il vecchio
110 Central Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 324-4282, ilvecchiorestaurant.com
The adherence to classic Italian starts with the name, which translates to “the old.” This restaurant is a throwback to a simple, rustic Italian trattoria of another era, with wooden decor and a simple menu of homemade classics and aperitifs at the bar. But it’s also a contemporary dining experience, with a focus on good service and a freezer of many flavors of the signature gelato available to-go, for people on the move. Owner Carl Alasko spent a decade living in Rome, eating at trattorias of today that still focus on the Italian basics, and it’s a recipe he applies at Il Vecchio: a fusion of old and new, oriented around simplicity. And it works.