Neighborhood restaurants like Inky's in North Toledo are the hidden gems of society, the sort of places you stumble in by accident, or get recommended by regulars in the hood.

They're also a vanishing breed in the franchising of America, where food is increasingly something we cherish when it's mass produced, and finding decent restaurants that stay open more than a year is like the culinary version of Whack-A-Mole.

Founded by brothers Frank and John Incorvaia in 1957 (and now being run by second and third generations), Inky's is just shy of celebrating its 60th birthday, and to understand its longevity is to eat its food. Well, most of it anyway.

MENU: Inky’s Italian Restaurant

We visited twice over a three-week period, and were surprised on several levels. The restaurant exudes the intimate charm of a corner bistro in Little Italy, with its four-tops and larger banquettes for groups that totaled a dozen or more on our visit. Soft lighting and a bustle of activity are constants.

Inky's menu runs the gamut from pasta to pizza to seafood dinners.

We kicked things off with a pair of appetizers: cheese and garlic bread with dipping sauce ($4.50) and the small antipasto salad ($8). Both were delicious. The bread was topped by a quarter inch of melted cheese, while the salad was a festival of lettuce, tomatoes and banana peppers atop a layer of sliced salami.

The size of the salad was a hint of things to come; the small portion fed two of us.

Turning to entrees, my companion ordered the chicken Parmesan ($12.25) while I opted for plain old spaghetti with meatballs ($11.95).

When the waitress asked what size I wanted, I said large, assuming I might have a bit of leftovers. What came out of the kitchen was a platter stacked with enough pasta to feed a Girl Scouts troop. When I protested, the waitress shrugged and said “I assumed you knew what large meant.”

For the record, I now know it means “family style.”

The pasta was cooked al dente and the red sauce was rich and sweet. Only one flaw with the dish: The meatballs lacked even a hint of seasoning. In isolation, they were woefully bland.

My dining partner fared better with the chicken Parmesan, a pair of breasts pounded iPad thin and lightly battered with bread crumbs before being drenched with the restaurant's signature red sauce.

The key to success with this dish is in the breading. Inky's gets its right, unlike those eateries that think a cutlet should wear a flak jacket. One shouldn't need bolt cutters to get through the outer shell.

Our second visit was pretty much flawless. I ordered the spaghetti with white clam sauce — small this time — and found not only a portion that could feed at least two of the aforementioned scouts, but a sauce that wasn't oil based, as one might expect. At Inky's it's a delicious, rich Alfredo and clams.

We also tried one of the house pizzas, in our case a large Italian sausage ($12.45, 12 pieces). Here's the surprise: Instead of placing the meat on top of the cheese, Inky's buries its underneath, creating a faux deep dish cut into long, narrow strips. Clever. Tasty.

You'll find an assortment of sandwiches at Inky's both at dinner and lunch. The offerings range from the basic Italian burger with sauce and cheese ($6.65) and salami and cheese ($6.50) to a variety of stuffed pita pockets: chicken or tuna salad ($6.50), chicken fillet, and Polish sausage ($7.25).

While the restaurant boasts such traditional Italian fare as ravioli ($12.30) and chicken cacciatore ($11, bone-in), you'll also find pork chop dinners ($12.85) and seafood ranging from Alaskan pollock ($9.75) to whole fish ($13.85).

We didn't make it to dessert, but your options are simple: homemade cheesecake ($4) in either plain, cherry, or blueberry.

Beyond soft drinks and tea/​coffee, the bar is limited to beer and wine.

Inky's is a no-fuss restaurant where the food is plentiful, tasty, and relatively cheap. This is one of those instances where “old school.” is definitely still in fashion.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com.

First Published April 16, 2015, 4:00 a.m.