Vinny T's of Boston   

Should the families in the greater Boston area ever decide that family-style eating is no longer their bag -- that, say, a small spinach salad would please their adolescent brood more than a heaping plate of lasagna -- then Vinny T's might just be forced to close up shop. Their various locations around the Hub are a veritable love letter to old-fashioned Italian feasting. Picture Sunday night dinners in the golden age of New York's Little Italy and our own North End and you won't be far off: The tables bear the requisite black and white checked tablecloths; the sound system is playing Frank Sinatra. Vinny T's fare is more than enough to satisfy your brood (be they a children's birthday party or a starving pack of students), and in fact the portions of their signature Chicken Carciofi or Linguini Frutti di Mare are so generous that the wait staff even encourage sharing (take that, obesity police). If you're entertaining a particularly large group (or just feeling really bold), try the all-inclusive "Festa Menu" or the family-style prix fixe.