There were two memorable Italian restaurants In Binghamton while I was in college. Pino’s was in Binghamton itself. It was an institution, with a long history. It was the preferred place for “fancy” college dates, and packed on parents weekends, or anytime your folks would come visit. Not super fancy, but a nice enough converted house with winding rooms full of small tables. I looked it up, and like a lot of family restaurants, when the founder, Giuseppe (Pino) got old, it fell apart in a squabble between the next generation. The most lasting memory I have is burning my mouth on one of my first bites there. It soured me a bit. 

I preferred Pronto(‘s?), down the road a few miles in Conklin. Conklin was a couple of winding curves down the Susquehanna River, so only 15-20 minutes by car, but would have been a day away in a previous century. The dad of a dorm mate freshman year worked for the railroad, and swore he knew all the hidden gems in the area, and damn if he wasn’t right! He came to visit and took a couple of us around the mountain for dinner. Pronto was more of a Italian grocery in the front, tables in the back kind of place. It had the most delicious garlic knots I’ve ever eaten, and the standard against which all others have been judged. I can still taste the first bite of bread, and feel the slight burn on my fingertips, because I never waited when the basket reached the table.