Stepping up to the prep station at Bellini's Counter is like flipping through the pages of founder Joe Marrello's family recipe book. There—in full view of customers—stretches a spread of freshly simmered sauces, imported cheeses, and pastas prepared the same way the Marrello family kitchen has prepared them for decades.

The chefs at this casual counter-service restaurant treat customers to classic dishes such as The 1/2 and 1/2, pasta topped with meatballs, sausage, and vodka sauce, and The Wise Guy, a wrap with grilled steak and alfredo sauce. But customers can also create a custom meal of their own without sprinkling Fritos on a bowl of pasta. They start with a pasta, salad, or flatbread base, then add sauce and meat, and finish with cheese, veggies, and other toppings.