"Jean Georges told me that the best presence at a table is a chef's presence,'' Ryan DePersio says inside Battello in Jersey City. Which explains why DePersio, name-dropping legendary restaurateur Jean Georges Vongerichten with aplomb, is personally delivering dishes to our table at his casual-chic waterfront restaurant.

DePersio, who burst upon the scene at age 25 with the opening of Fascino in Montclair (The New York Times noted he was "born to run a restaurant''), was making sure every detail was perfect as my crew aboard the Munchmobile settled in for lunch as part of my search for N.J.'s best Italian restaurant.

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Source: http://www.nj.com/