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Business & Tech

Rizzuto's a Little Too Ambitious?

Michelle Bowers suggests sticking to the basics here: Pizza, Pasta and Chicken Parm.

It looked promising from the outset.

Rizzuto’s–which took over Conte’s old space at Riverside and Bridge Streets and opened in mid-October–wisely retained the character of the lovely former dining room. The wide-planked wood floors are still there, as is the big stone hearth with the crackling fire. And they’ve given it a nice face-lift. Burnt sienna walls lend a new warmth to the main room, which showcases an open kitchen and a prominent copper wood-fired oven.

The menu, too, looked intriguing. I was pleased to find more than the usual pizza and pasta fare. Along with a raw bar and a nice variety of salads, the appetizers include a charcuterie-like variety of artisan cheeses and cured meats such as speck and proscuitto.

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But my hopes were quickly dashed. Tomato Gorgonzola bruschetta was the first plate to arrive and looked scrumptious. Their variation on the traditional dish, however, just didn’t work. The gorgonzola was much too overpowering for the tomato-basil duo. The Stuffed Mushrooms, which were filled with a vegetarian herb breading and provolone, were rather mushy and went uneaten. Marinated Mushrooms were adequate but uninspired. Prepared with wine and lemon, the Roasted Garlic Shrimp came so close. It would have been spot on if it hadn’t been way over-salted. The Calamari Fritti, however, was pleasantly tender and not at all chewy, as calamari often is.

On to big plates. Despite swimming in a sea of marinara, Chicken Parmigiana received a thumbs up, particularly for its high-quality fresh linguini. (The pastas and breads are all made fresh daily on the premises and can be purchased at the storefront to the left of the bar.) The Organic Baby Arugula with pear, goat cheese and honey toasted pecans was probably our best dish of the night. It was light and fresh—a common salad elevated by the delicious fig balsamic vinaigrette. (The restaurant offers a variety of unusual infused vinegars: fennel white wine and red wine cherry, for instance.)

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The Kids’ Menu offers much of what you’d expect: pizza, spaghetti and chicken fingers. I was pleased to see salmon with vegetables as one of the choices. The meals come with the choice of a drink and a Chocolate "Dirt" dessert. We tried the Macaroni and Cheese which was creamy and delicious, but there was so much sauce the penne were nearly floating in the bowl. Despite the generous portions, at $11.75, it seemed a little steep—especially if all your child orders is penne with butter.

It’s probably not much of a surprise that the pizza is the strongest link in the menu. The biggest selling point is the extra-thin, chewy crust that’s just a bit smoked by the wood-fired oven. We sampled the Margherita which was lightly topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and slivered basil. Rather tasty. Rizzuto’s ventures well past the standard pies with combos like goat cheese and sausage, taleggio and smoked pancetta and chicken and pesto.

The service, unfortunately, might have been the weakest link. We were never given bread and had a hard time flagging anyone down for water, even after we’d been at our table for 10 minutes or so. Our waiter seemed overwhelmed and rushed, and maybe the service won’t be quite so rocky once they’ve been open for a while. Still, it was disappointing that we were never told about the specials and when we asked for a dessert menu, the waiter told us briskly: “It comes with the kids’ meal.” True, but what if the adults wanted an after-dinner sweet? (As my 8-year-old said, “That guy needs to work on his manners.”) Worse, several dirty plates were left on our table long after we finished. The kids ate their “Chocolate Dirt” and we paid the bill amidst the unappealing wreckage. On the plus side, the waiter did swap out an appetizer we didn’t order without fuss and gave my son a kids’ dessert even though he didn’t order off that menu.

The problem at Rizzuto's might be that they got overly ambitious, both with the depth of the menu and their efforts to get trendy. Stick to the basics here–pizza, pasta, and chicken parm. You may not be transported, but you’ll be fine.

And yes, you’ll still miss Conte’s. 

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