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| - RigaTony's has been a standby for me for as long as I can remember. I even went there for prom night, many years ago. I've been to both of the old locations, and more recently to the new one, and I've tried a good deal of their menu.
I find that the quality of their food is usually pretty damn spot-on. I've been disappointed with my food only once or twice; my normal favorites like the Chicken Picatta are absolutely fantastic and topped with a great mix of tomatoes and capers and such, and perfectly cooked and breaded. The Italian Sausage is fantastic, and the stuffed shells are great too, but the alfredo is usually a bit... tacky. The sauce is a bit thick in that it's usually lopped on top and doesn't mix well, though it's pretty tasty even after that.
There's enough special about this place to keep you coming back and enjoying yourself. Instead of the industrial strength, flavorless slabs of breaded sad-chicken I've found at other nearby Italian places, the overall quality is really enjoyable for "mid-range" Italian food.
The prices are fantastic: $16 or so for a "Tour of RigaTony's" that includes the picatta, sausage, shells, and alfredo is spot on, and easily two meals. The bread is incredible (ask for some scampi butter instead of the oil for a fun treat) and the salad and house dressing are REALLY good.
The service is hit-or-miss. I haven't been to the new location during any sort of dinner rush, just once a bit later where our server was just fine, but I've been disappointed by the service (especially at the old Brown location) so many times that I've taken to just taking out. RigaTony's travels well, and their carry-out deals include the salad, bread, and usually a dessert, including their tasty chocolate cake.
Not much of an oenophile or drinker in general, so I can't comment on the wine selection at all, but overall, you can have a tasty experience here with generally high quality food all around. Little improvements could make things a lot better, and I'll have to report back the next time I visit during dinner on the service, but I've been going for years and I love the place.
(Oh, one final thing: their lunch specials are INSANE. They vary from day to day, but you can be in and out in about a half hour for $7 with some GREAT food!)
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