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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT RIGATONY'S...
On-line article "reprint"
courtesy of The Arizona Republic
(This article first appeared in The Arizona Republic Chandler Community Edition Wednesday, December 15, 2000)
RigaTony's exceptional for quality, quantity
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TWIN FORKS
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| It’s a good sign when you hit a restaurant for lunch
and the parking lot is so jammed you have to park a block away. It’s also good when you’re about to have a wonderful lunch of hot, tasty pasta and bread that just came out of the oven - and The Republic will pay for it. Such is the rough job of official “Twin Forks” food reviewers. Because we care about you, the readers, and because we thought it would be funny if Chris Fiscus and Jim Fickess wrote a review together, we set out for RigaTony's authentic Italian restaurant. We weren’t disappointed. |
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| FICKESS: Because of our similar last names, Chris and I have been getting each other’s phone calls
and mail for years. Here’s another similarity: We are both chow hounds who have a tough time finding fault with
a place like RigaTony’s. FISCUS: Hee hee. Your name sounds just like mine. Anyway, the menu promises “generous portions at very reasonable prices.” Indeed. I’ve been coming here for about four years since I discovered the place by accident. The portions are large and the food is rich, so eating here means you’ll be full when you leave, plus you’ll have leftovers. FICKESS: I’m the kind of diner who often confuses quantity for quality. At RigaTony’s, we got both. My fettuccine Alfredo pasta bowl ($6.25) was a challenge to finish, especially on top of the great salad and outstanding bread. FISCUS: The bottle of Chianti we nailed, I mean the strains of Frank Sinatra, only added to the meal. FICKESS: Ambiance is usually well down on my priority list but the atmosphere at RigaTony’s is another plus. Although the place was packed, Chris and I were able to carry on our world-problem-solving conversation without being overheard by other tables. |
FISCUS: Like you said, the problems in Sierra Leone are staggering. The restaurant does have a nice
feel to it — soft light, dark woods, friendly service. The score for slightly larger parties is a big table tucked
away in its own small room. FICKESS: Long-time Chandler residents are even more amazed by RigaTony’s decor. It was formerly a discount steakhouse, the kind of restaurant that has quietly ridden off into the sunset for the American culinary scene. FISCUS: Thank goodness. RigaTony's is a step - or a leap - above most neighborhood restaurants. It catered my wedding rehearsal dinner, and that was the best thing about getting married. I suppose that really isn’t true. But my lunch of baked rigatoni - in a rich marinara and mozzarella cheese sauce with spicy sausage - was excellent. It’s the polar opposite of bland. FICKESS: RigaTony's one glaring weakness is the parking lot. It was packed, even double-parked in a couple of spots, when Chris and I arrived. If we wouldn’t have been dedicated Twin Forkers, we probably would have traveled on to another restaurant. I dropped Chris off to get our names in for a table and parked on a nearby side street. I was skeptical when the hostess said it would be only a five-minute wait. |
But it was the first of many pleasant surprises, as we got right in. FISCUS: No matter when I’ve been here, whether it’s for lunch or dinner, the parking is always at a premium. When you see the menu, you’ll understand why. Try the mozzarella pull-aparts or maybe the risotto crab cakes for appetizers. There’s penne pasta with chunks of salmon, or Norwegian salmon, or lasagna. The entrees come with a tasty antipasto salad. But the three things you must try: Baked stuffed shells (shells filled with rich cheeses and spinach, $8.95 for dinner) , cannaloni (thin crepes, veal, spinach and cheese; $9.95); or the baked rigatoni ($9.95). They also have spaghetti, pizza and filet mignon. Soon, there will be twice as much good food. RigaTony’s is opening a location this month at 223 E. Brown Road (at Mesa Drive) in Mesa in a former First Interstate building. The food will be great. You can bank on it. Reporter Chris Fiscus and editor Jim Fickess, like all authors of Twin Forks. are not certified as Actual Gourmet Food Folks. Four out of five experts recommend caution when basing important lunch decisions on the above opinions. |
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Article from Ocotillo News Oct.
2-15, 2004
"From October 10 to 23, RigaTony's invites the community to help celebrate their 10th anniversary... slices of birthday cake will be sold... All proceeds will be donated to the Sunshine Acres Children's Home..."
-Susan Henderson
Read more of
this article...
Article from the Chandler Connection Aug. 1, 2003
"... one of Chandler's most popular eating establishments..."
-David M. Ward
Read more of
this review...
Review from The Tribune Sept. 24,1998
"Rigatony's is a reasonably priced,
likable Italian eatery to which East Valley diners flock... It's an energetic eatery: Two dining rooms, one with
the bar, offer both booth and table seating. Overhead, wooden shelves display plants, bottles of dozens of shapes
and sizes, pasta boxes, olive oil and cookie tins. And if you like Frank Sinatra, you'll get an earful here; works
for me."
-Donald Downes
Read more of this
review...
Marketplace Article from The Arizona Republic Sept. 16,
1998
"Mike Lopercio and Mary Coultrap seem
to enjoy the peaks and valleys that come with being the boss. The pair have survived quite a rollercoaster ride
with the two businesses they own in Chandler, an upscale steakhouse called Chops, and RigaTony's, an Italian eatery..."
-Janie Magruder
Read more of this
review...
Last updated 1/09/05
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