Having run low on Cambodian snack bars, taco food trucks and vegetarian burger stands in Brooklyn to cover, the New York food media have turned their sights on Queens in search of the same kind of low-rent, small-menu eating places—all of which well deserve coverage—while largely ignoring more traditional, less trendy restaurants. Hard to remember when the media have covered any Italian restaurants above the level of a pizzeria. Here’s one thus far ignored that deserves kudos galore.

As an admirable labor of love, Senso Unico—which means “one way” in Italian with the additional meaning of doing things one way, the right way—is a corner osteria that exudes good feelings and hospitality from the moment you meet owner Laura Garofalo at the doorway. She’s the wife of Chef Vincenzo Garofalo, whose long résumé includes time at notable restaurants like Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa and Il Pellicano in Italy, as well as a stint with the Maccioni family at Sirio in New York. But his most enduring and endearing influence is the cooking of his grandmother.