Vito LaFata III wants to capture Sicily in a box. Though his first restaurant, Vito's Sicilian Pizzeria & Ristorante, has become an institution in its 23 years of existence, the second-generation pizzaiolo just doesn't feel it fully encapsulates what it's like to be on the island off Italy's boot.

The hustle and bustle of casual cafes, the banter with world-class bullshit artists preparing pizzas in open kitchens, the coffee, gelato and sense of community — he may have nailed the food at Vito's, but the Sicilian spirit, at least in his mind, has proven more elusive.