Italian food heck any food item is based on what a person is use to.
My mother and father were excellent cooks Fresh made macaroni ravilio, gnocchi, veal dishes meat sauce ( no saya the gravy) etc. Look at Giovanni menu and my parents also Neopolitans made them all
So while we all try and not compare when we go out for a meal your well tuned taste buds just take over.
In my neighborhood if a restaurant was not good and someone said it was... the usual refrain was "yea just like your mom"'s " "she can't cook worth a dam either"
bon appetit