Riccardo's Ristorante

Good wine, poor food. we went here as guests of my parents. The courtyard was lovely, especially on a late summer night. The courtyard filled fast, and our service slowed waaaayyyy down. We had 'leisurely dining" experiences before, but this was ridiculous. It would have been OK if the food was worth the wait, but it wasn't. The "lemon butter sauce" on my veal was cooled and thickened. My husband's food was cold. We had to flag our waiter down several times for more wine, to refill the bread basket, etc. All of the waiters were running around (literally!) like ants. They were out of tiramisu! What Italian restaurant runs out of a signature dessert at 8pm on a Saturday night??! Once dessert was served, we never saw our waiter again. My dad was not offered a second cup of coffee, nothing. The busboy brought our bill.

It's true that the wine is fabulous and the list extensive. Maybe they should invest in more waiters and an extra chef.

This was so disappointing. We'd eaten here years ago and it was delicious, a marvelous time. Something has really changed. We won't be back.  View Less … View More

Excellent dinner. We celebrated our anniversary here last night. It had been a couple years since we were here, despite it only being 1/2 mile from our home. It's so easy to bypass the long established places for the new hot spots.

We were greeeted and seated by Riccardo, and when he found out it was our anniversary he brought us two complimentary glasses of Prossecco. We had appetizers of panzanella (bread salad) and seared scallps with pancetta and preserved lemon, both very good. We had brought a bottle of Italian red which Riccardo chilled for us and served, and we also ordered a bottle of Prossecco as my wife can't drink much red. As others have stated, their wine list is great for Italian choices, and they have their own wine shop accross the parking lot from the restaurant.

We had pastas for dinner, I the Lasagna della Marche (Marche is the region Riccardo is from) and my wife a penne with squash, zuchinni and tomatoes (vegetables were perfectly cookeed). We finished with mixed salads which come with the entrees, which were very good as well.

Our experience was so good here we have vowed to go back frequently. It is best when Riccardo himself is there, as he is the consummate host making sure everyone is taken care of.  View Less … View More

Great wine, so-so food. We have tried Riccardo's four or five times over the last year and the experience has been mixed. Given that dinner for two with wine is generally over $100 (and can even approach that for dinner for one with two glasses of nice wine and a full course), it is not a place we will continue to frequent despite the fact the place is very convenient to us and we were really trying to like it.

On the plus side, the outdoor courtyard in the back is very pleasant with a fountain and reasonable seating. The salads are generally good while the appetizers are reasonable. Service is generally good although when they get busy, it can go down hill quickly.

The wine list is a real treat, coming in a heavy book with a label and a description of each wine, many of which are available by the glass. The servers seem very knowledge and helpful about the wine. There are some real treats on the wine list, both at the pricey end and at the affordable end.

However, for me, this does not outweigh the poor entrees. My wife and I have sampled many of the pasta and meat dishes. I tend to the latter and was uniformly disappointed with the veal and pork offerings. The pork loin was watery and tasteless under a bland sauce. On our last visit, I decided to forgo the meat entrees for a pasta dish which seemed a safer choice selecting ravioli in a butter sauce which was bland with under-cooked tasteless ravioli. My wife's spaghetti dish was runny and unappetizing.

Deserts can be a treat, though.

Riccardo's food is well below the quality of the area Italian food chains (Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill) with service that sometimes approaches the chains. It's only real stand out is the wine list which does not justify the fairly high price tag of a meal there.  View Less … View More

Excellent dining experience. Sure it's spendy however one must do the homework ahead of time and find out if it's in the budget. That said, the meal we had was well above average. My Double Cut Pork Chop with potatoes, smothered in a Bernaise type sauce was enough for two people, literally a mountain.

My companion's Penne was hefty and to the contrary she did end up demolishing all of it.

The tiramisu was perhaps the finest the city has to offer. The establishment has an excellent variety of desserts to choose from. There is an assortment of herbal teas, the brand name escapes me but not one you often see sold commercially. Very good..

I particularly enjoyed being seated adjacent to a book shelf type wine holder.. Though I didn't indulge, there was a fine array to choose from.

I"ve heard complaints about the waitstaff however the wait person was knowledgeable, personable, and offered objective advice.  View Less … View More