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For Jon, who grew up in the Midwest, saying you were going out for Italian food meant going to a red-checkered tablecloth joint that served most everything with a red sauce certain to contain a lot of basil and garlic.

For Jenna, who is second-generation Italian, it meant going to Grandma’s house.

While neither of those are bad things, it meant that most of the Italian food we had growing up was comfort food, such as spaghetti with meatballs or gnocchi.

While we still appreciate both of those ideas, over time we’ve grown to look for Italian restaurants that go beyond that, moving closer to the cuisine you might find on the peninsula: Food that is prepared by artisans who appreciate fresh ingredients and who don’t want to mask their flavors with too much tomato sauce or garlic.

In Ristorante Gaja, we’ve found just that. The owners, who started the eatery in October, are as Italian as it gets. That fact doesn’t make them great cooks. But it does mean they have their fingers on the pulse of what Italian cooking really is and not the Americanized or grandma-ized version.

After hearing rave reviews from co-workers, we met another couple to see what the fuss was all about.

Jon: If you are looking for the prompt service that’s the American standard, be warned: At Gaja, things don’t move at a fast pace. But for your patience you are rewarded with dishes like the grilled calamari ($12.95). Most spots around town serve calamari batter-dipped and fried, leaving their dipping sauce to impart most of the flavor. Not Gaja. With some lemon juice, olive oil and capers, the calamari is simple and not rubbery but with just enough bite to make you work for it. The acid in the lemon juice really brings out the flavor of the squid and the brine from the capers adds just the right amount of salt. A really clean, fresh way to start off dinner.

Jenna: The bruschetta ($8.95) was another instance of simple preparation with simple ingredients tasting better than the sum of their parts. One of the simple joys of living in Florida is fresh tomatoes in February. Just marinated in a little olive oil, these tomatoes would have been fantastic alone. Add in the pungent garlic, oregano and basil and you have an explosion of bright flavors. The brilliance of the bruschetta, besides the toast that never got soggy, is that it didn’t try to be something it wasn’t.

Jon: Seafood is a big part of the Gaja menu, with at least eight entrees featuring some sort of fish. The seafood risotto ($25.95) — with clams, shrimp, mussels and calamari — didn’t try to hide the strong seafood flavor of its ingredients. The white wine sauce was barely noticeable, which, in this case, was a good thing. The al dente pasta and the shrimp added a contrasting texture to the chewier shellfish. They offer the dish with a red sauce, as well, but I can’t really imagine that combination working.

One of our dinner companions ordered a similar dish with tagolini ($23.95) taking the place of risotto and came away equally impressed.

Jenna: There are some comfort foods on the menu that wouldn’t be out of place on my grandmother’s table. But they aren’t served with the heavy red sauce she would make.

The gnocchi ($19.95) was served with a sauce of cream and parmigiano reggiano, gorgonzola and pecorino. The little potato balls were lighter than you’d think. The gorgonzola adding a tart flavor to the salty hard cheeses.

Our friend had the veal piccata ($23.95), which was served in a similar manner to the calamari with just capers, lemon juice and white wine in the sauté pan with the meat. This time the accompanying ingredients stood out against the subtle flavor of the fork-tender meat. Occasionally the brine from the capers and the acid in the lemon overpowered the veal, a slight downer to an otherwise wonderful course.

Jon: For dessert the table gravitated toward two traditional Italian treats — cannoli and tiramisu (both $8.95). Unlike the cannoli you get from your local bakery, these haven’t been sitting in a case all day. The outer shell didn’t have time to get soggy. The filling could have been sweeter, but the dusting of confectioners’ sugar helped. If it wasn’t made in-house, they must have a little Italian grandma working hard on these.

Jenna: I don’t normally like tiramisu; something about the overly mushy texture doesn’t sit quite right. But this wasn’t the typical overly soggy tiramisu you get at many restaurants. The cake here still held its shape, only it was filled with wonderful flavors of coffee, chocolate and cream. It was like having the best mocha cappuccino of your life but in a spongy solid.

THE VERDICT

Jenna: I would head back to Gaja in a heartbeat. The food and atmosphere were great, which made up for the sometimes lackluster service.

Jon: Usually I want to talk about the flaws when we leave a restaurant. The conversation after leaving Gaja was a short one. All the dishes needed salt, but that’s become so commonplace here in Naples to not really warrant much notice. Otherwise, the meal was spot on. It was lighter than I expected, and every bite showcased what quality ingredients can do in the hands of a good cook.

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Jon and Jenna are Daily News staffers. Their names have been changed to preserve the reviewers’ anonymity, thus better reflecting the experience of the average diner.

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Dinner date

Ristorante Gaja

1170 Third St. South Suite F101, Naples

(next to the parking lot behind Tommy Bahamas)

261-8650, www.ristorantegaja.com

Locally owned? Yes

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily

Food: Italian

Service: Slow. The wait staff was small and didn’t speak much English, so it took both time and effort to get our food. As the night progressed, the restaurant got busier and the this European style service slowed down even more. If you are looking for a place to get in and get out, this isn’t it.

Atmosphere: Casual and relaxed, but animated. If you are looking for a fancy night on the town, then this isn’t your place no matter where you sit.

Noise: Mostly it felt like you were at a place where everyone was having a really good time.

Light: So bright that it could use a little flick of the dimmer switch.

Prices: Appetizers and salads $8.95 to $13.95 entrees $17.95 to $29.95, desserts $9.95

Beverages: A good-sized wine list of Italian wines.

Recommended dishes: Grilled calamari ($12.95), seafood risotto ($25.95), gnocchi ($23.95) and tiramisu ($9.95).

Value: Good. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was enjoyable, if a bit loud. The only real complaint was the slow service. A three-course meal will cost about $50 per person without drinks.

Verdict: This is definitely one of the better Italian joints in town. It might lack the refinement of places such as Campiello, but it’s got authenticity in spades.