RigaTony's

The bill at RigaTony's, before beverages, tax and tip, came to about $20 per person, and it was a lot of food. A glass of Chianti at RigaTony's is less than 4 bucks, and the most expensive entree on the menu is about $14. Most of the entrees at RigaTony's are in the $7 to $10 range, and all come with the bread and salad.

Update May 2010: I revisited Rigatony's after they moved to the new Tempe Location. The menu offerings are the same, and it is as popular as ever. The prices are now higher than they were in 2006 when this review was first written, but the quality is still good and the ambiance and space is improved at the new location.

We visited RigaTony's in Chandler at dinnertime. Upon being greeted by the server we were provided a sip of the house Chianti in a shot glass. A warm herb bread is served, which goes very well with the olive oil that is poured and seasoned for dipping. Salad comes next, and is plentiful. It is an antipasto salad, with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, salami, olives in a creamy Italian dressing. RigaTony's serves it in a large bowl, and you may serve yourself. Excellent!

My guest and I each ordered an appetizer: the Risotto Crabcakes, and the Calamari. These appetizers are each large enough for two people to share. At RigaTony's you receive two huge (about 4" in diameter!) tasty crab cakes with a nice light red pepper cream sauce accompanying them. The calamari was equally pleasant. This dish was also very large, with two sauces, one being marinara-like and the other being a little more like seafood sauce. The calamari wasn't chewy; it was tender and juicy.

For our entrees we ordered a Chicken Parmesan dinner and the Penne Rosa with Sausage. Both were good, although I thought that the Chicken Parmesan could have used more sauce and more cheese. My companion, who is not a big cheese-eater (and hence is the skinnier of the two of us!) thought it was perfect.

RigaTony's Apple Bread Pudding was hot and scrumptious. The Tiramisu was light, sweet and pleasing.