Soffritto Italian Grill in Newark has been voted the most popular Italian restaurant in North America that bears the Ospitalità Italiana seal—the very seal that officially recognizes Soffritto as an authentic Italian restaurant away from Italy by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce—and it may be the best in the world. Soffritto beat finalists La Ciccia in San Francisco and Zambri's of Victoria in Vancouver for top honors in North America, and will now travel to Rome June 12 to find out how it fares against other restaurants from around the world. The competition: Ristorante Riviera in Quito, Ecuador; Italian Pantry in North Hobart, near Melbourne, Australia; Il Piccolo of Pontevedra, near Madrid, Spain; and Certo of Dubai. In early May, a panel of experts assembled by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce selected a winner for each geographic area, based on the authenticity of the cuisine, customer satisfaction and other factors. Executive chef Stefania and Giovanni Panza of Soffritto hope to bring back gold. Stay tuned. In the meantime, eat there. How often do you get to eat at one of the best places in the world without leaving home?

by Delaware Today