If you're expecting either the Olive Garden (unlimited salads and bread, cheap frozen/canned ingredients) or Genoa (intimate seating, wine cellar the size of the entire dining room, truly professional waitstaff) you'll be disappointed -- Gino's is a family-style, mid-range Italian joint, with all the compromises and pleasures that entails.\r
\r
Reading many of the negative reviews here, I think people simply expect the impossible: a well-known, popular restaurant which has only a few tables, seats you in under 30 minutes, and offers absolutely perfect cooking and ambiance on every visit. \r
\r
Of course, if you walk in with a large party and an attitude, the already-overworked staff are not likely to respond well -- there are most likely dozens of us committed regulars waiting outside for a table who won't give them a hard time.\r
\r
My recommendations: steer towards seafood and the daily-special ravioli but away from anything based on tomato sauce or pork, both of which I've done better at home...though admittedly I'm obsessive about my sauces and swine.
Pros: seafood, casual atmosphere, consistency
Cons: unexciting tomato sauces, occasional long wait
more