despite its Brooklyn location, al di la Trattoria’s food could easily be mistaken for the fare at a trattoria in Northern Italy. The menu is fresh, simple, and changes its colors throughout the year to fit with the season. Farro during the spring is accompanied by snap peas, radishes, and ricotta salata; in the summer, it’s paired up with tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil. Tortelli, meanwhile, are filled with corn in the summer, roasted squash in the fall, sheep’s milk ricotta in winter and peas in spring.

Just like in Italy, many of the house’s signatures like those pastas are made in-house. As are the ice creams, sorbets, and a few of the vinegars.