Sunday Buffet

I thought I knew all the old-time restaurants, those that have been around for what in restaurant terms would be considered a good, long time, say seven or eight years.

But here’s a place that has been around since 1986, and I’m just hearing about it for the first time. It’s Gino’s Pizza Italian Restaurant, up Oviedo way, and it has the sort of mien that one person described as Stefano’s-like. You can barely have better praise than that. Stefano’s, of course, is the Italian family-style restaurant also in the northeast part of town, at the corner of Tuskawilla and Red Bug Lake Roads.

Gino’s is at 43 Alafaya Woods Blvd, Oviedo, where it packs in hungry families and sends them packing full and happy. I had learned about Gino’s when we first started our search for the best pizza in Central Florida (vote using the poll on the left side of this page if you haven’t voted already). Gino’s pizza didn’t make the cut — nothing wrong with it, just not among the top dozen pie producers in town. A less doughy crust might have helped, but I didn’t have any trouble enjoying the pizza I acquired from Gino’s.

Besides pizza, Gino’s has a full menu of Italian dinners, with everything from basic spaghetti with sausage or meatballs to veal Marsala and fettuccine carbonara. Gino’s is open for lunch and dinner daily. This link will take you to Gino’s Web site. The phone number is 407-366-6873.

Also on the buffet today:

• The success of the movie “Julie & Julia” has had an effect on the sales of a 48-year-old cookbook.
• FoodCalc launches online nutritional info for restaurants.