There are so many places you can go for Italian food in the Capital Region, many of them chain restaurants with food that is the same no matter where you are. Try the local food at DeMarco’s on Central Avenue in Colonie and enjoy a classic Italian meal at a reasonable price while supporting a small, family-owned business.

It’s charming in a familiar, comfortable way, with banquet-style chairs and cloth-covered tables in two dining rooms, with a busy, long bar between. We opted for the room open to the bar. It was cozier, with more discreet lighting and more convivial, as we could hear the companionable banter of the regulars there, who filled most of the stools.