1410 S. Main St., Salinas

422-1814, www.ginospasta.com

Straight outta’ Consenza (Italy, that is) came the family Bozzo, whose patriarch, Luigi, said if he was going to run a restaurant, everything must be prepared fresh and done at a fair price. So it is at the restaurant he launched 37 years ago. Gino’s draws a fanatical crowd of regulars with the best red sauce this side of Southern Italy, a great app selection featuring tender calamari strips, steamers and Zia Gina’s meatballs, and a wide selection of pasta dishes, many featuring handmade pastas. The grill produces an omnivore’s playground of grilled steak and seafood dishes too. Add to that a full bar, a catering service for larger parties and a large selection of family meals for takeout—how many overworked Salinas families have uttered the words “blackened chicken fettucine” and “Thank God” in the same sentence?—and you’ll be glad Luigi let loose his fresh-and-fair mandate those many years ago.