When it comes to old-school Italian restaurants, no one in Greater Cincinnati does it better than Primavista in East Price Hill. The restaurant, which opened in 1989, is not a Sinatra-era lounge like Maury’s Tiny Cove – nor a checkered tablecloth, Italian-opera-filled joint like Scotti’s.

But the classic Italian American dishes prepared by chef Chris Prince are reminders of why standards such as spaghetti and meatballs, pasta fagioli and cioppino are so beloved in the first place. While prepared simply, the depth of flavor Prince coaxes out of each one makes you wake up and think that maybe, just maybe, your love of classic Italian American food transcends mere nostalgia.