The final was close, but Arturo's eked out a win over the Village Trattoria  in Patch's Best Italian Restaurant poll this week. The contest included six restaurants across Maplewood and South Orange. The results were:

• Giorgio's Ristorante, South Orange   7 (5%)
• Cafe Arugula, South Orange   6 (4%)
• Village Trattoria, Maplewood   36 (27%)
• Reservoir Restaurant, South Orange   25 (19%)
• Roman Gourmet, Maplewood   16 (12%)
• Arturo's Osteria and Pizzeria, Maplewood   41 (31%)

First, we need to mention that a few restaurants were mistakenly omitted from the poll - including Bunny's and Above as well as the South Orange location of Village Trattoria. We promise to get all three into some future polls!

That being said, Arturo's Osteria and Pizzeria was tough to beat. Dan Richer was notably nominated for a James Beard award for Rising Star of the Year in 2011. His restaurant has become a super-regional draw and a New York Times darling -- helping to shine a spotlight on the Maplewood dining scene overall.

Village Trattoria, on the other hand, is as local as it gets. Both in Maplewoodand South Orange, it's a hang-out for pizza slices and hearty pastas after school, after games, after shopping. The "Tratt" is great option for eating in or dining out and the base of the Vayas family's growing local retail empire!

Coming in a respectable third place was Reservoir Restaurant which got its start in Newark in 1935 before moving to South Orange in 1965. The Reservoir is an old-school, family-owned-and-operated Italian restaurant that is kid- and family-friendly -- with its famous "Make Your on Pizza Night" on Mondays.

Congrats to all the entrants. Wherever you eat Italian in the two towns you can not go wrong with any of South Orange or Maplewood's Italian eatery options. The real winner is the Italian cuisine-loving residents of our two towns!