Gino's

Update 10/31/13: Gino's on State St. is closed.

In a word: Party pizza & pasta with panache.

The specs: #0195
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at WiSJ (2006/1, 2004), Cap Times, Dane101, Yelp, the Culinary Adventures of Jahboh and Tossy, QSC; official web site;

Latest Gino's news and reviews

Aine, Amanda, Brian, Carlos, JM, Lisa, Nichole, Pete, Peter and Rachel ate a stuffed pizza with eggplant, a half-pan of meat lasagna, and a large salad with house italian and creamy garlic dressing. And we still had leftovers!
Brian gave Gino's an A; Nichole and JM gave Gino's an A-; Aine and Lisa gave Gino's a B; Amanda gave Gino's a BC (see our grading rubric).

This was the first co-incidence of a good pizza joint with our regular game night, and it paid off in spades. Nichole called in our large order in the morning and stopped by to pick it up before the dinner rush. Not only was everything piping hot when she arrived, but it was all packed expertly into a crate for easy transport - much appreciated.

When we got it home we stashed the hot stuff in the oven until people showed up, 3-8 minutes after the appointed time (Mr. Right would be so proud). We must have said something about Gino's being the featured fodder.

See the line for stuffed pizza with eggplant and onion, and meat lasagna?  Yeah. It was good. It didn't take a very large piece of pizza to make a meal.

Gino's stuffed pizza is definitely worth the hype. It's very cheesy (so cheesy that the person who took our order talked Nichole out of choosing extra cheese - good call), with understated veggie toppings, and a heavenly crust.

The lasagna was rich and spicy, according to JM, but not impressive to Carlos, who said he likes Amanda's better (aside to Amanda from Nichole: can I get that recipe?).

The salad was huge, and came with a couple excellent dressings. The creamy garlic was tempting enough that no one begrudged anyone else the bad breath afterwards (we think). The house Italian, an oil and vinegar concoction with large pieces of veggies, could have benifited from a good shake before serving, which in our ignorance we didn't do. Aine wasn't alone in noting that all the good bits settled to the bottom. Oh well - live and learn.

The salad itself had a surfeit of black olives and the lettuce was still in large, somewhat unwieldy chunks, but on the whole was well above average.

JM signed off simply saying he loves local pizzerias, and Nichole has to agree. Lisa said simply, "Gino's never disappoints." Cheers to Gino's!

Comments

[Crystal]

Great review! I especially liked the reference to Mr. Right. I went to Gino's once, and I think I really liked it but now I can't remember what I ordered. Ah well, that means I'll have to go there again soon.

I really enjoy your blog. I have it fed into my Google Reader and then I can see it right when you post. You guys rock!

[monnie]

I enjoy the blog as well.
I'm glad you wrote about Gino's! It's a place I always forget I need to try. Now that I know it's good, I won't forget...
Your pics make me hungry.

[nichole]

Aw, thanks!

[susan]

You should also review Ginos Deli on Verona Rd. The subs are the BEST.

[jt]

We tried ordering a small pizza and a lasagna. Most places include a complementary Parmesan cheese with an order of pasta if you ask for it or not. Gino's not only demanded that we pay a dollar for a cup-which we reluctantly agreed to-but then didn't even include the cheese with the order. In essence, bad business on two fronts: petty charges for a fairly pricey delivery, and incompetence with executing the order. The pizza was pretty decent, the vegetarian lasagna was a generous portion, but it was clearly reheated from a previous day or week--some of the noodles were rock hard and had a strange dark tinge that told the story of an extended stay in a refrigerator.

[Mike]

The pasta at Gino's is crap. Service sucks. I suppose the takeout pizza is ok? That doesn't make it a good restaurant.