First and foremost, a giant MAZEL and an even bigger TOV to Andrea and Craig on the birth of their beautiful daughter Emily Juliet! Not only am I happy for them, I’m especially happy for Baby Strongbuzz, who is blessed with parents who happen to be among the best people I know.

Because of her genetics, Emily Juliet is bound to be blessed with a healthy love of sports, a terrific palate, and an even better sense of humor. Maybe she will even bring the Strong Buzz into the next generation…. Not that every child needs to follow in his or her parents’ footsteps, however. But sometimes it’s truly nice when the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Such is the case, fortunately, for Leyla Marchetto, whose Scuderia shows she has learned a thing or two from her father, legendary West Village restaurateur Silvano Marchetto. Leyla’s dad’s famous flagship, Da Silvano, and its adjunct, Da Silvano Bistecca, sit just across the street; yet Scuderia is, refreshingly, not her father’s restaurant. While the Silvanos are pricey, celeb-packed bistros, Scuderia holds a healthy dose of youthful rebellion. It’s a comfortable place, where diners don’t have to break the bank on food (with entrees $12.50 to $24) while watching the “futbol” match on the big screen over the bar. Brick, mirrors and communal tables lend a familiar modern-day coziness, and the bare wood tables aren’t covered in crisp white linens like Silvano’s. Yet Leyla must have mined dad’s record collection, as albums by the likes of Jackson Browne, Blondie, Dylan and the Stones decorate the walls. Windowed doors open out to the sidewalk café on Sixth Avenue: scoping central.

There’s a lot to choose from on the menu—which has everything one wants from a casual Italian spot—pizza, pasta, panini, meat, fish. And as if the regular menu didn’t have enough variety, there’s always a slew of specials. One seasonal must: fried zucchini flowers with jalapeno tartar dipping sauce ($MP/@$16), terrific for their delicate crunch and zest. Another: a cernia (grouper) carpaccio (MP/@$14), sparingly yet lovingly dressed with olive oil, a touch of vinegar, tomato, salt and pepper. Other nice staples on the starters were the polpette, meatballs in a bright red sauce sitting on a comforting bed of polenta ($9.50) and cheesy, fist-sized arancini ($8.50) rice balls, with a bonus dab of stewed beef and mushroom inside. I also liked the artichoke and fontina tramezzini ($8.50), a crustless sandwich with artichokes absent of an overly-briny sting and the cheese mellowing them even further. The flavor of a free range Hudson Valley rabbit ($24.50) combined the slight smoke of the grill with the aromatic tinge of rosemary, though the tempuraed green beans on the side were a tad heavy on the oil.

Speaking of heavy, the orecchiette gratinate—a pasta casserole with black truffle, mushroom and cheese sauce ($35.50)--is as decadent as its price suggests, and only for the very hungry. The coppa Scuderia ($8.50), a sundae with hazelnut ice cream, walnuts and peanut butter, strikes the perfect sweet and salty balance.

Recently, on a beautiful afternoon stroll down Sixth, I was once again struck by the differences between father and daughter’s spots. I noticed Silvano’s crowd looking curiously, and wistfully over to Scuderia, perhaps remembering their days of youth. The bunch at Scuderia seemed to look back with ambition, maybe thinking, one day, when they’ve really made it, they’ll cross the street for a meal—without Mom and Dad picking up the check.

It reminded me of a quote from writer Joyce Maynard, that I’m sure will ring true to the Marchettos, and resonate with Andrea and her new family, too: “It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.” I, for one, can’t wait to see the Strongbuzz family grow together.

Scuderia is located at 10 Downing Street, at Sixth Avenue, 212-206-9111, www.scuderianyc.com

—Kathleen Squires 

Andrea Strong